Mennonite Mission Network–While teaching classes on spirituality two years ago, Linda Oyer was experiencing blurry vision. A parasite in her eye was diminishing her ability to read and write—all part of the work she loves. Meanwhile, her co-teacher, Louis Schweitzer, was grieving the loss of his wife to cancer.
But Schweitzer and Oyer, a longtime Mennonite Mission Network worker in France, didn’t hide their pain from their students. They shared it freely, and discussed what it meant to go through painful times as a Christian.
Intrigued by the discussion, three of the students invited the two professors to speak at the Lavigny Conferences in Switzerland, organized by the French-speaking Federation of Evangelical Churches (FREE) in order to address spiritual crises more deeply.
After hearing them speak, the organizers suggested that the conferences be published as a book to bring the topic of spirituality and crisis to a wider audience. Crises in Faith (Les Crises de la Foi) was published in November 2010 and, Oyer said, has been essentially sold out ever since.
“This indicates the book is meeting a need that is out there,” she explained.
Currently Oyer and Schweitzer are working on edits to a second edition.
Oyer says that spiritual crises are not uncommon in the lives of Christians.
“At some point in our Christian lives, we hit a wall or go through a desert or a time of darkness,” Oyer said. “How do we view this type of experience? Is the Christian life supposed to be a linear climb upward, from glory to glory? Or are these crises periods a normal part of the journey? And what does it mean to live in faithful discipleship during this time?”
Crisis in Faith includes a study on biblical characters and Francis of Assisi as an example from church history. Oyer wrote about Elijah and Schweitzer about the apostle Peter. The book concludes with a discussion about living together in the church with the wide spectrum of experiences, from the enthusiasm and excitement of new Christians to those going through struggles.
One reader wrote: “The book sheds light on how to live well together. It is an excellent tool for peacemakers, which each of us is called to be.”
“In many Christian circles here in France, people don’t talk about faith crises,” Oyer explained. “If you’re going through a desert experience, people push you to get back to where you were before. It’s not thought of as a potentially fruitful part of the spiritual journey.”
Oyer explained that the reaction they hear most is from people who are encouraged because they realized upon reading the book that their dark times were not caused by sin or wrong doing.
After the book was published, Oyer and Schweitzer recorded a series of DVD interviews as part of a companion study guide. The interviews allowed them to go into more depth about their experiences and the scriptures they referenced.
“After reading this book, I have renewed hope,” one reader wrote. “I’ve been encouraged and renewed in my spiritual journey with Christ,” another said. “You put words to what I have been living, but didn’t know how to formulate.”
##
Mennonite Mission Network, the mission agency of Mennonite Church USA, leads, mobilizes and equips the church to participate in holistic witness to Jesus Christ in a broken world. Media may contact Andrew Clouse at andrewc@mmnworld.net, 574-523-3024 or 866-866-2872, ext. 23024.
