An Inverness church member has shared his moving experience of churches and spiritual growth in a new book, in order to bring more people to God.
John Dempster, a librarian, theologian and a newspaper columnist, said that he wanted to share the stories of his life, including that of his “spiritual trauma”, to help others.
Mr Dempster, who is the main writer on the Hilton Parish Church website, and contributes a weekly Christian column to his local newspaper, wrote the book to help people find “their authentic self”.
Mr Dempster said: “I have told my story in Choosing Joy, with particular focus on my lifelong quest to find a way of being which is at the same time joyful, life-affirming and true to my own experience.
“The key message is that ‘You are loved, and you are just right the way you are.'”
He continued: “Within the book there are honest descriptions of spiritual trauma and the anxiety and depression which life has thrown at me. I am not telling these stories because I want sympathy I am telling these stories so that people can be freed.
“If I can help anyone – and if I can through my experience help anyone choose joy then this book has been worth it.”
‘Did not fit in to church’
Mr Dempster describes those points within his spiritual journey where he has been, or has felt as though, he was an outsider who did not fit in within the church.
He describes his life experiences with forgiveness, and wry humour, the effects of the Christian foundations he received in childhood.
He charts his time within the evangelical church, as well as in the reformed theology tradition, the charismatic movement, post-modernism, and most recently faith “deconstruction” and “reconstruction”.
Within his book, he recalls moments of joy, grace and inner wholeness when a great love beckons, something he describes as “true joy” for him.
Mr Dempster said that throughout all he has encountered both positive and negative within his lifetime, he has resolved to ‘choose joy’.
He said: “This means living, regardless of my emotions, in the light of a fundamental love and joy lying at the heart of all things – which for me is God.”
He says Choosing Joy is for people who have been wounded by their traumatic experiences of church.
Struggle to be free
He said: “This book is for those with mental health issues and their families, for those undergoing deconstruction of their previous Christian belief; for those struggling to free themselves from the burden of other people’s expectations and to find their authentic selves.”
Steve Aisthorpe, author of The Invisible Church and Rewilding the Church, said: “Choosing Joy is a work of integrity and courage, soul-stirring and faith-enhancing.”
Choosing Joy: A Memoir of Spiritual Trauma Survived can be purchased from Mr Dempster at www.choosingjoybook.co.uk
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