For more than one hundred years, North American Christians have been choosing one of two stories about the gospel of Jesus Christ. One story, often referred to as the ""true gospel,"" holds forth a narrative that this world is a ""sinking ship"" without possibility of redemption. For adherents to the ""true gospel,"" human suffering in this life is mostly a distraction to be ignored, for all that truly matters is to ""win souls for Jesus"" so that as many as possible can be assured of eternal life.
The other story, known by many as the ""social gospel,"" holds that the gospel of Jesus promises a new beginning in this life that includes the possibility for abundant life in this present world. Followers of this story devote themselves to alleviating human suffering and working for charity and peace.
Prior to the Civil War, these two stories--of salvation in this life and salvation in the life to come--were one, never to be separated, together comprising the good news of Jesus Christ. When the Roll is Called recounts the traumatic tearing asunder of this beautiful good news and offers hope for the restoration of a whole gospel.
""A much-needed investigation of the relationship between Dispensational theology and the lives and times of its founding fathers. . . . Their emphasis on the next life in heaven with a de-emphasis on present life in this world was a defensive strategy constructed to justify and excuse their diminishment of feelings and inattention to experienced trauma. The real shame: the untold number of evangelicals who still fail to experience the joy and healing of their life in Christ because of continued inattention to suffered and unworked-through trauma.""
--James H. Olthuis, Emeritus Professor of Philosophical Theology, Institute for Christian Studies, Toronto; Psychotherapist, Christian Counselling Services, Toronto
""Through Hoffman's brilliant balance of clinical vignettes, psychobiographical research, and confessional mission, we come to see a particular relationship to suffering, along with the forms of suffering that have emerged in its traumatized wake. Hoffman's voice introduces a compelling vision of hope and healing seldom seen in such literature.""
--David M. Goodman, Director, Psychology and the Other Institute
""With expert scholarship, engaging writing, and illuminating case material, [Hoffman] looks at the personal histories of key theologians that led to a misunderstanding of suffering. . . . This book will be a delight to psychotherapists, academicians, and theologians.""
--Brian E. Eck, Professor and Chair Emeritus, Department of Psychology, Azusa Pacific University
Marie T. Hoffman, PhD, is Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychology (Adjunct) in the NYU Postdoctoral Program in Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis. She is founding director of the Society for Exploration of Psychoanalytic Therapies and Theology and Brookhaven Institute for Psychoanalysis and Christian Theology. Dr. Hoffman is in private practice as a psychologist/psychoanalyst at Brookhaven Center in Allentown, PA. She coedits the Routledge book series Psyche and Soul and is author of Toward Mutual Recognition: Relational Psychoanalysis and the Christian Narrative.
