“Be quick to see where religious people are right. Make use of what they offer” (p. 87, Alcoholics Anonymous). Are we? Religion has been on retreat in many quarters, especially among younger people who constitute the vast majority of “the nones” (those who claim no religious affiliation). Spirituality, on the other hand, is viewed as the savior offering the metaphysical benefits of religion without the rituals, rhythms, rites, and rules. This presentation calls a truce to the religion v. spirituality battle, and presents a case for religion as a positive, central axis for recovery. Special attention is given to two of the most common challenges all people face: the problem of pain and the problem of fear. How can a religious perspective help in these two crucial areas?
Dr. Terry Ellis holds a doctorate in Greek, a Master of Divinity in Biblical Studies, and a B.A. in Psychology. He has taught Greek and New Testament at New Orleans Seminary, pastored 6 churches in 34 years, authored numerous commentaries and articles on biblical and spiritual topics. GraceWaves, the title of his recent book and his weekly blog, is widely read.
And he nearly lost his life to alcoholism.
For more than three decades Dr. Ellis has stepped into the chaos of people’s lives to bring direction and peace. Through addiction he entered his own chaos. His recovery began more than six years ago when someone said “we need to get you well.”
After treatment for alcoholism he returned to the pastorate but soon felt led to devote his life to helping persons struggling with alcohol or substance abuse and their families find grace, hope, and peace. Today, as founder of Chrysalis Interventions, he is a professional, certified interventionist, speaks at conventions, universities, churches and civic organizations on the topics of addiction, intervention, and recovery. He also works with treatment facilities on the spiritual component of recovery. His goal is to help people and their families escape the shadows of addiction, and help a wider audience understand addiction and the embrace the hope of recovery.
