Book Reviews
The Scientific and Medical Network - Spring 2008
7/1/2008
A timely book about religious responses to terrorism and catastrophe written in the wake of Hurrican kristina. It advocates the integration of spiritual and mental health practices into emergency response systems and explores the help that religious faith and faith communities can provide in supporting people with emotional and spiritual care as an additional resource to federal systems.
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Journal of Religion & Spirituality in Social Work - Vol. 26, No.3
7/1/2007
I believe two important contributions can be attributed to this volume. First is a clear articulation that the efforts of clergy and lay volunteers be better defined and organized in terms of specific mitigation and responder roles played in the disaster arena; and second, that this information serve as an additional resource to be formally included in community preparedness and emergency management plans at the local, state, and national levels. —Robin L. Ersing, PhD, University of South Florida
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PsycCRITIQUES - Vol. 51 (49)
12/6/2006
Before Hurricane Katrina met land, churches in the New Orleans and greater Louisiana area were already taking in evacuees and
preparing for the consequences of this storm, well in advance of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). This is not an
uncommon or unusual occurrence. At the site of the World Trade Center bombing, survivors often sought out religious advisors rather than seeking help from mental health professionals. One observer stated, "People pushed past clinical psychologists to talk with people who were wearing collars" (p. ix).
It has long been established that churches and the faith community play a critical role in the management of immediate and long-term disaster response. Churches, faith communities, and organized religion play such a major part in these activities that a 2001 New England Journal of Medicine article reported that some 560 adults who participated in a random-digit-dial phone survey stated that religion was a major way that they coped with the aftermath of September 11, 2001 (Schuster et al., 2001). Ninety percent of the sample indicated that religion was a means of coping.
In the Wake of Disaster: Religious Responses to Terrorism & Catastrophe, by Harold G. Koenig, is a timely and welcomed
addition to the literature. Koenig is a professor of psychiatry at Duke University School of Medicine, and, in addition, he is the
founder and codirector of the Duke Center for Spirituality,Theology and Health. He is perhaps the best known and the most widely published psychiatrist in the field of mental health and
religion.
This particular volume is published by the Templeton Foundation Press, a philanthropic organization that has a special interest in spirituality, religion, and health. Thus, Koenig is in a unique position to comment and write about the role of faith communities in responding to natural disasters and terrorism. He
probably understands the role of faith communities better than most other mental health professionals. He is also well positioned
to be the disaster mental health educator for the religious and faith communities. In a direct and clear manner, he communicates the
basic science and practice of psychological first aid and disaster relief.
This is a small but remarkable volume that accomplishes many critical tasks. Its intended audiences are faith communities,government and federal agencies that have to deal with faith
communities, and psychiatric and psychological professionals who work with faith communities as well as with more traditional disaster relief helpers. This primer on emergency responses aims
to inform faith communities about national, state, and local disaster planning and responses, and it does this quite well. Koenig
provides specific details about faith community agencies that work in these areas. He includes a very useful glossary of terms and definitions for individuals who may be unaware of these terms. In addition, he lists both Internet and mail addresses for numerous government and relief agencies. This is a particular strength, but the utility of this information will diminish as these Web sites and contact people change over time. However, the extent to which
Koenig has researched these resources speaks to the book’s utility. They are well documented throughout the text. Thus, for members
of the faith community, Koenig’s book is an invaluable resource. In addition, this particular volume clearly explains the role of faith communities during disasters and how they should be used, and members of both the mental health community and the disaster response community would benefit greatly by reading those
chapters by Koenig about the role of the faith community.
This book should help reassure health professionals that organized religion at this level is not in the business of
proselytizing but is interested in providing concrete and immediate service. In addition, Koenig actually includes a number of the
published studies and references about how the faith community has performed during disasters. Some of these studies are descriptive, and some are empirical reports.
A theme throughout the book is the need for greater coordination of efforts by the faith community and with traditional disaster response agencies. Koenig calls for more cooperation
among these groups and lays out concrete steps that faith-based groups need to take at a local and statewide level. He also talks about the barriers to coordinated disaster relief efforts and the need for detailed plans for cooperation to be worked out in preplanning and in cooperative activities well before disasters or
catastrophes strike.
Part of Koenig’s message is that the clergy, religious leaders,and faith communities need to be better educated about the psychological needs of individuals who have experienced disaster
and understand how they can interact with national, state, and local agencies responding to these disasters. The book presents an
appropriate "101-level" description of disasters and catastrophes, especially in describing the horror of usual, normal disaster responses. Koenig repeatedly emphasizes that often the mental health and spiritual health of survivors are underassessed and that these issues still do not always receive proper attention. He makes
a very clear point that the faith community provides services and responses that are quite independent of the work of FEMA, the Red
Cross, and other disaster agencies. The faith community can help individuals bring meaning and understanding to these catastrophic events. Finally, religious groups can often respond quickly to disasters and catastrophes without the red tape and deliberations that are so common in more formal organizations.
In summary, this is a wonderful volume that should be useful to many audiences, such as members of the clergy, leaders in the
faith community, and potential volunteers from the faith community. In addition, the book lays out very clearly the role that faith communities have in assisting with the work in the aftermath
of terrorism or catastrophe. Without eservation, I recommend this book to the clergy, church leaders, and disaster mental health responders. The only weakness that I see in this particular volume is that it is inevitable that some of the resources included will quickly become dated or obsolete. However, that should not prevent readers and users of this volume from benefiting from its insights. For anyone interested in religious or spiritual responses to terrorism or catastrophe, this is a superb resource.
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crosswalk.com
11/17/2006
Hurricane Katrina made the gaps in U.S. disaster policies extraordinarily clear. At the same time, reports the Templeton Foundation Press, the contributions of organized faith communities were highlights amidst the bungled federal, state, and local responses. One example is the New York Times, September 9, 2005, headline: "A New Meaning for ’Organized Religion’: It Helps the Needy Quickly." But as faith-based organizations look for ways to help, there are few guidelines. In the Wake of Disaster is a unique resource for faith communities and organizations on how they can effectively provide services in times of crisis. Dr. Harold G. Koenig presents a persuasive argument for local, state, and federal government policy leaders to make full use of these much-needed services and to integrate religious organizations into the formal disaster response system. The book also offers information on the psychological, social, and spiritual responses to trauma, including the role that religious communities can play in disaster response and recovery.
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ChristianRetailing.com
5/15/2006
In the Wake of Disaster: Religious Responses to Terrorism & Catastrophe is a resource written to help faith-based organizations and government agencies work together to give aid in disaster situations.
Author and physician Koenig sees clergy and volunteers helping to meet spiritual needs as significant in the recovery effort, but he does not give preference to any particular religion.
Not for lay consumption, this book was written to contribute to the public-policy debate. Christians also will catch a glimpse of how the church may be perceived by those outside the faith in light of Christian responses to disaster.
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New York Disaster Interfaith Services - New York, NY
1/3/2006
In this timely book, In the Wake of Disaster: Religious Responses to Terrorism and Catastrophe, Dr. Harold G. Koenig discusses what and how faith-based and community organizations can contribute in the aftermath of disasters and terrorism. He urges federal, state, and local government policy leaders to more fully integrate religious organizations into the formal disaster response system; and he provides recommendations on the role that faith communities can play in disaster response and recovery in providing emotional and spiritual care for victims. Dr. Koenig is director and founder of Duke University’s Center for the Study of Religion/Spirituality and Health.
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St. Anthony Messenger
1/1/2006
Ann Tassone
IN LIGHT of the many recent disasters that our nation has faced, Harold G. Koenig, M.D., has developed a plan to improve not only the physical and mental health of those affected, but also their spiritual lives. While governmental responses to disasters are initially helpful, such assistance usually fades quickly. Koenig argues that one strength of religious responses to disasters is that these relief efforts persist in critical times, including long after the event has occurred.
Churches know that even relatively short-lived disasters can have long term effects on anyone involved. In the Wake of Disaster provides a detailed examination of how faith-based organizations can contributes in the aftermath of disasters and terrorism.
Koenig’s extensive involvement in research into the healing power of faith and in the fields of mental health and religion motivated him to write this book.
This book is easy to read. It is a helpful guide for faith-based groups who are responding to catastrophes.
The book is divided along four themes: how to prepare faith communities for disasters, spiritual consequences of disasters, the faith community’s role in helping people cope during and after disasters, and the obstacles that face the integration of faith-based groups and mental health organizations.
Koenig gives a detailed outline of information that faith communities need in order to meet the psychological, social and spiritual needs of disaster victims. Developing a disaster plan is essential preparation. This allows congregations to meet the physical needs of those affected, and then the spiritual needs which surface soon afterward.
Koenig argues that people’s faith can go one of two ways after being affected by a disaster: it can provide comfort and strength, or it can be lost due to a feeling of abandonment. Faith communities can help with anxiety and depression, which are common following disasters.
Faith communities and religious presence during and after disasters have proven to be very effective in helping people to cope, the book contends. Clergy and pastoral counselors are the only professionals competent to address the spiritual needs that arise. After the World Trade Center attack on September 11, 2001, governmental teams as well as clergy were direct responders. A national poll, however, showed that Americans were more likely to seek help from a physician or mental-health professional.
Koenig presents specific examples of crises that our nation has faced, and the importance of religious responses to these catastrophes. He gives examples of many national, state and local disaster response programs (the American Red Cross, Federal Emergency Management Agency), as well as many faith-based organizations involved in disaster response (Catholic Charities, International Aid, Salvation Army).
The book concludes with resources on disasters specific for faith communities, as well as research studies on the role of faith in disasters. In the Wake of Disaster serves as a tool for keeping faith in the face of even the worst disasters, and keeping in mind the importance of religious responses to terrorism. The book is a helpful instrument in making the best out of unfortunate events, all the while remembering God’s presence in every situation.
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