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imaginary, Christian Bellehumeur and Thanh Thinking about this inherent goodness vs sin-
Tu Nguyen present a sample of their work with fulness discussion, I’ve conceived of a metaphor
Vietnamese immigrants in Canada. In her doc- which, though imperfect, has helped me to un-
toral dissertation, Nguyen demonstrates that derstand this apparent paradox. To me, I think
the imaginary – the construction of symbolic of the condition of man as being that of a bro-
representations of God (particularly images) – ken and rusted classic car that was parked and
is related to an individual’s understanding and left in a remote corner of a farmer’s field deca-
feelings about God. Moreover, the imaginary des ago. For all intents and purposes, the car has
appears to integrate and give meaning to life lost all innate material value that it once had,
events and functions as a means of coping with and yet we can still stand and marvel at what
existential anxiety. In a subsequent interview, that scrap heap once was and what it still re-
Christian Bellehumeur further expands on his presents. In the same way, we are image-bearers
understanding of the imaginary and its impor- of God and whatever is good in us is only that
tance to Christian psychology, tracing its roots which reflects His Goodness worked in us by
from Gilbert Durand to his current program of His Spirit.
research.
The Canadian edition concludes with a series Throughout this edition we are treated to the il-
of articles focussing on the work of Canada’s lustrations of artist and author, Michael O’Brien.
most prolific and well-known Christian psy- As evidenced in the selections presented here,
chologist, David Benner. This section contains O’Brien sees “each visual image and each work
excerpts from some of Benner’s previous works of prose [as] an incarnation of a word, a state-
in which he discusses the implications of Bib- ment of faith.” He, like many psychologists, has
lical and theological insights (e.g., imago Dei, faced professional pressure to exclude religion
sin, and the incarnation) for therapy and the from his work, however, he has firmly commit-
therapist’s role. Wolfram Soldan then dialogues ted himself to portraying explicitly Christian
with Benner as he elaborates on the necessity of themes. The product and process of his artistry
moral frameworks and Christ-like attitudes in is bold and deeply devotional – certainly a great
therapy as pastoral conversation (i.e., listening inspiration for all of us.
to another while also speaking for God). Mike
Sheldon then provides commentary as Benner A Taste of Canada
explores humanity and what it means to be- Canada is a culturally diverse nation with two
come fully human. Finally, Benner shares his official languages, English and French. Here is
reflections as he looks back on these excerpts, a taste of Canadian culture and our beautiful
emphasizing the importance of attending to landscapes.
the psychospiritual dynamics of the therapeutic As the second largest country in the world, the-
process. re is much to see and do: Canada - Keep Explo-
ring or: Canada Shared by Canadians
I have really appreciated the variety of topics Here’s an overview of some of the most well-
and perspectives that have been presented in known cities in Canada: Cities of Canada
this edition. One of the most striking articles
for me was the “original goodness” article by Two famous Canadian events are the Calgary
Sam Berg. “As iron sharpens iron” (Proverbs Stampede: Calgary Stampede 2012
27:17), Sam Berg has called me to wrestle with and the Winter Carnival in Quebec City:
and refine my own understanding of man’s sin- Carnaval de Québec
ful nature and I thank him for this. While I do
not state the case quite as strongly as Sam Berg,
there is certainly much value in identifying and
encouraging individuals’ gifts and strengths in
the context of counseling (for example, I am re-
minded here of 1 Corinthians 12).

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