1967 Graduate Authors New Book

Doman Lum:

United Church of Christ minister Rev. Dr. Doman Lum earned his Doctor of Theology in Pastoral Counseling and Psychology at CST in 1967. 

During his time at CST, Doman served as a Graduate Assistant to Dr. Howard J. Clinebell, Jr., who was Professor of Pastoral Counseling and Psychology at the time. Dr. Lum explained: “As I look back on my educational career, Howard Clinebell was probably the best pastoral counseling professor in the United States in the 60s. I’m really indebted to him. He had such an impact on me and I learned so much. He’s always been my mentor in terms of writing and teaching.”

One can trace this impact all the way up to this last month, when Dr. Lum’s collection of 21 sermons, titled The Great Coronavirus Pandemic and Messages from the Prophets, was published. In this volume, which he began writing in April of 2020, Doman explores current events and the pandemic through the lens of the prophets of the Hebrew Bible. He explained: 

“The book starts with the chronology of events that deal with the impact of COVID-19, President Donald Trump, the murder and killings of African Americans, and the 2020 presidential election. I saw the interconnections of these things and tried to tie those to the sermons. We go through the minor and the major prophets, chronologically starting with Amos and ending with Malachi, with about 11 sermons on Isaiah.”

Turning his sermon series into a published volume was not originally on Doman’s radar. But he soon realized that he was putting in more hours per week than usual as well as attending to his messages with special care. Early in the pandemic, as Doman was distributing his sermons solely via text rather than video, he felt especially inspired to “make every word and sentence count.” Planning a book seemed like a natural next step to organize and share his reflections beyond only his congregation of the Chinese Community Church of Sacramento.

In the concluding chapter of his book, as Doman delves into practical applications and challenges to the reader, he reminds us: “The messages of the Old Testament prophets encompassed the needs of COVID-19 sufferers: good and evil in the pandemic; justice, kindness, and humility in the face of economic survival; strength, trust, and peace as guideposts in the midst of infection and death; the amazing acts of God; how to pray in a threatening situation…crying out to God…the new covenant between God and human beings; and other reassuring themes.”

Doman is hopeful that this volume will serve as a tool for ministers and churches in processing the happenings of 2020 as well as paving the way for healing amidst our continued grief as more and more churches begin physically gathering. He also sees the book as a potential homiletics casebook for challenges and opportunities in preaching, such as building a series on a crucial topic and forming a sermon around a single biblical verse.

Doman has been preaching, teaching, and providing spiritual care for many years in a variety of settings. After graduating from CST he served as Minister of Counseling and Director of the Makiki Christian Counseling Center, and Personnel Coordinator and Chaplain at Salvation Army Men’s Social Service Center in Honolulu. He later earned his PhD in Social Welfare at Case Western Reserve University and taught for 30 years at California State University, Sacramento. He has served as Interim Minister at the Chinese Community Church, which he described as small but influential in the community, for 2 years. You can order a copy of The Great Coronavirus Pandemic and Messages from the Prophets from Wipf and Stock, Amazon, and other retailers.