Questions Surrounding Mental Illness and Mental Health
Mental illness? Mental health? Some Christians debate even the reality of these concepts. Other Christians sometimes accept these concepts without thinking through a Christian worldview. So many questions…
- How do we cultivate a gospel-centered culture of grace in our churches as we respond to sufferers struggling with deep, ongoing emotional distress?
- How do we become redemptive communities engaging in gospel-centered relationships with people diagnosed with mental illness—whether we “buy into” that term or not?
- How do we respond to a Christian world that has, perhaps, accepted a definition of mental illness that is not always comprehensively biblical or fully compassionate?
- How do we speak wisely about mental illness and the complex interaction of the brain/body/mind/heart/soul?
- How do we minister to root causes of life struggles (heart) without being heard to say that we are minimizing comprehensive, compassionate care for the whole person (socially-embedded embodied-soul) or lacking empathy for social factors (nurture) and physiological issues (nature)?
Questions like these, and scores more, are why we need Christian resources on mental health and mental illness. Today, I offer you links and summary descriptions of over two dozen resources on Christianity, Mental Health, and Mental Illness.
As with any resource, every reader should assess each resource through the grid of Scripture (Acts 17:10-12). By listing these resources, I am not affirming everything in each resource, or every resource produced by each author.
These books are not all written by biblical counselors. Various authors listed below are not self-described biblical counselors. The authors approach this topic from various counseling perspectives, with a cross-section of viewpoints. Some are dismissive of the concept of “mental illness.” Others engage the concepts of mental illness and mental health from a biblical, theological, and scientific perspectives.
The descriptions after each resource is provided by the author and/or publisher.
My Audience: You
If you are a pastor, church leader, biblical counselor, or therapist, these books can help you develop a Christian way of thinking about mental health and mental illness. You may or may not agree with each point of each book, but we can all benefit from the thought-provoking perspectives in each book.
If you are a family member or friend of someone struggling with their mental health, these books can be beneficial to you in helping you to think through a compassionate, comprehensive Christian way of ministering to those you love.
If you are struggling with mental health issues, these books, especially those focused on personal testimony, can be a source of hope and encouragement for you.
Update: Organized by Categories
I’ve updated this post, organizing it by categories, to make it more user-friendly. Of course, resources in this list overlap among various categories, and I could have placed many resources in several categories. In creating these category labels, I’ve attempted to list the resources in the category that best summarizes the overall focus of the resource.
A Christian Perspective on Mental Health and Mental Illness (9 Resources)
This is the broadest category. Resources listed here focus on helping the reader to think through mental health and mental illness from a Christian theological/biblical perspective.
Hambrick, Brad. 18 Questions About Faith and Mental Illness
When engaging a difficult and highly personal subject, it is better to start with good questions than a list of answers. The better our questions are, the more responsibly we will utilize the answers of which we are confidant, the more humbly we will approach areas of uncertainty, and the more we will honor one another in the process of learning. As I’ve read, counseled, and thought about the subject of mental illness, here are some of the questions that have emerged. The purpose of these questions is to expand our thinking about mental illness. We all bring a “theory of mental illness” to this discussion. This theory, whether we can articulate it or not, shapes the questions we ask. Exposing ourselves to important questions from other perspectives is the first step in becoming more holistic in our approach.
Hambrick, Brad. Toward a Christian Perspective on Mental Illness
This is a difficult subject to address, because of its complexity and highly personal nature. Everyone is affected by mental illness; either personally or someone they love. People you care about have experienced depression, ADD, addiction, bipolar, or other mental health struggle. For you the phrase “mental illness” may be a safe haven of explanation, a label that carries stigma, or a mystery that is hard to understand. This is why mental illness is a subject that must be discussed in the church; otherwise, our silence hurts people by leaving them to struggle in isolation. How does the mind relate to the body? How do our emotions relate to our faith? These are important questions that everyone grapples with and are essential to holistic discipleship. This is merely an attempt at “a” Christian perspective; not “the” Christian perspective. I believe there are others who, based upon personal experience, professional expertise, or doctrinal background, can and hopefully will add to this discussion. My desire is to start a conversation rather than speak the final word.
Kinghorn, Warren. Against the Moral/Medical Divide
In this post, theologian, psychiatrist, and author, Warren Kinghorn, responds to a sermon and post by John MacArthur. In part, Kinghorn writes, “Christians who live with mental health challenges deserve better than pastors and clinicians who embrace the medical-moral divide and who use that divide to stake out their professional turf. Rather, the church needs pastors and clinicians who are willing to exercise their office faithfully, who will use their wisdom and skill to encourage and edify those who are struggling, and who will remember that those in their care are not malfunctioning machines but rather wayfarers who are on a journey to God. Pastors and biblical counselors have an important role to play, but so do psychiatrists and other mental health clinicians.”
Kinghorn, Warren. Engaging Mental Health Care Faithfully
Are psychiatry and other forms of mental health care gifts of God that Christians should celebrate? Or is psychiatry an inherently flawed discipline that Christians should at least regard with suspicion, and perhaps avoid entirely? What would it mean to engage mental health care faithfully? Christians in the United States and around the world have a wide range of views on these questions. Many Christians, recognizing the enormous toll of mental health suffering in modern culture and affirming that all truth is God’s truth, actively encourage people with mental health challenges to seek mental health care, and work to fight stigma associated with mental illness and seeking treatment. Other Christians worry that the biological focus that permeates modern psychiatry inappropriately names moral and spiritual struggle as medical problems, and uses medications to cover over what should be addressed through prayer and other forms of discipleship.
Kinghorn, Warren. Wayfaring: A Christian Approach to Mental Health Care
Wayfaring is a theologically and scientifically engaged exploration of modern mental health care. The current model of mental health care doesn’t see people: it sees sets of symptoms that need fixing. While modern psychiatry has improved many patients’ quality of life, it falls short in addressing their relational and spiritual needs. As a theologian and practicing psychiatrist, Warren Kinghorn shares a Christian vision of accompanying those facing mental health challenges. Kinghorn reviews the successes and limitations of modern mental health care before offering an alternative paradigm of healing. Based in the theology of Thomas Aquinas, this model of personhood affirms four truths: We are known and loved by God. We are creatures made of earth who are formed in community. We are wayfarers on a journey. We are called not to control, but to wonder, love, praise, and rest. Drawing on theological wisdom and scientific evidence, Kinghorn reframes our understanding of mental health care from fixing machines to attending fellow wayfarers on the way to the Lord’s feast. With gentle guidance and practical suggestions, Wayfaring is an essential resource for pastors and practitioners as well as for Christians who seek mental health care.
Koenig, Harold. Protestant Christianity and Mental Health: Beliefs, Research and Applications
This book is for mental health professionals, clergy, researchers, and laypersons interested in the relationship between religion, spirituality and mental health in Protestant Christians. A concise description of Protestant beliefs, practices, and values is followed by a review of research conducted in Protestant-majority Christian populations, and then by recommendations for practice based on research, clinical experience, and common sense. The author is a physician researcher who has spent over 30 years investigating the relationship between religion and health, and directs Duke University’s Center for Spirituality, Theology and Health. He is also a clinician who for decades has treated clients with a wide range of emotional disorders using a faith-based approach. In this well-documented and highly cited volume, he brings together over 100 years of research that has examined how religious faith impacts the mental health of those who call themselves Christians, and explains what this means for those who are seeking to provide hope, meaning, and healing to members of this faith tradition.
Murray, David, and Tom Karel. A Christian’s Guide to Mental Illness: Answers to 30 Common Questions
How should Christians approach the topic of mental health? What is the most Christlike way to care for those who suffer? A Christian’s Guide to Mental Illness answers 30 commonly asked questions about mental health from a Christian perspective. Intended for caregivers, this accessible resource will equip family, friends, and churches with wisdom for caring for individuals with mental health illnesses. Authors David Murray and Tom Karel use a holistic approach as they share personal stories, professional expertise, and biblical wisdom to tackle difficult questions―ultimately providing hope for the hopeless and rest for the weary.
Stanford, Matthew. Grace for the Afflicted: A Clinical and Biblical Perspective on Mental Illness
Why has the church struggled in ministering to those with mental illnesses? Each day men and women diagnosed with mental disorders are told they need to pray more and turn from their sin. Mental illness is equated with demonic possession, weak faith, and generational sin. As both a church leader and a professor of psychology and behavioral sciences, Matthew S. Stanford has seen far too many mentally ill brothers and sisters damaged by well-meaning believers who respond to them out of fear or misinformation rather than grace. Grace for the Afflicted is written to educate Christians about mental illness from both biblical and scientific perspectives. Stanford presents insights into our physical and spiritual nature and discusses the appropriate role of psychology and psychiatry in the life of the believer. Describing common mental disorders, Stanford probes what science says and what the Bible says about each illness. Consistent with DSM-5 diagnoses, this revised and expanded edition is thoroughly updated with new material throughout, including eight new chapters that cover: bipolar disorders, trauma-and stressor-related disorders, dementia, cerebrovascular accidents (stroke), traumatic brain injury, suicide, a holistic approach to recovery, and mental health and the church.
Swinton, John. Spirituality and Mental Health Care: Rediscovering a Forgotten Dimension
A person’s sense of spirituality informs his or her awareness of self and of the society around them, and is intrinsic to their mental well-being. In this balanced and thoughtful book John Swinton explores the connections between mental health or illness and spirituality and draws on these to provide practical guidance for people working in the mental health field. He analyses a range of models of mental health care provision that will enable carers to increase their awareness of aspects of spirituality in their caring strategies. Using a critical evidence-based and interdisciplinary approach to contemporary mental health practice, Swinton explores the therapeutic significance of spirituality from the perspectives of both carers and service-users, looking at mental health problems such as psychotic disorder and depression, Alzheimer’s disease and bipolar disorder. He also provides a critical review of existing literature in the field to place spirituality in contemporary theory and practice.
Mental Health, Mental Illness, and the Church (6 Resources)
Almost every resource in this list seeks to help us to understand how the church can minister to those struggling with mental health issues. However, those resources listed in this category have a special focus on helping the church to think through how they can address mental health/illness issues.
Grcevich, Stephen. Mental Health and the Church: A Ministry Handbook for Including Children and Adults with ADHD, Anxiety, Mood Disorders, and Other Common Mental Health Conditions
In Mental Health and the Church, Dr. Stephen Grcevich presents a simple and flexible model for mental health inclusion ministry for implementation by churches of all sizes, denominations, and organizational styles. The model is based upon recognition of seven barriers to church attendance and assimilation resulting from mental illness: stigma, anxiety, self-control, differences in social communication and sensory processing, social isolation and past experiences of church. Seven broad inclusion strategies are presented for helping persons of all ages with common mental health conditions and their families to fully participate in all of the ministries offered by the local church.
Grove, Alasdair, and David Powlison. Psychiatric Disorders and the Church
Some people live day in and day out caring for family members who have really severe issues in living. If you’re one of those people, you know what I’m talking about. But most of us don’t know and therefore, we probably don’t do the best job of thinking about how to help the families of those who struggle. So please join me and David Powlison as we talk about how can you help the families of those who struggle with severe issues in living.
Kellemen, Bob. A Dozen Reflections on Mental Illness, the Church, and Biblical Counseling
In this blog post, taken from a Twitter/X thread, Bob Kellemen makes the following summary proposal. In summary, I am proposing, or at least publicly pondering, whether it might help us to perceive mental illness as fallen, finite embodied-soul dis-order—with “dis-order” reflecting the loss of shalom, wholeness, integration, and the commensurate groaning-for-glorification that Romans highlights.
Kellemen, Bob. Mental Illness and the Church: Developing a Compassionate and Comprehensive Biblical Counseling Response
As the body of Christ and as a biblical counseling movement, God calls us to respond compassionately and comprehensively to individuals (and their families) suffering with troubling emotions and thoughts. To minister Christ’s gospel to people compassionately and comprehensively, we need to reflect biblically and historically (church history) on several interrelated questions. How do we cultivate a gospel-centered culture of grace in our churches as we respond to sufferers struggling with deep, ongoing emotional distress? How do we become redemptive communities engaging in gospel-centered relationships with people diagnosed with mental illness? How do we respond to a Christian world that has, perhaps, accepted a definition of mental illness that is not always comprehensively biblical or fully compassionate? How do we speak wisely about mental illness and the complex interaction of the brain/body/mind/heart/soul? How do we address root causes of life struggles (heart) without being heard to say that we are ignoring the whole person or lacking empathy for social factors (nurture) and physiological issues (nature)? Download a free PDF of this manuscript here.
Scott, Stuart, and Heath Lambert, Editors. Counseling the Hard Cases: True Stories Illustrating the Sufficiency of God’s Resources in Scripture
From pastors and academics to physicians and psychiatrists, contributing counselors share accounts of counselors using Scripture to address bipolar, dissociative identity, and obsessive compulsive disorders, postpartum depression, panic attacks, addiction, issues from childhood sexual abuse, and more. The book also shows how the graces of Christ, as revealed in the Bible, brought powerful spiritual change to the lives of such people who seemed previously burdened beyond hope by mental and emotional roadblocks.
Thorne, Helen, and Steve Midgley. Mental Health and Your Church: A Handbook for Biblical Care (A Ministry Guide to Mental Illness, Anxiety, Depression, Trauma and Addiction)
This wise, compassionate, and practical book is written by Steve Midgley, psychiatrist and Executive Director of Biblical Counselling UK, and Helen Thorne, Director of Training and Resources at Biblical Counselling UK. It will help readers understand and respond with biblical wisdom to people who are struggling with their mental health.
Personal Testimonials and Historical Testimonials (8 Resources)
Resources in this category contain either personal testimonies or historical accounts of those who struggled with mental health issues or ministered to those who struggled with mental health issues. This category focuses on the “lived experience” of those who struggle with mental health concerns. The resources in this category also provide insight into how the Bible, the church, and Christianity relate to those who struggle with mental health issues.
Bryant, John. A Quiet Mind to Suffer With: Mental Illness, Trauma, and the Death of Christ
A Quiet Mind to Suffer With is both a personal testimony of the author, as well as a testimony to Christ’s healing hope. Author John Bryant writes: “This is the story of Christ’s nearness to my own suffering―my mental breakdown, my journey to the psych ward, my long, slow, painful recovery―and how Christ will use even our agony and despair to turn us into servants and guests of the mercy offered in his gospel.”
Davies, Gauis. Genius, Grief, and Grace: A Doctor Looks at Suffering and Success
Dr. Gaius Davies introduces us to Martin Luther, John Bunyan, William Cowper, Lord Shaftesbury, Gerard Manly Hopkins, Christina Rossetti, Amy Carmichael, J.B. Phillips, C.S. Lewis, Martyn Lloyd Jones and Frances Ridley Havergal. After a brief biographical introduction to each person, he shows us how he or she all had their particular trial, and how grace operated in each of them. He is not afraid to show how anxiety, guilt, depression and doubt can be present in the finest of Christian lives, but also goes on to show how divine grace can transform human weakness.
Greene-McCreight, Kathryn. Darkness Is My Only Companion: A Christian Response to Mental Illness
Where is God in the suffering of a mentally ill person? What happens to the soul when the mind is ill? How are Christians to respond to mental illness? In this brave and compassionate book, theologian and priest Kathryn Greene-McCreight confronts these difficult questions raised by her own mental illness—bipolar disorder. With brutal honesty, she tackles often avoided topics such as suicide, mental hospitals, and electroconvulsive therapy. Greene-McCreight offers the reader everything from poignant and raw glimpses into the mind of a mentally ill person to practical and forthright advice for their friends, family, and clergy. The first edition has been recognized as one of the finest books on the subject. This thoroughly revised edition incorporates updated research and adds anecdotal and pastoral commentary. It also includes a new foreword by the current Archbishop of Canterbury and a new afterword by the author.
Kellemen, Bob. Martin Luther on the Gospel and Mental Illness
We typically think of Luther as the Reformer. Sometimes we think of Luther as the pastor. At times we think of Luther the counselor. Rarely do we think of Luther as the minister to the mentally ill. In this blog post at RPM Ministries, Bob Kellemen documents several instances where Luther ministered compassionately and comprehensively to individuals whom, today, would be considered to be struggling with mental illness. What can we learn today from how Luther applied the gospel to mental health struggles?
Noble, Alan. On Getting Out of Bed: The Burden and Gift of Living
In chapter 1 of On Getting Out of Bed, Alan Noble shares: “Understanding the source of our modern dis-ease can help us resist it and work for a more human society. If I didn’t believe that, I wouldn’t have written a book on the subject. But however you explain the difficulty of living in the modern world, whatever theory you accept, you’re still stuck with the reality that a normal life includes a great deal of suffering. Ultimately, you must have some reason to put up with such a life, some reason for still getting out of bed even when you know it will mean pain. That’s another thing I’ve discovered: getting out of bed in the morning can be incredibly hard.”
Saunders, Stephen. Martin Luther on Mental Health: Practical Advice for Christians Today
For readers who have mental health problems (or who have loved ones who do), Martin Luther on Mental Health: Practical Advice for Christians will provide assurance that God knows their suffering and loves them. Using references and examples from Martin Luther, as well as practical advice from leading mental health experts, readers of this book will learn that Jesus Christ has paid for their sins and has secured their salvation, that mental health problems such as depression and anxiety are not a sign of poor or weak faith, and that which is gifted by the Holy Spirit is sufficient. Additionally, this book is helpful to pastors and other leaders, who will become aware of effective advice and be equipped to steer members toward appropriate counseling.
Simpson, Amy. Troubled Minds: Mental Illness and the Church’s Mission
In Troubled Minds Amy Simpson, whose family knows the trauma and bewilderment of mental illness, reminds us that people with mental illness are our neighbors and our brothers and sisters in Christ, and she shows us the path to loving them well and becoming a church that loves God with whole hearts and whole souls, with the strength we have and with minds that are whole as well as minds that are troubled.
Swinton, John. Finding Jesus in the Storm: The Spiritual Lives of Christians with Mental Health Challenges
Finding Jesus in the Storm is a call for the church to be an epicenter of compassion for those experiencing depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and related difficulties. That means breaking free of the assumptions that often accompany these diagnoses, allowing for the possibility that people living within unconventional states of mental health might experience God in unique ways that are real and perhaps even revelatory. In each chapter, Swinton gives voice to those experiencing the mental health challenges in question, so readers can see firsthand what God’s healing looks like in a variety of circumstances. The result is a book about people instead of symptoms, description instead of diagnosis, and lifegiving hope for everyone in the midst of the storm.
Medication and Mental Illness (8 Resources)
Just about every resource in this collation relates in some way to medication. However, the resources highlighted in this category especially focus on thinking through the role of medication for mental health struggles.
Emlet, Mike. Description and Prescriptions: A Biblical Perspective on Psychiatric Diagnosis and Medications
As Christians, how should we think about psychiatric diagnoses and their treatments? We can’t afford to isolate ourselves and simply dismiss these categories as unbiblical. Nor can we afford to accept the entire secular psychiatric diagnostic and treatment enterprise at face value as though Scripture is irrelevant for these complex struggles. Instead, we need a balanced, biblically-informed (and scientifically-informed) approach that is neither too warmly embracing nor too coldly dismissive of psychiatric labels and psychiatric medications. Biblical counselor and retired physician, Mike Emlet, gives readers a way forward as he guides lay and professional helpers through the thicket of mental health diagnoses and treatments in a thoughtful primer in which the Bible informs our understanding of psychiatric diagnoses and the medications that are often recommended.
Hendrickson, Laura, and Elyse Fitzpatrick. Will Medicine Stop the Pain? God’s Healing for Depression, Anxiety, and Other Troubling Emotions
Twice as many women as men will experience depression sometime in their lives, and episodes for women are likely to start at earlier ages, last longer, and recur more frequently. Many women are given medication to treat the disease, but medication alone does not always address the underlying emotions which trouble the mind and spirit. Counselor Elyse Fitzpatrick and Dr. Laura Hendrickson provide biblical guidance on how to balance medical intervention with biblical encouragement.
Hodges, Charles. Good Mood Bad Mood: Help and Hope for Depression and Bipolar Disorder
Depression and bipolar disorder are two of the most common diagnoses made in medicine today. Good Mood Bad Mood examines whether we are in an epidemic, or if we have simply misdiagnosed common sadness as depression. Current research in the medical community seems to indicate that the criteria we use to diagnose depression has resulted in an increased and incorrect labeling of common sadness as depression. While medical treatment is now the commonly accepted way to deal with pain and sadness, its promise has not been fulfilled. In Good Mood Bad Mood, Dr. Charles Hodges offers an explanation to help the reader see the importance of sadness and the hope that God gives us in His Word.
Hodges, Charles, Editor. The Christian Counselor’s Medical Desk Reference, 2nd Edition
Dr. Charles Hodges and a team of contributing physicians, health care professionals, and biblical counselors answer questions and offer solid biblical principles about counseling individuals with medical issues and address a variety of specific problems. Biblical counselors and pastors often have questions when a counselee is struggling with a mixture of physical, emotional, and spiritual difficulties. The Christian Counselor’s Medical Desk Reference 2nd Edition helps counselors understand how some medical conditions impact counseling needs. Inspired by Dr. Bob Smith’s first edition, this book will help to guide counselors in offering specific reminders of gospel truth to counselees as they journey the road ahead.
Kellemen, Bob. Depression, Medication, and Biblical Counseling
This free PDF is a collation of an RPM Ministries Changing Lives blog mini-series interaction between Bob Kellemen and David Murray. Dr. Kellemen describes the purpose of his focus in this blog dialogue: “How we respond to people struggling with depression and struggling to know whether or not they should take anti-depressants is a serious and vital issue. That’s why I’m making the time to ponder what a compassionate and comprehensive response might look like.”
Welch, Ed. Blame It on the Brain: Distinguishing Chemical Imbalances, Brain Disorders, and Disobedience
Depression, Attention Deficit Disorder, Alcoholism, Homosexuality. Research suggests that more and more behaviors are caused by brain function or dysfunction. But is it ever legitimate to blame misbehavior on the brain? How can I know whether my brain made me do it? Viewing brain problems through the lens of Scripture, Ed Welch distinguishes genuine brain disorders from problems rooted in the heart. Understanding that distinction will enable pastors, counselors, families, and friends to help others—or themselves—deal with personal struggles and responsibilities.
Welch, Ed. I Have a Psychiatric Diagnosis: What Does the Bible Say?
What do you do when you recognize yourself or someone you love in descriptions like “OCD,” “bipolar disorder,” “PTSD,” or “narcissism”? A psychiatric diagnosis can be a heavy burden—for you or someone you love. The DSM can give you a detailed description, but what next? These struggles can be life-dominating. But we know this: God is not silent when his people struggle. What does God say? I Have a Psychiatric Diagnosis guides readers in listening to God, who has compassion for those who are struggling in these painful ways. Listening to God through the Bible reshapes psychological descriptions and functions as a corrective lens that opens our eyes.
Welch, Ed. Sin or Sickness? Biblical Counseling and the Medical Model
Ed Welch examines the medical or disease model of physical disorders. Welch summarizes the medical model, examines the idea of drug and alcohol abuse as a disease, anger as a disease and ‘mental illness’ as a disease. Welch concludes his article with initial proposals for articulating a biblical theology of the body.
Skepticism About the Concept of “Mental Illness” (5 Resources)
I was unsure how to entitle this category. Honestly, I was also unsure whether to include this category. However, if we want to understand a full spectrum of Christian thinking on mental health and mental illness, then this category is necessary. Resources included in this category seek to identify whether or not the concept of “mental illness” is biblical.
Berger, Daniel. The Insanity of Madness: Defining Mental Illness
For much of the twentieth century, psychiatry, psychology and social theory have held that mental illness, historically known as madness, cannot be objectively defined. This fluidity of concept is especially striking in light of the dogmatism that continues to characterize these fields of study and practice. Could it be that mental illness is recognizable across all cultures and all eras, that it has a clear definition which was directly stated in the past and still is implied in modern psychiatry through the DSM-5? This book explores what mental illness or madness is; furthermore, it asserts that mental illness does indeed have a clear definition, a distinct cause, and a reliable remedy.
Johnson, Dale, and Samuel Stephens. A Christian Guide to Mental Illness
In this Association of Certified Biblical Counselors podcast/manuscript, Dale Johnson and Samuel Stephens provide, “A critical review of the concept, assumptions, and causes of ‘mental illness.’”
Johnson, Dale, and Samuel Stephens. The Concept of Mental Health
Dale Johnson states, “The idea of mental health is somewhat ambiguous, and even when you look at the definitions that people offer, historically, it has a wide range of definitions and even expressions in the modern age. Is it something different and distinct from psychiatry? Is this something different and distinct from psychology? What is the aim of mental health? As we approach it and we think about these terms, we look at the two definitions. Think about the idea of ‘mental.’ What does that mean? Are we talking about something that’s non-biological, because that’s interesting when we also join that with the idea of health. Most of the time when we speak about health, we’re thinking about something that is biological, physiological. We’re thinking about something that has an ideal type of function. When we mix the two, we’re talking about the importance of biblical anthropology relative to the immaterial and the material and those two things work together.”
Lambert, Heath. The Gospel and Mental Illness
We live in a broken world, beset with overwhelming problems: disease, pain, death, sorrow, sin and mental illness—clinical depression, bipolar disorder, borderline personality disorder, schizophrenia, and panic attacks. Our culture assumes people diagnosed with mental illness are stuck, doomed to struggle for the rest of their lives against a problem without ever experiencing real and lasting change. The world is broken, but God has invaded that world with the power, light, and hope of His Son. Whether you’re tormented with panic attacks or thinking of committing suicide, Jesus can help.
MacArthur, John. Dispelling Myths About “Mental Illness”
The introduction to this blog post states: “Contemporary culture is dominated by dangerous assumptions about ‘mental illness’ and psychiatric therapies. God’s people, by contrast, must examine these things in light of the absolute truth of Scripture. In this article, Pastor John calls believers to exercise biblical discernment as they reject the bankruptcy of human wisdom and find their sufficiency wholly in Christ.” For a response to this post, see: Against the Moral/Medical Divide.
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What additional resources do you recommend on Christianity, mental health, and mental illness?
