Mental health issues can prove to be a major component of the family christian and nonchristian alike. The words of the psalmist rang hauntingly true for kathryn greenemccreight when she was in the depths of her mental illness. Why did you decide to be so vulnerable in your book. Mental health at focus on the family, our passion is to help families thrive in christ. Saunders confesses, proper care for mental illness and mental health concerns is provided by mental health professionals, whereas spiritual comfort and consolation is the duty of pastors and of the church. Mental illness is equated with demonic possession, weak faith, and generational sin. Considering i am a born again christian with a mental illness, yes i do believe christians can have a mental illness and still be christian. When your family is living with a mental illness, by marcia lund 2002, augsburg fortress. Stanford is the cofounder and served as the executive director of the grace alliance, a faithbased, nonprofit mental health organization that provides services and support to. We also repeat once more in this perilous, peculiar, and puzzling area of not truly knowing whether or not a mentalemotionalbehavioral issue is biological or spiritual, one can nevertheless assume that people are responsible for their behavior and can benefit from biblical ministry pg 184. A christian guide to mental illness, volume 1nook book. Mental illness is an uncomfortable topic among christians, who often misunderstand it or ascribe its cause to demonic influence. I recently read two articles by a well known christian author who is also closely connected to a christian counseling foundation. Books we recommend you read church and mental health.
When i was hospitalized in 1992 with severe clinical depression i thought i was the only one. My top 5 books on mental illness christianity today. Christian author tackles battle for our minds in book on. In the book of deuteronomy moses warns that if the people do not follow the commandments from god then the lord will smite you with madness deuteronomy 28. The silent stigma of mental illness in the church sojourners. Matthew stanford biblica publishing, 2008, a neuroscientist, a researcher, and a leader with a. Top 10 resources for mental health ministry ct pastors.
Simpson likes this book because it is a good reference for understanding the issues as well as giving guidence for helping people with mental illness, and contains detailed information and biblical persepctives about various types of disorders. Study of acute mental illness and christian faith research. Still, she does not exactly equate the sufferings of the psalmist with the agony of mental illness. This book contains detailed information and biblical perspective about various types. Mental illness, while not easily defined, can range from a plethora of different hindrances and disorders that make normal.
Honey lake clinic offers biblebased, psychological care by licensed. A clinical and biblical perspective on mental illness. As both a church leader and a professor of psychology and behavioral sciences, matthew s. Christian mental health books healthy mind ministry. Zondervan a practical, musthave resource for leaders who are clueless about structuring ministry for those diagnosed with adhd, anxiety, attachment issues, mood disorders, posttraumatic stress syndrome, and other difficulties. Mental illness is a valid thing and saying that it isnt based on personal experience is a bit of an insult to those of us myself included that have been struggling with mental illness since childhood. The conversation about mental illness is becoming more prevalent in our societyand thats a good thing. What god does specific praising of god god opposes the proud ability, gods power praise god doing right. Now i, nebuchadnezzar, praise, exalt and honor the king of heaven. So the antidote is to cast out the demons that are causing it. Dealing with mental illness, part i, read more about spiritual life growth, christian living, and faith. As the subject of mental health and mental illness are repeatedly in the media headlines and discussed more openly in christian. Stanford presents insights into our physical and spiritual nature and discusses the appropriate role of psychology and psychiatry in the life of the believer.
One woman wrote because my church did not believe in mental illness, i nearly died. Fresh hope for mental health is an international network of faithbased mental health support groups for those with a mental health challenge and for their loved ones. Speaking for myself though, it does make being a christian a lot harder. In fact, a study by lifeway research shows that almost half of evangelical christians believe mental illness can be cured through prayer and bible study. She was the only person i knew with a mental illness, though no one ever called it that. Written from a christian standpoint, mental illness or demonisation.
Human experience of reality is always spiritual and physical, not one or the othera mutual, not dual. Why does the church struggle in ministering to those with mental illness. How is the christian community supposed to respond to sinful behavior that is a result of brain damage. So if you are a christian with mental illness who is misunderstood by your church, like i have been many times in the past, i want to tell you that it is possible. Subtitled, a christian response to mental illness, the book is not so much a chronicle of her. Grace for the afflicted is written to educate christians about mental illness from both biblical and scientific perspectives.
Throughout my years of being involved in various and sundry christian movements and denominations, it seems that christians understand mental disorders in one of three chief ways. As a christian with a mental illness, i was shocked that the church that did not accept people with mental illness. There are churches like mine that will understand and love you. Mental illness is a major problem for many peoplemale or female, young or old, religious or atheist. In the bible, mental illness is seen as a punishment by god for sinning. Early in the book, you examined the popular concept of selfhelp books. Matts book is written to educate christians about mental illness from both. In this brave and compassionate book, she confronts the difficult questions raised by her struggle with bipolar disorder. The christian post interviewed allen about her book and the topics it touches on, including selfhelp, mental health and the church, and spiritual warfare.
For me, mental illness is where grace and real life have. Those same forces accompanied her into the black religious traditions and christian ministry. The national alliance on mental illness nami reports that approximately 1 in 5 adults in the u. Below you will find several books written from a christian faith perspective on the subject of mental health. Ministry handbook for including children and adults with adhd, anxiety, mood disorders and other common mental health conditions by stephen grcevich, m. You write openly about your fathers and your own mental health struggles. If ever there was a need for an anchor in the stormy harbor of life, christ is that anchor. As the subject of mental health and mental illness are repeatedly in the media. I am a christian, and i have mental illnesses the mighty. Book overview there has been a shifting conversation on the topic of mental health within the american church in the past decade, and christian counselor kristen kansiewicz adds greater insight to that conversation as she responds to tough questions and shares reallife case examples. How are christians to respond in the face of mental illness. In other words, this is not so much a book about mental illness in the scriptures, as to how the psalms and other biblical and practical resources can serve the christian afflicted with mental illness. Also, closely related to mental illness is brain damage victims and a change in behavior as a result. Focus on the family, working with lifeway research, conducted a study of acute mental illness and christian faith.
All the while, she wrestled with her own bipolar disorder. I didnt know of one other christian struggling with any form of mental illness. Getting beyond the stigma of mental illness bob smietana. Honey lake clinic christian mental health facilities. I selected this book because it was the only kind i could find that tackled the difficult topic of how mental illness, specifically bipolar disorder, exists withing the. But what does the bible itself say about mental illness. As part of the guardian s examination of how evangelical christian churches address mental illness, we asked our readers to submit their stories about their own. In the 142 years since mary baker eddy discovered it, christian science has delivered many people from mental torment see report of healing of bipolar disorder in the christian science sentinel. Stanford has seen far too many mentally ill brothers and sisters damaged by wellmeaning believers who respond to them out of fear or misinformation rather than grace. Humility human duty to glorify god doing right praise, reasons for predestination. His book gives practical suggestions about how to help someone with mental illness who doesnt believe theyre sick. The articles essentially argued that mental illness was a social construct created by secular doctors and psychiatrists, and therefore, is not biblical. I had never attended a funeral of a suicide victim before hers, and i had never been told a brain could be ill.
Refer that person to a christian counselor, psychiatrist, andor christian. Understanding a lack of insight or more accurately. Christians and mental illness responding biblically. My mental illness causes me to think many evil things about god and its a struggle getting through day to day living. Mental health stigma is often the cause of this attitude. How to help a loved one with a mental illness psychology. Below is my understanding of the christian position as it relates to mental illness. Stanford is the cofounder and served as the executive director of the grace alliance, a faithbased, nonprofit mental health organization that provides services and support to individuals living with serious mental illness and their families. His love for pastorsand his concern for their mental health and thrivingcan be part of our response today. It also debunks the misconceptions concerning the various mental illnesses. Everything else might seem shaky in this world, but not the rock, the son of god, jesus christ.
For the christian who lives with mental illness, faith in god plays a huge role in their life. Troubled minds is far more than an introduction to the issues surrounding mental illness and the church. A clinical and biblical perspective on mental illness and the biology of sin. Whether it is mental health for pastors or ways to integrate christian practices into counseling sessions, we have it below. This is a book by amy simpson intervarsity press, 20, who grew up in a family profoundly affected by schizophrenia. Mental illness is the sort of thing we dont like to talk about. Christian books on mental health healthy mind ministry.
536 1410 1317 476 119 685 1294 1328 852 568 1269 1500 532 1539 1032 408 641 30 1588 1010 266 1327 947 1167 1436 1067 1389 136 1378 501 1177 621