Is It Unspiritual To Be Depressed?
Is it unspiritual to be depressed? Or perhaps, said better, is it necessarily unspiritual to be depressed? Most of us would agree that the answer is “no.” Of course we would want to include some nuance to affirm that spiritual malaise or emotional despondency can sometimes be the result of sinful thoughts or actions and in such cases there may be a connection with a lack of spirituality. But we also know that sometimes depression appears mysteriously, providentially, and unprovoked by any sin or transgression on our part. We know that some of the people who are most spiritually mature can still suffer through very dark valleys.
But while we affirm there is no necessary connection between depression and a lack of spiritual obedience or maturity, I do wonder whether our initial instincts sometimes betray us. I do wonder whether beneath our well-rehearsed answers there is a part of us that really does believe that depression and other forms of emotional distress or mental illness are associated with sin and immaturity.
This is an urgent issue to Paul Ritchie, a pastor in Ireland who struggles with depression, anxiety, and O.C.D. In his new book, Is It Unspiritual to Be Depressed?: Loved by God in the Midst of Pain, he discusses his own struggles with mental illness, seeks to help those who struggle in similar ways, and offers counsel to those who are attempting to help loved ones. “In this book,” he says, “I want to draw on my own experiences and thoughts on issues related to depression and anxiety. I am coming from an evangelical Christian perspective and I want to show you how the good news about Jesus is good news for your mental health. I want to do something to take away the stigma and misunderstanding that surrounds mental illness, particularly in church circles. There is also a chapter for those of you seeking to help people in your church or family who struggle with depression and anxiety.”
His hope, he explains, is that “as you read this short book, your confidence in the kindness of God will grow, and you will experience the truth that ‘the Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit’ (Ps. 34:18).” To that end, he begins by defining depression and anxiety and explaining their origin in mankind’s fall into sin and then considers if and how Christianity is good for mental health. In answering the tricky question that gives title to the book he says this: “When I pray with people for physical and emotional healing, I allow for a time of silence where we can confess our sin. However, being depressed and anxious does not necessarily mean we have committed some particular sin to cause it. If God is using this pain to call you back to Himself, He will make that clear. Never assume that your depression and anxiety is caused by some unconfessed sin. Never accuse someone who is depressed or anxious of having done something wrong to bring about their pain. There are many other reasons why people struggle with anxiety and depression.”
One of the key chapters is titled “Is it Unspiritual To Be Depressed and Anxious?” and here he turns to scripture and the history of Christianity to show that depression and anxiety have often been present in God’s people. He also asks whether it’s sinful to worry (since, after all, the fruit of the Spirit includes joy) and whether Christians can take antidepressants under certain circumstances.
In the chapters that follow he goes on to discuss when and how Christians should speak about their mental health with other believers and medical professionals, how God means to help in times of struggle, and how those who are depressed can believe they are forgiven even when they feel so guilty. He also gently covers suicide before offering a number of ways each of us can help people in our own churches who are depressed and anxious.
Is it unspiritual to be depressed? This author answers with a confident “no” (or “no, not necessarily”) and does so in a well-written and helpful little book that I am certain will be a blessing to many. I’m very glad to recommend it to you with confidence that it will serve you well.
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Enough to Get Rebellious People Into Trouble
God has created a beautiful world that is full of wonders, and these wonders serve a purpose—they are meant to evoke awe, which in turn is meant to provoke worship. This was the experience of King David, who said, “When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?” (Psalm 8:3-4).
It is difficult to think great thoughts of ourselves as we gaze into a starlit night sky or stand before the Matterhorn. In this way, David studied God’s creation, marveled at what he saw, and was stirred to worship.
Yet for all the beauty of creation and all it communicates to us, God has deliberately limited its message. Through creation God has revealed “his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature” (Romans 1:20). But through creation, God has not revealed his plan of salvation. He has not revealed how sinful man can be reconciled to a holy God. For that, there must be another kind of revelation.
Hence, Daryl Wingerd can say, “To put it in simple terms, general revelation provides enough knowledge of God to get rebellious people like you and me into trouble, but not enough to get us out of it. We need something more.” Indeed, we do. -
A La Carte (September 29)
Grace and peace to you.
(Yesterday on the blog: Our Understanding of Earth and Our Assumptions of Heaven)
Okay, So it’s a Secular Age, But Jesus is Still Working
“Jesus is still working. Yes we call it a secular age, and it truly is, but perhaps it feels like there’s the stirrings of God doing something again in the midst of all of this turmoil and angst. It’s an anxious age, and men’s’ and women’s’ hearts may well fail them as war ramps up again, as seismic changes lurch us from left to right and from Left to Right. Who are we to discount revival?”
Died: Brother Andrew, Who Smuggled Bibles into Communist Countries
“Anne van der Bijl, a Dutch evangelical known to Christians worldwide as Brother Andrew, the man who smuggled Bibles into closed Communist countries, has died at the age of 94.”
How Much Theological Education Do You Need?
“How much theological education do you need? It depends, obviously.” This is a useful illustration to show how different people may need different amounts of theological education.
I Don’t Know
“Ideally, as the pastor, you should be one of the better-educated people in your church. You have likely gone to college and then studied for three or four years to earn your MDiv. During that time you’ve probably read thousands upon thousands of pages of theological literature. For your sermon preparation you ideally read a great deal each week, and that’s not counting your leisure reading.” Yet you can’t know everything and shouldn’t act like it.
What does it mean that God is able to keep us from stumbling? (Video)
Here’s a good answer to a good question: What does it mean in the book of Jude when it says that God is able to keep us from stumbling?
Introducing Ligonier Guides: Accessible Theology for Everyday Life
Ligonier Ministries has just announced the launch of “Ligonier guides.” “These guides, covering topics such as theology, worldview and culture, biblical studies, Christian living, and church history, provide overviews and explanations from Ligonier’s topic index, along with quotes and links to additional topics and resources.”
Flashback: Set An Example: Don’t Surrender To Low Expectations
The primary way to serve your church is to pursue godliness, to grow in wisdom and knowledge, in character and obedience. Set an example. Be an example. Make your life a beautiful work of art.It’s not change, then you get Christ; it’s Christ, then you get change. It’s not try to change and then God will accept you; it’s accept Christ and he’ll change you. —David Murray
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A La Carte (October 13)
May the Lord bless and keep you today.
There are lots of good titles related to counseling for sale at Westminster Books.
Today’s Kindle deals include a few good titles.
Dear Pastor . . . Your Shepherd Doesn’t Care How Big Your Church Is
“I never forgot those days in the foyer of the church plant, begging God to send just one or two more our way. I had learned a valuable lesson in the hard days of lack that helped me tremendously in the joyful days of gain—namely, that Christ isn’t really interested in how big my church is.”
Did the Heretics Outnumber the Orthodox in Early Christianity?
Michael Kruger: “One of the most common arguments about early Christianity—made popular by Walter Bauer’s 1934 book Orthodoxy and Heresy in Earliest Christianity—is that the earliest centuries had such enormous doctrinal diversity that the “heretics” were as prevalent, if not even more numerous, than the ‘orthodox.’ It was not until the 4th century, it is argued, that the orthodox began to turn the tide.”
God Tells Us How to Know Him
God created people for relationship with him (Gen. 1:26–31). This relationship depends on our knowing him. God has a mind, a will, and emotions. He communicates, revealing himself. This revelation comes in two basic forms: general revelation and special revelation. Without them, we cannot know God. God’s revelation is trustworthy, for God is trustworthy. (Sponsored Link)
Selina Hastings, Countess of Huntington
This is a good, short bio of one of my favorite historical figures.
You’re Never “Just” A Church Member
“‘I’m just a church member.’ Over the years, I’ve heard people say this when introducing themselves. There are many reasons why someone might say this (they may want to clarify that they aren’t in full-time ministry). But I cringe inside when I hear it. And if I’m able, I offer a gentle correction because there’s no such thing as “just” a church member.”
Why Is it Important for Christians To Affirm “Sola Scriptura”?
Stephen Nichols answers an important question.
The Horocruxes of Sexual Sin
“Sexual temptation suggests that fidelity won’t satisfy. If one sexual partner is good, more partners will be better. Why not experience pleasure with multiple partners? Think of what you are missing out on. Consider what that one partner doesn’t give you. Or, if you’re not married, how do you know you ever will be married? What does it hurt to fast forward that pleasure to now?”
Flashback: 7 Things Your Church Needs From You
Find the place you can serve your church, and serve there without fail, without excuse, without requiring praise and accolades. Do it for the good of others and the glory of God.Our infirmities become the black velvet on which the diamond of God’s love glitters all the more brightly. —Charles Spurgeon
