A Christian’s Guide to Mental Illness: Answers to 30 Common Questions

Pastor Murray and psychologist Karel debut with a scattershot survey of the causes and effects of mental illness that vacillates between compassion and a strict Christian worldview. Aiming their advice at caregivers, the authors address how mental health issues differ from “ordinary sadness, anxiety, and confusion”; affect friends, family, and coworkers; and impact the sufferer’s spiritual life (by “interfering with our prayers, our Bible reading, and our perceptions of God”). They also delve into treatment options (therapy, inpatient programs), though they caution against a “rush to medications,” which can curtail possible “spiritual growth from affliction.” There are clear-eyed and considerate suggestions, such as using the pulpit to spread mental health awareness and ensuring that caregivers themselves seek out adequate support (even a “listening ear” is useful, “because they will rarely have that in the sufferer”). Other passages, however, are troubling, as when the authors claim that mental illness can result from the individual’s sins, or recommend that patients rely on biblical counselors without medical health training to “protect” them from potentially dangerous or spiritually inadvisable counsel. Despite good intentions and some solid moments, this handbook stumbles in its commitment to a conservative outlook that risks multiplying harms toward those with a mental illness. Readers should approach it with caution. (Sept.)