The Bible and Mental Health: Towards a Biblical Theology of Mental Health

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About The Bible And Mental Health: Towards A Biblical

Product Description Is it possible to develop such a thing as a biblical theology of mental health? How might we develop a helpful and pastoral use of scripture to explore questions of mental health within a Christian framework? This timely and important book integrates the highest levels of biblical scholarship with theological and pastoral concerns to consider how we use scripture when dealing with mental health issues. Chapters include: *Paula Gooder on Healing and wholeness *Joanna Collicutt on Jesus and mental health *Isabelle Hamley on Job *David Firth on Anxiety in Scripture *John Swinton on The Bible in Pastoral Care *Walter Brueggemann on Psalms and lament With a foreword from Archbishop Justin Welby Review At last, an authoritative and comprehensive study of the connection between faith and mental health which doesn't shy away from making helpful practical applications. This is a timely book, written by a number of distinguished authors, which directly engages with the various challenges faced by Christians when confronted by mental illness and mental health care. The Biblical material is thoroughly addressed, emotions are sensitively considered, and we are all invited to discuss the 'stigma' which has so often surrounded mental ill-health. It will appeal especially to clergy, clinicians and lay theologians, but anyone with an interest in what it means to be fully human and healthy will benefit hugely from the way in which it brings scripture to bear on our everyday experience. I found it full of fascinating insights and commend it very warmly indeed.--Rt Revd James Newcome Scholarly and yet accessible, this excellent book speaks with a diversity of voices about mental health and illness, and the lifelong challenge of finding our stories in God's big story, and the centrality of Scripture in this process. It will be a useful resource for those involved in Christian pastoral work, as well as those seeking to integrate their faith with their life experiences as someone living with, or alongside those with, mental illness.--Revd. Dr Alison J Gray, FRCPsych This timely collection of essays connects biblical studies to the sciences of mental healthcare, and theology to lived experience, with both creativity and care. Full of insight, intellectually robust, and consistently honest about the fragile spaces we inhabit, its authors explore from multiple angles how God can be present within frailty, not beyond it. There are rich resources here for church leaders, counsellors, and all concerned to give and receive support for mental wellbeing, not least in our present traumatic times.--John M.G. Barclay FBA About the Author Christopher C.H. Cook is the Director of the Centre for Spirituality, Theology & Health at the University of Durham. He has held positions as Lecturer at University College, London (1987 to 1990) and Senior Lecturer at the Institute of Psychiatry, London (1994 to 1997) as well as being Professor of the Psychiatry of Alcohol Misuse at the University of Kent from 1997 to 2003. Isabelle Hamley is Chaplain to the Archbishop of Canterbury. Previously she was lecturer in Biblical Studies at St John's School of Mission, Nottingham. She is the author of Unspeakable Things Unspoken: Otherness, gender and victimisation in Judges 19-21 (Wipf and Stock, 2018) and God of Justice and Mercy: A Theological Commentary on Judges (SCM Press, forthcoming)