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.

People living with mental health challenges are not excluded from God’s love or even the fullness of life promised by Jesus. Unfortunately, this hope is often lost amid the well-meaning labels and medical treatments that dominate the mental health field today. In Finding Jesus in the Storm, John Swinton makes the case for reclaiming that hope by changing the way we talk about mental health and remembering that, above all, people are people, regardless of how unconventionally they experience life. 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.

What do Alfred Adler, William Glasser, Albert Ellis, and Jesus have in common? Together they can help you have healthier relationships now. You don't have to be an ordained minister or a trained psychologist to appreciate the simple concepts found in this book: • "Who am I?" and "What's Wrong with Me?" Are Not Helpful Questions. • Better than "Who am I?" and "What's Wrong With Me?" • Are the Questions, "Where am I?" and "Where am I Going?" • Where I go (my behavior) is motivated toward achieving a goal. • Understand the goal, understand the behavior. • People and Events Don't Bother Us. Our Perceptions of Them Do. • We can't always choose our circumstances, • but we can always choose our response to circumstances. Along with these concepts, The Psychology of Jesus offers practical help for living in relationship through a close study of Jesus' encounters with people in the gospels and opportunities to examine your own life as you live it in relationship. REVIEWS: David Jones achieved the pledge he made in the book's introduction to offer from psychology and the gospel accounts of the life of Jesus practical help for living in relationships. In each chapter he uses biblical texts, stories and quotations to challenge the reader's thinking. A section on applying each chapter's content to life is included, along with a personal exercise. He effectively challenges the questions people ask themselves to achieve personal and spiritual growth. Instead of "Who is God?" Jones says we should ask "Where is God?" A better self-directed question than "Who am I?" should be "Where am I going?" In answering these questions, we come to understand God is where the sinners are and we should be where God is. I strongly recommend this book. Ann Bishop I read this book in a group setting over the course of several weeks. We discussed 2 chapters at a time in the group each week. The subtitle of the book is very revealing and very appropriate---"Practical Help for Living in a Relationship". The author takes various text readings from the Bible all involving Jesus obviously and then breaks down the "movements" of Jesus. Jesus is interacting with people in all the chosen text excerpts--and so the challenge is to see how we can apply this interaction into our own modern day relationships. I'm not sure I like the first part of the Title of the book---The Psychology of Jesus--only because it made me feel (before I picked up the book) that Jesus was pre-planning and/or pre-meditating all of his encounters in the Bible in order to prove a point. Perhaps he was. But Psychology is pretty much a modern day term and so the beauty of the book is that the author applies modern day psychology to the actions of Jesus way back when. And it works. The insights about the "movements" of Jesus both away from and towards his encounters along with the exercises at the end of each chapter helped me to understand more clearly how we should all strive to have meaningful relationships.And what happens when a relationship ceases to grow. Mark Oldham David Jones offers solid practical guidance for understanding what motivates our behavior in relationships. He weaves a number of psychological theories with examples from relationships in the life of Jesus to illustrate that Jesus' interpersonal style is to be a loving presence. "The Psychology of Jesus" as described by David is a way of relating that supports our innate desire for growth and change in our lives. It is not a psychology intended to "fix us" or our circumstances but rather to enable us. This type of relationship provides a safe place where we can understand and be understood. It is this climate of "understanding" that is the source or power to effect meaningful change in our lives, as much as, or more than "doing." Throughout his book, the message is clear - IF action is warranted, it is far more likely to have the desired effect when nonjudgemental understanding preceds it. David's writing is insightful and sensitive and reflects a Pastor's heart. It provokes self-examination without any sense of self-recrimination. I have witnessed the use of the book's material in a group discussion setting where it fosters a climate of trust that allows for openness and positive change for the better. I have found it very helpful for understanding my behavior and relationships. Jim Quiggins

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. As Christians we know better. The world is broken, but God has invaded that world with the power, light, and hope of his Son Jesus Christ. Whether you're tormented with panic attacks or thinking of committing suicide, Jesus can help.

The church across North America has struggled to minister effectively with children, teens, and adults with common mental health conditions and their families. One reason for the lack of ministry is the absence of a widely accepted model for mental health outreach and inclusion. In Mental Health and the Church: A Ministry Handbook for Including Children and Adults with ADHD, Anxiety, Mood Disorders, and Other Common Mental Health Conditions, 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. The book is also designed to be a useful resource for parents, grandparents and spouses interested in promoting the spiritual growth of loved ones with mental illness.

A mini-book written to help people (and their friends and family) who have been diagnosed with a mental disorder. If you’ve just been diagnosed with a mental disorder, you may be feeling overwhelmed and have all kinds of questions. In this mini-book, Christine Chappell writes out of her own experience of diagnosis and offers readers a redemptive perspective from which to begin processing their nuanced problems. Cautioning against a “fix it” mentality, she shows how the Scriptures provide stabilizing truths about our personhood, purpose, and potential for making God-glorifying progress during the challenging post-diagnosis journey.

"Jon knows, better than most, what it means to battle anxiety and how to forge a path to victory. He also treats it with care, and pushes the conversation to places that it hasn't often gone in the church." —Kirk Cameron In the aftermath of the pandemic, even those who have never struggled with mental health have found themselves reeling, looking for answers they don't know how to find. For Christians, especially those who've despaired of help from a church that has too often stigmatized mental health challenges as a lack of faith, the way forward can be particularly difficult to see. Jonathon Seidl aims to fix that. Having fought his own way through crippling anxiety, life-altering OCD, and suicidal thoughts, he knows the value of concrete advice grounded in strong biblical truth. Instead of the trite or unsympathetic counsel that's often given, Finding Rest is practical, personal, and productive. Full of compelling stories, humor from a guide who's still on his journey, and scriptural truths, this book offers real hope and help. It also provides a lifeline for friends and family who long for ways to help relieve the suffering of their loved ones. And it lays out thoughtful, needed paths for the body of Christ to become a refuge of hope for the anxious.

A compassionate, shame-free guide for your darkest days “A one-of-a-kind book . . . to read for yourself or give to a struggling friend or loved one without the fear that depression and suicidal thoughts will be minimized, medicalized or over-spiritualized.”—Kay Warren, cofounder of Saddleback Church What happens when loving Jesus doesn’t cure you of depression, anxiety, or suicidal thoughts? You might be crushed by shame over your mental illness, only to be told by well-meaning Christians to “choose joy” and “pray more.” So you beg God to take away the pain, but nothing eases the ache inside. As darkness lingers and color drains from your world, you’re left wondering if God has abandoned you. You just want a way out. But there’s hope. In I Love Jesus, But I Want to Die, Sarah J. Robinson offers a healthy, practical, and shame-free guide for Christians struggling with mental illness. With unflinching honesty, Sarah shares her story of battling depression and fighting to stay alive despite toxic theology that made her afraid to seek help outside the church. Pairing her own story with scriptural insights, mental health research, and simple practices, Sarah helps you reconnect with the God who is present in our deepest anguish and discover that you are worth everything it takes to get better. Beautifully written and full of hard-won wisdom, I Love Jesus, But I Want to Die offers a path toward a rich, hope-filled life in Christ, even when healing doesn’t look like what you expect.

Spirituality, Christianity and mental health have long been a concern in our society. This concern is increasingly pressing in recent decades as mental problems soar because of tension, anxiety, failure and frustration in our societies. In terms of Christian belief, spirituality is interpreted as the encounter with The Almighty God and the total recognition and surrender to the salvation of Jesus Christ. Thus, mental health, in terms of Christianity, should consist of two major different types. The first type is secular mental health. The second type should be a sacred and spiritual model of mental health. This book focuses on a combination of secular discussions as well as a biblical interpretation of Christianity and mental health, hardship and resilience, rejoice and sadness, freedom and inner conflict, sins and spiritual transcendence. Chapter one starts with a comprehensive review on the concept of secular mental health. The writer describes an initial conceptualization of sacred mental health within Christian belief and biblical articulation. Chapter Two is a full articulation of secular and Christian concepts of suffering described in the Book of Job. Chapter Three is a refined comparison among secular concepts about positive psychology and happiness, existential articulation on the meaning of life, as well as the full articulation of rejoice from imitation of Christ humility in Book of Philippians written by Paul in Holy Bible. Chapter Four is a comprehensive discussion on secular and sacred conflicts in Christians as well as freedom from a connection with the Holy Spirit and immersion with Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection.