God and Depression

On Monday, August 11th, Robin Williams took his own life in his ocean side home in Tiburon, California, by hanging.  Asphyxia. He had been suffering from deep depression, for which he had sought treatment in the past.

Depression is a terrible condition. I use the word "condition," even though most psychologists and psychiatrists call it a disease, just like the common cold.

I did my undergraduate work in psychology. I am by no means a scholar on the subject, nor have I practiced psychology outside of the routine kinds of things people tend to engage in. I do have some opinions on the matter based on what I learned in school and what I have studied since then.

There are some very, very cruel Christians who try to tell people that if they just had enough faith, no ailments would befall them. Every one of them is totally, insufferably wrong. Please don't come at me with some conglomeration of Scriptures to try to "prove" otherwise. I have read and considered them all. I know what is in Scripture and I know how Scripture should be interpreted and applied.

Depression is a condition that has its roots in a person's response to certain stimuli. Perhaps a bad relationship with a parent, an emotional trauma, or a drastic change in the person's "status quo." There are literally hundreds of things that can bring on depression.

It usually starts mildly, resembling "the blues." Everybody (even totally committed Christians) experiences "the blues" from time to time, one or more times in his/her lifetime. On occasion, "the blues" persist and a small, hardly detectable change in brain chemistry occurs. That, in and of itself, may or may not lead to depression. 

Sometimes series of negative happenings occur in a person's life that are depressive in nature and that add to those hardly detectable brain chemistry changes, multiplying their effect. Then those changes begin to be detectable. At this point, if the symptoms are recognized and dealt with through effective behavior modification training and/or medical intervention, they might be overcome and not become an issue.

At other times, they tend to pile on and the sufferer is unable to receive relief through simple intervention. Then a more aggressive approach is called for, medically. If the person's treatment is adequate, there should be improvement, if not, the depression may increase until it reaches a sort of "critical mass," from which it is very difficult to recover.

At this point I do not want to be misunderstood. The root of depression is the same as the root of every condition that afflicts people, whether they are Christians or not: the sinful state of a fallen world. As much as that seems to be a simplistic evaluation, it is nonetheless true. All of the world's evils are caused by the thing we call "original sin." That does not mean that every negative condition is directly caused by a particular sin. A given condition might or might not be the result of a given sin. The Bible is very clear, front to back, about those two statements.

Most, if not all, depression results from a self oriented response to circumstances, whether that response is deliberate, sub-conscious or the result of things like not getting one's way. Habitually responding to those conditions in a negative way contributes to the increasing of one's depression. It results in an increase of the changes to brain chemistry that are responsible for the feelings of depression. 

Depression is not a lack of faith. Many great Christian thinkers have suffered from it.CS Lewis was a famous Christian who suffered from depression. Just like any other condition or disease, God can choose to heal depression or He can give the sufferer the grace to endure it. That is His choice if He is sovereign. 

Clinical depression is very treatable with proper counsel and drug therapy. Just like one would take penicillin for strep throat, one would take certain drugs to control depression. That is neither something to be embarrassed about nor to be ashamed of. It is not always easy to treat, and it requires the cooperation of the patient to control it, just as would the taking of penicillin for strep throat.

Dr. Keith Russell Ablow is a psychiatrist and author educated at Johns Hopkins University and Brown University. He sheds this light on depression: "Depression is the grand impostor - posing as all powerful. It can be defeated, every time, if you or the person you care about confronts it like the grand impostor that it is."

Robin Williams had an issue beyond depression that he had not spoken about in public. He was suffering from early onset Parkinson's Disease. That the same condition that Michael J. Fox has. It is a debilitating condition for which there is no current cure.

I cannot say when the last time Robin Williams sought help for his depression and I don't know what he and his doctor spoke about concerning the Parkinson's Disease. I do know this: If you have never battled true clinical depression, you have no idea how it steals reality, replacing it with a world of doubts about one's successes, one's abilities, ones friends and doubts of God. 

There are some things we Christians need to learn about Robin Williams and others who suffer depression. People who suffer from depression need a solid, caring, hopeful and dedicated circle of friends who will help them understand their need for treatment and who will support them through it. If we are to claim to be followers of Christ, we must stand by any of our Christian friends (or any other friends for that matter) who suffer from this devastating disorder. We need to help them, pray with them and stay by their side to the greatest degree possible. They need constant reassurance, not condemnation. They need encouragement, not judgement. 

If you know someone who is clinically depressed, help them live bathed in God's grace and sufficiency.

Learn more about depression HERE.

Are You a Christian Mystic?

Sometimes I am at a loss for words to express how much superstitious mysticism has invaded our churches and our faith. It is so pervasive as to almost have taken the place of Christ and His redemptive purpose. People think this way: "I am a Christian. I had this experience. The experience must have come from God." Or they think: "I am a Christian. I thought of such-and-such. The such-and-such I thought of must be from God."

What a total perversion of what Truth is and how it is presented to God's followers in Christ!

Over the years people have come to me to "enlighten" me about how God works. Once, when I was suffering a physical condition, a pastor type came to me and proclaimed that I was in that condition because I had "confessed it," and that I had "failed to accept God's offered healing." To back his position he quoted to me Isaiah 53:3, "...But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed." He leaned very heavily on the "...with his stripes we are healed" part. 

When this (I guess well meaning) pastor recited those words to me, I suppose he thought I had never read them before. In over 57 years of studying and teaching the Bible, I have never read Isaiah 53:3? Is that what he thought? How does he think I missed that part? Does he think I just ignored it? Perhaps he thinks I just skipped over it.

Actually, I have read and taught Isaiah many, many times and I have always included Isaiah 53:3. I am not ignorant of it, I just think beyond any shadow of a doubt that this pastor was totally miss-applying it, as do many, many Christians.

The idea that this passage refers to Christ's being whipped brought physical healing to us requires us to believe that God is capricious and disorderly in His revelation through His word. It requires us to think that the beginning of the passage (rightly) refers to spiritual things, but then God arbitrarily threw in a short physical reference before continuing His spiritual discourse.

Folks, there are no instances in all of Scripture where the revelation proceeds in this manner. Sometimes Paul is accused of being "stream of consciousness" in his presentation, but properly read and understood, nothing could be further from the truth.

What that pastor was actually guilty of (as are far too many Bible expositors) was having an idea (whether on his own or taught), considering himself a Christian, and concluding that the idea must, therefore, be from God. That is the essence of the error of Christian superstition and mysticism.

Another way of considering the thought processes that lead to superstition and mysticism goes like this: “I saw/experienced/heard X, therefore, X is true and should be pursued as a practice of our faith.” 

But true biblical reasoning must go: “Though I saw/experienced/heard X, I must rigorously test it up against a hermeneutically sound interpretation of Scripture. If Xconflicts with Scripture, it is X that is abandoned as a practice of our faith, not Scripture. 

Scripture alone is the authority.” Put another way for the sake of argument: “I think I saw a unicorn. Scripture says that unicorns do not exist. Therefore, I saw something, but it was not a unicorn.”

Though we may experience interesting spiritual phenomena, if the phenomenon is not supported by a sound interpretation of Scripture, then it is not to be pursued as something of the Christian faith. It would dissolve into superstition and mysticism.

There is another issue that leads to superstition and mysticism. It is correctly quoting Scripture but doing so out of the context of the word used in the original language, the verse it is in, the chapter it is in, the book it is in, the Testament it is in, the Covenant to which it applies and the Bible as a whole. All of those must come into play in order to correctly interpret and apply Scripture.

What often leads to bad theology and heresy is connecting Scriptures that are unrelated and from them establishing a theology or theosophy. For example, the following Scriptures are word-for-word what the Bible says:

Matthew 27:5 "So Judas threw the money into the temple and left. Then he went away and hanged himself."

Luke 10:27 "Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise."

John 13:27 "What you do, do quickly."

Put them all together and you can use the passages to conclude that Jesus justifies suicide! Nonsense, of course.

Sadly, that is how Christians establish their doctrines and theosophies. The end result is superstition and mysticism.

There is at least one more approach to Scripture that leads to superstition and mysticism. That is to totally misunderstand how Scripture is to be applied. There is a saying, "Scripture has one interpretation, but many applications.” That is patently false.

The problem with that approach is that it reduces Scripture to a form of Christian behaviorism. But that is not what Scripture is about in any way, shape or form. Some present this idea under the guise of Scripture being “designed for application, not just for spirituality.”

As long as that is totally understood in light of Scripture, that can be true. But the Bible is not a guide for living. If you need a guide for living, there is none better, but that’s not what it is about. Nor is it a book of history. If you need a history of the beginning through the end, there is no better book, but that’s not what the Bible is about. The Bible is not about correcting social injustice. If you need guidance as to what social ills need attention, there is no better source than the Bible, but that is not what it is about.

The Bible is God’s revelation of His character, His love of His creation and His plan for its redemption. The purpose of any Bible study must be to determine what the passage reveals about God’s character. Miss that, and you miss the meaning. The purpose of any Bible study must be to discover how much He loves His creation. Miss that, and you miss the meaning. The purpose of any Bible study must be to uncover anew God’s plan for man’s redemption. Miss that, and you miss the meaning.

The Word of God is rooted in Truth (Jesus Christ). That Truth has nothing to do with what we wish God was like. It has nothing to do with coincidental events in our lives. God’s Truth is totally removed from any hint of superstition or mysticism. His Truth finds its absolute sufficiency in Christ, without added experiences, pretentions or imaginations.

The One Thing Christians Should Stop Saying

For many years I have tried to get the points in the following article across to people. I have tried to get Christians to realize that they often think of God's blessings wrongly. I teach that blessings are NOT what we so often think them to be.

When I try to teach them I am given blank stares, argued with and/or ridiculed. And I STILL hear people echoing the old Jewish concept that God's blessings are seen in material things: my house is a blessing from God; my family is a blessing from God; my job is a blessing from God. 

NO! NO! NO! Jesus is the blessing from God. You need no other. If you do, you need to review your relationship to Him. 

Recently I saw and read this post by Scott Dannemiller. It is long, but its lesson is well worth the time. It expresses what I have tried to get across to people for so long, When I saw it on FaceBook, I decided to provide it to you.

Scott Dannemiller is a writer, blogger, worship leader and former missionary with the Presbyterian Church. He writes the blog The Accidental Missionary, where this post first appeared.

I was on the phone with a good friend the other day. After covering important topics, like disparaging each other's mothers and retelling semi-factual tales from our college days, our conversation turned to the mundane.

"So, how's work going?" he asked.

For those of you who don't know, I make money by teaching leadership skills and helping people learn to get along in corporate America. My wife says it's all a clever disguise so I can get up in front of large groups and tell stories.

I plead the fifth.

I answered my buddy's question with,

"Definitely feeling blessed. Last year was the best year yet for my business. And it looks like this year will be just as busy."

The words rolled off my tongue without a second thought. Like reciting the Pledge of Allegiance or placing my usual lunch order at McDonald's.

But it was a lie.

Now, before you start taking up a collection for the "Feed the Dannemillers" fund, allow me to explain. Based on last year's quest to go twelve months without buying anything, you may have the impression that our family is subsisting on Ramen noodles and free chips and salsa at the local Mexican restaurant. Not to worry, we are not in dire straits.

Last year was the best year yet for my business.

Things are looking busy in 2014.

But that is not a blessing.

I've noticed a trend among Christians, myself included, and it troubles me. Our rote response to material windfalls is to call ourselves blessed. Like the "amen" at the end of a prayer.

"This new car is such a blessing."

"Finally closed on the house. Feeling blessed."

"Just got back from a mission trip. Realizing how blessed we are here in this country."

On the surface, the phrase seems harmless. Faithful even. Why wouldn't I want to give God the glory for everything I have? Isn't that the right thing to do?

No.

As I reflected on my "feeling blessed" comment, two thoughts came to mind. I realize I'm splitting hairs here, creating an argument over semantics. But bear with me, because I believe it is critically important. It's one of those things we can't see because it's so culturally engrained that it has become normal.

But it has to stop. And here's why.

First, when I say that my material fortune is the result of God's blessing, it reduces The Almighty to some sort of sky-bound, wish-granting fairy who spends his days randomly bestowing cars and cash upon his followers. I can't help but draw parallels to how I handed out M&M's to my own kids when they followed my directions and chose to poop in the toilet rather than in their pants. Sure, God wants us to continually seek His will, and it's for our own good. But positive reinforcement?

God is not a behavioral psychologist.

Second, and more importantly, calling myself blessed because of material good fortune is just plain wrong. For starters, it can be offensive to the hundreds of millions of Christians in the world who live on less than $10 per day. You read that right. Hundreds of millions who receive a single-digit dollar "blessing" per day.

During our year in Guatemala, Gabby and I witnessed first-hand the damage done by the theology of prosperity, where faithful people scraping by to feed their families were simply told they must not be faithful enough. If they were, God would pull them out of their nightmare. Just try harder, and God will show favor.

The problem? Nowhere in scripture are we promised worldly ease in return for our pledge of faith. In fact, the most devout saints from the Bible usually died penniless, receiving a one-way ticket to prison or death by torture.

I'll take door number three, please.

If we're looking for the definition of blessing, Jesus spells it out clearly (Matthew 5: 1-12).

1 Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to Him,

2 And He began to teach them, saying:

3 Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

5 Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they will be filled.

7 Blessed are the merciful, for they shall be shown mercy.

8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the sons of God.

10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11 Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.

12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

I have a sneaking suspicion verses 12a 12b and 12c were omitted from the text. That's where the disciples responded by saying:

12a Waitest thou for one second, Lord. What about "blessed art thou comfortable," or 12b "blessed art thou which havest good jobs, a modest house in the suburbs, and a yearly vacation to the Florida Gulf Coast?"

12c And Jesus said unto them, "Apologies, my brothers, but those did not maketh the cut."

So there it is. Written in red. Plain as day. Even still, we ignore it all when we hijack the word "blessed" to make it fit neatly into our modern American ideals, creating a cosmic lottery where every sincere prayer buys us another scratch-off ticket. In the process, we stand the risk of alienating those we are hoping to bring to the faith.

And we have to stop playing that game.

The truth is, I have no idea why I was born where I was or why I have the opportunity I have. It's beyond comprehension. But I certainly don't believe God has chosen me above others because of the veracity of my prayers or the depth of my faith. Still, if I take advantage of the opportunities set before me, a comfortable life may come my way. It's not guaranteed. But if it does happen, I don't believe Jesus will call me blessed.

He will call me "burdened."

He will ask,

"What will you do with it?"

"Will you use it for yourself?"

"Will you use it to help?"

"Will you hold it close for comfort?"

"Will you share it?"

So many hard choices. So few easy answers.

So my prayer today is that I understand my true blessing. It's not my house. Or my job. Or my standard of living.

No.

My blessing is this. I know a God who gives hope to the hopeless. I know a God who loves the unlovable. I know a God who comforts the sorrowful. And I know a God who has planted this same power within me. Within all of us.

And for this blessing, may our response always be,

"Use me."

So, What's Alright As Far As You're Concerned?

What would you do if you discovered that someone in your church was enamored by a pagan practice and made it publicly known? Would it matter to you? Do you think the Bride of Christ can coexist with pagan practices and beliefs?

For instance, what if you discovered that a leader in your church believed that certain elements have extraordinary physical and emotional healing powers that are associated with Chakra?

What? You don't know what Chakra is? Well, let me enlighten you.

Chakras are a part of a Hindu belief system that teaches that the body has "subtile energy points" that correspond to the physical body and are the "meeting points" of energy channels called "nadiis." There are 7 Chakras: 1) The Root Chakra; 2) The Sacral Chakra; 3) The Solar Plexus Chakra; 4) The Heart Chakra; 5) The Throat Chakra; 6) The Third Eye Chakra and 7) The Crown Chakra.

One of the features of this belief system is that there are certain elements that have metaphysical and physical healing powers. One of those elements is a gemstone called Malachite. Malachite was used by ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans in amulet form to protect the wearer against the "evil eye." It was also used in the Middle Ages to protect children from witches and Satanic influences. The use of these gemstones and other artifacts of Hinduism are explicitly pagan in nature.

So, let me ask again. What would you do if a leader of your church believed in and promoted such a Hindu dogma?

Let me tell you that there is no mystical healing power in stones of any kind. The only healing power in the universe is Jesus. No person who trusts in anything other than the all-sufficiency of Christ is saved and definitely should not be in a leadership position in any church that considers itself a part of the Bride of Christ. Such a person needs to be re-trained as a Christian and most likely needs to repent and be saved.

How has the church come to turn a blind eye toward the quirky and heretical beliefs of its members and leaders?

The church has seriously failed to "vet" (to use a current popular term) its members and leaders. In other words, church members have sat idle while its congregation was infiltrated with "Christians" who hold aberrant beliefs that do not conform to the New Covenant standard. They have shown a total lack of discernment in receiving such members and in making such members leaders.

If this seems narrow minded, so be it. Jesus said the path to eternal life is narrow and few there are who find it. He said that the path to eternal destruction is wide, and lots of people will be on it.

Such a church is like the church at Ephesus referenced in Revelation 2:4, "Yet I hold this against you. You have forsaken your first love." The "first love" is Christ. There is room for no other.

The local Bride of Christ must not be "all-inclusive." It must conform to the basic precepts of the New Covenant or it should not exist.

New members must not be subjected to some sort of orientation class and then dropped like a hot potato, never to endure any further training.

We must school our members in right doctrine. That's what the WHOLE book of 1 Timothy is about.

As far as I am concerned, holding to the mystical belief of Hinduism has absolutely no place in Christ's church. If someone who holds to that belief does not repudiate it and repent, he should be disallowed to lead, deac, preach or anything else.