Illness Is Caused by Unrepentant Sin? How Evangelical Christians See Mental Health
The holiday season, especially Christmas, often exists as a symbol of hope and joy in the Christian community. But this may not be true for all believers. According to a recent study completed by Lifeway Research , one in four American adults suffer from mental illness, and the Christian church is no exception.
The study indicated that although nearly half of evangelical Christians believe that mental illness can be overcome by “Bible study and prayer alone”, the thinking behind this belief is evolving. Whereas in 2007 evangelical writer and musician Carlos Whittaker was told by his pastor to not even speak about his struggle with anxiety, this year, prominent pastor Rick Warren hosted a day-long conference on addressing mental illness in partnership with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.
As part of the Guardian’s recent examination of how evangelical Christian churches address mental illness , we asked our readers to submit their stories about their own experience with mental illness or how their individual church discussed it.
More: Illness Is Caused by Unrepentant Sin? How Evangelical Christians See Mental Health