As a Christian I serve the one called The Truth, Jesus. As a human I too often fail to tell and see the truth about myself. As a person with a mental health problem I have trouble seeing truth from the lies told by illness about myself. I speak, now, from a position of wellness […]
Do you have “depression”?
May 6, 2012 by 4 Comments
What I’d like to write about here is, I think, an intense irritant to most mentally ill people. That is, the way people loosely use the term “depression” to refer to things that are not medical depression and get themselves all twisted up and end up stigmatising us. I am making it sound more simple […]
Psychiatric Hospital Chapels and Chaplains
May 4, 2012 by 3 Comments
On the radio today I heard a segment about a chapel in a mental hospital being changed to a multi-faith worship place. The link there has the headline as “Chaplain “horrified” by hospital church closure” which is actually incorrect as the article states that St Ann’s psychiatric hospital in Dorset is simply changing their chapel […]
The Protestant Work Ethic & Welfare Reform
April 27, 2012 by 1 Comment
Those of us in the UK are well aware of the coalition government’s desire to reform the welfare state. Those of us affected by disability are certainly aware of the push to remove as many as possible from benefits, with the many mistakes and miscarriages of justice that that involves. The mass media seems delighted […]
4Thought: Malcolm Bowden on Depression and Faith
April 25, 2012 by 2 Comments
Well, something of a storm developing over today’s 4thought! For those not in the know, 4thought is a short slot at the end of the Channel 4 news given over to discussions of faith, ethics, and similar and where a person is given that time to present one point of view. This week, 4thought has […]
Review: “Does God Heal Today” – Nicky Gumbel
April 24, 2012 by Leave a Comment
This booklet is apparently taken from the “Questions of Life” book, also by Nicky Gumbel. For those who have not heard of him, Nicky Gumbel is Vicar of Holy Trinity Brompton, an Anglican church in the UK. He is also behind the Alpha Course which has been so popular in many denominations and this booklet is […]
Are We To Blame For Our Illnesses?
April 17, 2012 by Leave a Comment
This is a provocative subject (and title). I am a Christian, so when I think about this question, I am looking at more than simply a biological viewpoint. I take the Bible seriously, and I am concerned about what it has to say about illness. There seem to me to be four different causes of […]
Book: “My Name is Legion”
April 14, 2012 by 1 Comment
I recently read Michael Willett Newheart’s “‘My Name is Legion’: The Story and Soul of the Gerasene Demoniac” (Collegeville: Liturgical Press, 2004) I read this book looking for insights into the story of the healing of the demoniac of Gerasa (Mark 5). This is the story of the man living among the tombs, who self-injured and […]
Help Thou My Unbelief
April 10, 2012 by Leave a Comment
Lord, I want to love you, yet I’m not sure. I want to trust you, yet I’m afraid of being taken in. I know I need you, yet I’m ashamed of the need. I want to pray, yet I’m afraid of being a hypocrite. I need my independence, yet I fear to be alone. I […]
Can God Heal?
April 8, 2012 by Leave a Comment
Rather late-night post here but I saw an article in the Daily Mail that I couldn’t ignore! My hand was healed by God says Tory MP after advertising watchdog condemns leaflets claiming religion can cure Read more: Daily Mail Article This is the news that Gary Streeter, a Conservative MP has spoken out after the Advertising […]
Believer's Brain 