Dr Paul Allen

Is Christianity bad for our mental health ? Popular atheists often say so. Some go as far as to say that teaching children religion is really a form of abuse — at least any religion that teaches a doctrine of sin and divine punishment. They claim such teaching heaps a load of guilt on people and then traumatizes them with the terrible fear of the threat of hell. How could this not psychologically damage people? I’m glad the question is being raised, especially by those whose own worldview demands that people come to terms with their ultimate existential meaninglessness: that life is fundamentally a brutal fight to survive and pass on one’s genes. That love, compassion, and psychological well-being are at root naturally selected adaptations to encourage one to preserve DNA . That good and evil are only human psychological constructs. That all our frenetic activity and gene-passing is ultimately futile since sooner or later homo sapiens will undergo species extinction. And th...

The self-esteem movement as we know it really began when Adam and Eve ate the fruit in Eden . Before that, self-esteem wasn’t an issue. Adam and Eve were not lost, and so had no need to “find themselves.” They had healthy self-esteem because they knew God and esteemed him above all things, certainly above themselves. This made them healthy selves, secure in their identity as children of God and complementary members of each other. Their self-esteem was rooted in a glorious humility, and defined and experienced in a God-designed community where they both knew and were known by God. But that changed when they (and all of us since) detached themselves from God in their effort to be “like God” (Genesis 3:5). Self-esteem became rooted in pride, and seeking it became infected with selfish ambition. It mutated from a God-glorifying, complementary pursuit into a self-glorifying, competitive pursuit. Looking in the Wrong Places Around the turn of the twentieth century, theories o...

Rethink Mental Illness (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) According to a 2013 survey by LifeWay Research , one-third of Americans agree that "prayer and Bible study alone can overcome serious mental illness ." Nearly half (48 percent) of evangelicals agree. ( 1 ) Why on earth would Modern Reformation imagine that it had something important to say, from a distinctly Reformation perspective, on mental illness? That was a big question we discussed in our editorial meeting. By the end, though, after sharing our own experiences, the answer became clear. To the extent that evangelical attitudes reflect theological imbalances—and even errors—we think we have something indeed to contribute. Like their neighbors, Christians acknowledge that people suffering from cancer, AIDS, migraines, or cerebral palsy are still responsible for their actions. Their suffering does not entitle them to hatred, self-loathing, or the mistreatment of others. And yet, we allow room. With even a modicum of s...

Rick Warren (Photo credit: jurvetson ) Rick Warren Returns  -  TIME  reports on Rick Warren’s first sermon since his son’s death.  “Almost four months after their son committed suicide , Pastor Rick Warren and his wife Kay addressed their congregation for the first time, promising to remove the stigma of mental illness from the church” Related articles Rick Warren back in the pulpit (PHOTOS) (christiantoday.com) Pastor Rick Warren Returns To Pulpit After 16 Weeks (losangeles.cbslocal.com) Quote of the Day: Author and megachurch pastor Rick Warren (religionnews.com) Pastor Rick Warren Returns to the Pulpit After Son's Suicide (ktla.com) Rick Warren returns to pulpit for first time since son's suicide (christiantoday.com) Rick Warren returns to pulpit four months after son's suicide (foxnews.com) Rick Warren Preaches First Sermon Since His Son's Suicide (swampland.time.com) Rick Warren returns to pulpit for first time following son's sui...

The Christian and secular media are reporting the tragic news that Rick Warren’s son has taken his own life after a lifelong battle with mental illness . The Warrens will be grieving and in terrible distress right now. Every Christian reading this should please offer a prayer of support on their behalf. At times like these the love of friends and family will be a great support to them, but will not take away the pain. Rick and Kay need the love of Jesus to be especially real to them at this difficult time. Please pray this for them. Even with such support in prayer, they will of course still mourn. We do grieve as Christians, but we greive differently to those without hope. Many of you will not know that I am a psychiatrist by training, and still work in that field (although I no longer have direct patient contact). As such I know the devastation that mental illness can bring in its wake only too well. We live in a fallen world. Rick’s son reportedly received some of the best inte...

The prevalence of mental disorders among those who 'do God' alone is an indictment of churches' failure to meet their needs People who are "spiritual but not religious" are more likely to suffer poor mental health, according to a study published in the British Journal of Psychiatry . Michael King of University College London and his colleagues examined 7,400 interviews with folk in Britain, of whom 35% had a religious understanding of life, 19% a spiritual one and 46% neither a religious nor spiritual outlook. The analysis led to one clear conclusion. "People who have a spiritual understanding of life in the absence of a religious framework are vulnerable to mental disorder [dependence on drugs, abnormal eating attitudes, anxiety, phobias and neuroses]." The work supports evidence from other studies too. All the usual weaknesses associated with asking individuals about religion are at play here, as the authors acknowledge. Nonetheless, the study promp...

English: Al Mohler, President of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Like many parents across America , I spent the weekend shielding my children from news about the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary, even as I pored over reports that might offer some way to make sense of the horror. I saw comment after comment and post after post that tried to hone in on one aspect of this tragedy and from it craft a solution. There were the posts about increased gun control, that perhaps this mass murder can galvanize our politicians into another conversation about protecting the Second Amendment while also protecting our children from the senseless use of lethal weapons. Other writers and commenters looked to shooter Adam Lanza’s psyche to offer a reason for his crimes. In “ I Am Adam Lanza’s Mother ,” Liza Long, the mother of a child with an undiagnosed mental illness , writes about the threat her son poses to his family and his community. Her post has gone vira...