Something that really bothers me...

I have heard it so many times it is ridiculous. It is possibly the most ignorant and dangerous lie, and while I don't know how widely held it is, the folks who hold to this idea seem to have no problem spouting it off. Bear with me while I give a little back story.

I don't keep my religious convictions a secret. I am a reformed believer, in other words a Christian who holds to the grace-based principles of the Reformation. Sure I love the truth's of the Bible, but I also love to study the doctrines of great reformed theologians. Those from before the Reformation like Augustine, Reformation figures such as Calvin and Luther, and the spectrum of Reformers since like Spurgeon, Jonathan Edwards, CS Lewis, John Piper, John MacArthur, and so on.

The reason I bring up my beliefs is two-fold- they shape who I am and how I live my life and when I share parts of my life it can evoke a certain reaction. This reaction is what I find incomprehensible and utterly deplorable.

I attended school in a quasi-religious environment. While the school I attended was not directly run by the church, it was heavily influenced by the local Presbyterian establishment. That helped form the foundation of my love of Reformed theology. I also spent many years attending, and even ministering in, Southern Baptist Churches. The SBC really taught me what passion for the Gospel was like. Was I surprised to learn, in my studies, the great reformer Spurgeon was also Baptist? Yes, and I was pleasantly surprised to know many in the SBC trace it's early roots to his work in London.

I was so excited about my future in that great church. I was especially excited when Al Mohler was made president of Southern Seminary. It was validation that the Southern Baptist church was uniquely positioned to bring a passionate, grace-filled, Gospel to the masses. It was where I wanted to be.

There were, however, some deeply troubling issues. First thing I noticed, over time, was a judgemental spirit by some in churches where I was placed. I attempted to counter it by teaching the Gospel, but it no-less bothered me. Second, I found that, while the doctrine of Eternal Security was taught, it seemed the doctrine of Election was really skewed toward free will. For a person who, admittedly, did not fully grasp election I dismissed this as my misinterpretation of teaching. Still, there was a lingering feeling that I was fighting an uphill battle against legalism.

Let me pause slightly before we get too far. I do not say this as an indictment of the SBC, her leaders, or her pastors. This church is a magnificent organization committed to the Gospel and reaching the world for its sake. That said there is a large portion of folks in the pews, and even clergy, who seemed to have "missed it". "Missing it" is what I am addressing, not attempting to dress-down a fine organization.

I suppose the breaking point for me, in large part because of my personal battle, was an ever-vocal opinion toward mental illness; specifically the attitude toward mood disorders. On more than one occasion I heard folks talk about a friend or a relative who either needed to come to Jesus or needed "deeper faith" to overcome depression, anxiety, panic, or bipolar spectrum. This was deeply disconcerting.

Moreover, the entire time I was quietly struggling with all of these things. I was felt like I was giving everything I had to Jesus but I was getting worse. I was terrified to bring it to any of the brothers I walked with out of fear they would judge me and tell me to repent of my lack of faith. More so I was beginning to lose faith because I was beginning to believe there was something in my power that I was failing at to strengthen my faith.

Now I will not pretend that this alone moved me to where I am today. I moved out of the SBC and back to the more Reformed teachings of my youth. This really stemmed from returning to the convictions regarding secondary and tertiary doctrines while finding an equally passionate denomination of Presbyterians in the PCA. I even found there was a group within this organization held the same disgusting viewpoint toward depression.

So on to the specific viewpoint. Over and over again when depression is mentioned I hear people tell people they need to put down those pills because Jesus is the only cure for depression. Yesterday, in response to a blog post by my pastor, someone made this exact comment. Yet again I was floored by the absolute ignorance of the statement.

I don't want to go deep into scriptural proofs. I know that God heals. I believe there are miraculous healings, but I also know that Luke was a physician and Paul instructed Timothy to take wine occasionally for a stomach ailment. God, in His divine wisdom, chooses to heal in different ways.

Cynically I would ask someone, "If faith can heal anything, what will you die of?" Like I said, cynical, but it makes a point. God sovereignly chooses to do as He sees fit and I really don't have a say in the matter. Would a person telling someone to put down the anti-depressants honestly tell a Type-I diabetic to lay down the insulin and have more faith in Jesus?

I believe in miracles, I believe God can heal miraculously. The fact that I seek treatment for something does not mean stop seeking "divine" healing, rather this is how God has chosen to use this in my life. I do not always know why, I don't always see why, but I know this to be true. I will continue to pray and seek prayer, and on the day God heals me miraculously I will stop taking medication for my condition. Until that day this is how God has, in His divine purpose, chosen to teach me.

So I doubt this post will reach an audience who views mood disorders in such a deplorable way; it may, it may not. I do know this, if you don't react this way toward these disorders you probably know someone who does. If you do, take the time to probe their feelings. Ask them why they feel this way. Ask them if their arm was broken if they would refuse to see a doctor because that shows a lack of faith. Someone with depression may only open up one time, and if they feel as though they are reviled or disregarded it could very well be a death sentence.

An Interesting Article

I found this article last week on USA Today's site: http://www.usatoday.com/yourlife/parenting-family/2011-03-14-sad-dads_N.htm. I would disregard the lead, it seems a tad disingenuous; however I certainly recommend reading it. The real takeaway is we are overlooking depression in new fathers.

I don't necessarily agree with the idea that depression in new fathers is some variety of post-partum depression. Really what I see is the pressures of being a new father, the lack of sleep, and a 'blue' or even post-partum depressed spouse, all combining to add so much stress to cause more conciencious men to succumb to depression. To some it may seem this is a transient state but I feel it is important to address.

While transient depression is common, even desireable, if it begins to have a negative impact it should be addressed. Everyone has periods of this and really need to as way to reset our systems. They key difference, and the marker of when to push for help, is this impact. Transient depression, while in rare cases can lead to things life self-mutilation or suicide, is mostly harmless to self and others. It is when depression starts toward harmful that we need to start seeking assistance.

Harmful behavior is a hallmark of major depression. When, what you think is, transient depression wears on it can begin to impact thoughts in serious ways. Thoughts of sadness turn into various forms of self-harm. This can be less obvious things like eating too much, eating drastically less, sleeping a great deal more or less, or even work attendance or productivity problems. They can also be more obvious like thoughts of physical harm to self or others, enjoyment of pain, and attempts to harm self or others.

So I guess it's not that I think there's a post-partum depression for dads, but it may bear watching. Maybe the stress of being a new dad is something that would push a person with depressive tendencies toward full-blown depression.