On Mental Illness:'Christians Should Not Be Afraid Of Medicine&#39

[missmuffet]

Stetzer makes some very important points.

http://www.christian...medicine-93473/

In the wake of this past weekend's tragic death of Matthew Warren, son of Pastor Rick Warren and wife Kay, Ed Stetzer, president of LifeWay Research, stressed the need for the church to address mental illness.

Along with shedding the shame and stigma that often accompanies mental illness, Stetzer recently wrote that he believes Christians need to address the issue of medicine relating to mental illness in the church.

"We should not be afraid of medicine," Stetzer, an expert in church planting and lead pastor at Grace Church in Hendersonville, Tenn., wrote in a recent post for CNN's belief blog.

"I realize this can be a heated debate. I also recognize that medication must be handled with care – as it should with any condition," Stetzer continued.

"But many mental health issues are physiological. Counseling will naturally be a part of treatment. But if we are not afraid to put a cast on a broken bone, then why are we ashamed of a balanced plan to treat mental illness that might include medication to stabilize possible chemical imbalances? Christians get cancer, and they deal with mental illness."

His comments come days after, Rick Warren, senior pastor of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif., announced that his 27-year-old son, Matthew Warren, had taken his life Friday evening at his home in Mission Viejo, after a lifelong battle with depression and mental illness.

[He giveth more grace]

Some may remember all my past posts about me fearing I have never been saved or has lost my salvation, my Doctor allowed me to double my mood medicine and now I never think that I am going there, put I do have a healthy fear that others are going there. My illness was a cause for my depression and now the depression is gone. All this time I was under medicated.

There is a stigma in the church regarding mental illnesses and emotional troubled saints.

[~candice~]

Some may remember all my past posts about me fearing I have never been saved or has lost my salvation, my Doctor allowed me to double my mood medicine and now I never think that I am going there, put I do have a healthy fear that others are going there. My illness was a cause for my depression and now the depression is gone. All this time I was under medicated.

There is a stigma in the church regarding mental illnesses and emotional troubled saints.

Yes *** hugs *** you are loved. I'm sorry the stigma has hurt you. But very very glad your meds are right now! Thank God

[He giveth more grace]

Yes *** hugs *** you are loved. I'm sorry the stigma has hurt you. But very very glad your meds are right now! Thank God

You have a big heart, Candice, I am honored.

[missmuffet]

Some may remember all my past posts about me fearing I have never been saved or has lost my salvation, my Doctor allowed me to double my mood medicine and now I never think that I am going there, put I do have a healthy fear that others are going there. My illness was a cause for my depression and now the depression is gone. All this time I was under medicated.

There is a stigma in the church regarding mental illnesses and emotional troubled saints.

If their is a stigma in your church regarding the mentally ill then they need to go back to their Bibles and read a little more.

[He giveth more grace]

If their is a stigma in your church regarding the mentally ill then they need to go back to their Bibles and read a little more.

Thanks, Bo! I was speaking about Christendom in general.

[missmuffet]

If their is a stigma in your church regarding the mentally ill then they need to go back to their Bibles and read a little more.

Thanks, Bo! I was speaking about Christendom in general.

If it is speaking of the Christian community or an individual church they are Biblically wrong for singleing out the mentally ill.

[He giveth more grace]

I wasn't hurt by any stigma, I am tougher than that, I went to the School of Hard Knocks.

[missmuffet]

I know someone who went to a church and was very hurt by the congregrations attitude and now they will not go back.

[chloe_fantastic]

A couple years ago, a few towns away from me, there was a lady who started going to a church. She went up to an alter call for prayer one Sunday, and whoever it was who prayed with her told her to get off her anti-depressant, that she didn't need it. Less than a month later this woman murdered her two children and attempted suicide. She even killed the dog.