Bible and Mental Health

Christopher C.H. Cook is the Director of the Centre for Spirituality, Theology & Health at the University of Durham. He has held positions as Lecturer at University College, London (1987 to 1990) and Senior Lecturer at the Institute of Psychiatry, London (1994 to 1997) as well as being Professor of the Psychiatry of Alcohol Misuse at the University of Kent from 1997 to 2003.Isabelle Hamley is currently Secretary for Theology and Ecumenical Relations and Theological Adviser to the House of Bishop

"At last, an authoritative and comprehensive study of the connection between faith and mental health which doesn’t shy away from making helpful practical applications. This is a timely book, written by a number of distinguished authors, which directly engages with the various challenges faced by Christians when confronted by mental illness and mental health care. The Biblical material is thoroughly addressed, emotions are sensitively considered, and we are all invited to discuss the ‘stigma’ which has so often surrounded mental ill-health. It will appeal especially to clergy, clinicians and lay theologians, but anyone with an interest in what it means to be fully human and healthy will benefit hugely from the way in which it brings scripture to bear on our everyday experience. I found it full of fascinating insights and commend it very warmly indeed."

• Author Biographies viiForeword by the Archbishop of Canterbury xiIntroduction xiiiPart 1: Biblical Theology 11. Narrative, Meaning Making and Mental Health 3Jocelyn Bryan2. Wholeness and Illness: A View from the Old Testament 20Gordon McConville3. Jesus and Madness 34Joanna Collicutt4. Paul and Mental Health 54Stephen C. Barton5. Paul, the Mind and the Mind of Christ 74Paula GooderPart 2: Biblical Case Studies 836. Patient Job, Angry Job: Speaking Faith in the Midst of Trauma 85Isabelle Hamley7. Anxiety: Some Perspectives from the Old Testament 96David G. Firth8. Truth-telling as Well-making 105Walter Brueggemann9. Spirituality from the Depths: Responding to Crushing Circumstances and Psychological and Spiritual Distress in Jeremiah 115Jill Firth10. What Did Jesus Have to Say About Mental Health? The Sermon on the Mount 128Christopher C. H. Cook11. The Gerasene Demoniac 141Christopher C. H. CookPart 3: Practical Focus 15712. The Bible in Pastoral Care of Christians Living with Mental Health Challenges 159John Swinton13. The Formation of Christian Community: Reading Scripture in the Light of Mental Health 173Nick Ladd14. Bible and Trauma 192Megan Warner15. Christian Scripture as a Pastoral Resource for Promoting Resilience 206Nathan WhiteConclusion: Towards a Biblical Theology of Mental Health 217Select Bibliography 229Index of Biblical References 233Index of Names and Subjects 239