If we can assume that Proverbs 23 knows what it’s talking about when it speaks of the drunk losing his mind, I am at a loss to see how we would preclude the mind “breaking” for other reasons. Not that there isn’t a case for a spiritual problem—the Mayo self-help section on depression lists a number of things that interact with one’s character—but if we deny a physical/chemical component, I think we deny part of Scripture.
Interesting case. I’ve been wrestling for some years with the question of why we’re seeing a steady increase in “mental illness” in the US (and the modern world in general?). Among Bible-believing people, the tendency from the 60s - 70s was to suggest that most of it isn’t real. People with old fashioned lifestyle and sin problems were being relabeled as sick… with many of them just plain faking illness.
The “scientific” minded would explain that we’re getting much better at “understanding” human thought, behavior, and brain chemistry—while also mostly maintaining also that there seem to be increasing numbers of people with “disorders.”
Where are we now—we, who want to maintain full authority and sufficiency of Scripture (for everything it claims to be sufficient for) but who can’t believe the increasing numbers of cases are just a combination of people making things up plus pseudo-science?
We need more work on the mind-body question (and the science-faith questions) among people seriously committed to the Bible.
And is it just possible that there are things about modern life that are breaking more people in various ways than in the pre-modern, pre-tech world?
Views expressed are always my own and not my employer's, my church's, my family's, my neighbors', or my pets'. The house plants have authorized me to speak for them, however, and they always agree with me.
…that is, statistically speaking, very common among evangelicals (and the population as a whole), is what Dr. Miriam Grossman found at UCLA; that when students, especially female students, start fornicating, depression and other mental disorders very often follow. So we would have better diagnosis, perhaps, but we also have other stress factors. I would guess rampant divorce and unwed parenting aren’t exactly helpful, either. Add “temporary jobs” and the like, and you’ve got a recipe to make pharmaceutical companies rich.
Discussion
NewGood stuff
If we can assume that Proverbs 23 knows what it’s talking about when it speaks of the drunk losing his mind, I am at a loss to see how we would preclude the mind “breaking” for other reasons. Not that there isn’t a case for a spiritual problem—the Mayo self-help section on depression lists a number of things that interact with one’s character—but if we deny a physical/chemical component, I think we deny part of Scripture.
Aspiring to be a stick in the mud.
NewExplaining the trend
Interesting case. I’ve been wrestling for some years with the question of why we’re seeing a steady increase in “mental illness” in the US (and the modern world in general?). Among Bible-believing people, the tendency from the 60s - 70s was to suggest that most of it isn’t real. People with old fashioned lifestyle and sin problems were being relabeled as sick… with many of them just plain faking illness.
The “scientific” minded would explain that we’re getting much better at “understanding” human thought, behavior, and brain chemistry—while also mostly maintaining also that there seem to be increasing numbers of people with “disorders.”
Where are we now—we, who want to maintain full authority and sufficiency of Scripture (for everything it claims to be sufficient for) but who can’t believe the increasing numbers of cases are just a combination of people making things up plus pseudo-science?
We need more work on the mind-body question (and the science-faith questions) among people seriously committed to the Bible.
And is it just possible that there are things about modern life that are breaking more people in various ways than in the pre-modern, pre-tech world?
Views expressed are always my own and not my employer's, my church's, my family's, my neighbors', or my pets'. The house plants have authorized me to speak for them, however, and they always agree with me.
NewOne breaking factor...
…that is, statistically speaking, very common among evangelicals (and the population as a whole), is what Dr. Miriam Grossman found at UCLA; that when students, especially female students, start fornicating, depression and other mental disorders very often follow. So we would have better diagnosis, perhaps, but we also have other stress factors. I would guess rampant divorce and unwed parenting aren’t exactly helpful, either. Add “temporary jobs” and the like, and you’ve got a recipe to make pharmaceutical companies rich.
Aspiring to be a stick in the mud.