Coping with Depression in the Church with Matt Rogers – Part II
I trust you caught my introduction to Matt Rogers yesterday. Today I wanted to orient you to his series of guest posts that will be taking place starting tomorrow. I trust you will take some time to make some comments on the posts that are coming, as Matt will be available to interact with you. Here is Matt’s outline of where he is taking us in this series.
Part 1: Introduction of Matt Rogers
Part 2: Introduction (this blog entry)
August 20
Part 3: “The ‘Sin’ of Depression”
Confronting the misunderstanding that mental illness is a spiritual weakness.
August 21
Part 4: “The Fellowship of the Depressed”
A look at heroes of the faith who battled depression: Charles Spurgeon, Oswald Chambers, William Cowper. Today’s depressed Christians are in good company with the saints of old.
August 25
Part 5: “The Medication Debate”
Some say medication is a cop-out, a way of avoiding one’s problems. Others say medication isn’t necessary if you’re trusting God for your joy. Some just believe medication is dangerous: should we be putting chemicals into our brains? What is the truth about medication for depression?
August 27
Part 6: “When God is the Problem”
Doubts or confusion about God can fuel a person’s depression. What do you do when your faith in God is aiding your mood disorder?
August 28
Part 7: “Compassion: The Fruit of Depression”
It seems the only way to learn compassion is through suffering. Almost every good thing in my life today is a result of my struggle with depression. How can we find good in our pain?
September 1
Part 8: “Steps Toward Healing”
A practical final entry for people needing help (or trying to help someone) right now.
 Matt Rogers is co-pastor of New Life Christian Fellowship [nlcf] at Virginia Tech. He is the author of When Answers Aren’t Enough: Experiencing God as Good When Life Isn’t (Zondervan, 2008) and Losing God: Clinging to Faith Through Doubt and Depression (InterVarsity, 2008). Learn more about his writings and his blog at his website. |
Jr,
I’m looking forwards to learn from Matt
Yeah, I think you will like the series. I’m glad to host it. Hope all is well with you Sonja.
Thanks for this JR – as one who has consistently struggled with depression over time and who has a child that battles with it daily, I am greatly looking forward to this series.
Definitely looking forward to this series! As a licensed counselor it has been a recurrent conversation I have had with other Christians who see the root of all depression as sin. They then judge me as a person who simply operates by helping people to bury their sin or feel okay about it.
Matt, thank you for addressing these issues. I look forward to your thoughts!
Scott and Aaron,
Glad to know you are looking forward to this series and I am expecting that you guys will jump in the conversation with your experiences, thoughts, ideas and questions. It it an important discussion to have and your input will be valuable. So thanks ahead of time for your participation.
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[...] of When Answers Aren’t Enough and Losing God; and pastor at [nlcf]. This entry is part of the Coping with Depression Series. STEPS TOWARD HEALING Let’s close this series with practical help for people in need right now. In [...]