MAD, BAD OR SAD
A Christian approach to antisocial behaviour and mental disorder
Edited by M. Dominic Beer & Nigel D. Pocock. Christian Medical Fellowship. 248 pages. £10.00
ISBN 978 0 906 747 353
How should a Christian understand mental illness or antisocial behaviour?
Are they the result of genetic factors over which the person has no control? Or are they more the result of inadequate parenting? Could society be at fault? Do professionals ever make excuses for people’s behaviour? Can we still think in terms of sin and evil, while recognising psychological and psychiatric problems?
These may appear rather academic questions that would be best addressed in a university or theological college. But what if someone with a long history of violence, or a serious drug problem, or a convicted child abuser wants to attend your church? Suddenly what seemed ‘academic’ can become very real. As Christians, we may believe that the gospel is for everyone, but what if welcoming someone into our church puts us, or worse still our children, at risk?
This book provides a wealth of factual information about psychiatric and psychological problems. It also provides practical advice for churches wanting to help those with extreme needs. The contributors are all Christian health care professionals. Their work is scholarly and balanced but still manages to be readable. I found the section on how churches should respond to the rehabilitation of sex offenders particularly realistic and helpful. Even if you do not agree with everything the authors say, you will almost certainly learn something new. There is also plenty here to stimulate our thinking, discussion and prayer.
A few months ago I reviewed The Spirit Level, in which Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett argue persuasively that many of society’s problems are the result of income inequality. Mad, Bad or Sad provides a useful counterbalance. My suggestion to thinking Christians is, read both.
John Steley,
a member of Central Baptist Church in Walthamstow, and a psychologist in private practice in London (john.steley@btinternet.com)
