Who Sinned? The Church Did: A Review of Amy Simpson's "Troubled Minds"

May 07, 2013 by Greg Garrett

Continued from Page 1

And yet, wouldn't Jesus have wrestled with the mess? Wouldn't he have gotten his hands dirty, as he does in healing the Man Born Blind? ("He spat on the ground and made mud with the saliva and spread the mud on the man's eyes," Jn. 9:6, NRSV.)

I know from personal experience that mental illness is scary. It can frighten the people who suffer from it, those around them, and anyone caught in its orbit.

It would be easy to back away, to wash our hands, or to blame the sufferer. In fact, that's what we typically do.

But Jesus offers us the challenge of blameless love, of compassion that accompanies the suffering.

And Troubled Minds gives us the tools to understand and the encouragement to act as Christ would have us act in response to mental illness. I hope it is widely read by church leaders and laypeople, and that it prompts the open and loving conversations that could save lives and souls.

For more conversation on mental illness and the Church, visit the Patheos Book Club here.

Page: 2 of 2

5/7/2013 4:00:00 AM

Progressive Christian

Book Club

Faithful Citizenship

Mental Illness

Progressive Christianity

Sacred Texts

Christianity

more at patheos

Standing the Watch

Mark Williams

Top Three Anti-Catholic Lies About Catholicism

Dave Armstrong

God's Grandeur

Dan Peterson

Tech Should Be a Doorway to the Church, Not the Destination

William Hemsworth

About Greg Garrett

Greg Garrett is (according to BBC Radio) one of America's leading voices on religion and culture. He is the author or co-author of over twenty books of fiction, theology, cultural criticism, and spiritual autobiography. His most recent books are The Prodigal, written with the legendary Brennan Manning, Entertaining Judgment: The Afterlife in Popular Imagination, and My Church Is Not Dying: Episcopalians in the 21st Century. A contributor to Patheos since 2010, Greg also writes for the Huffington Post, Salon.com, OnFaith, The Tablet, Reform, and other web and print publications in the US and UK.

Patheos Logo Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Subscription Support Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In

Follow Patheos