Off My Meds

Last weekend I had the opportunity to listen to David Murray of Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary talk about his book, Christians Get Depressed Too. I haven't read the book, and I don't intend to summarize his talks. I do want to call attention to one particular point he made:

The brain's chemistry & electricity have been damaged by the Fall, just like our other bodily organs and everything else.

Some streams in the counseling profession want to medicate just about every problem. Others insist that mental illnesses and psychological disorders are fabrications, perhaps smokescreens for spiritual problems. Now, I assume it's true that we understand less about brain chemistry, the nervous system, and psychiatric medications than we do about the relationship between upper respiratory infections and amoxicillin. Nevertheless, I think we actually do know something about the extent of the curse, and we naïvely deny the complexity of the human condition if we exclude the physical processes of the brain from its effects.

Perhaps we could say that every self-respecting Calvinist ought to acknowledge that not every problem that has spiritual implications can be resolved exclusively by spiritual means.