No Longer Alone: Mental Health and the Church

308 Pages·1995·0.7 MB·English

by  John Toews

No Longer Alone : Mental Health and the
title:
Church
author: Toews, John.; Loewen, Eleanor Marie
publisher: Herald Press
isbn10 | asin: 0836190106
print isbn13: 9780836190106
ebook isbn13: 9780585219424
language: English
Mental health--Religious aspects--
subject Christianity, Church work with the mentally
ill.
publication date: 1995
lcc: BT732.4.T64 1995eb
ddc: 261.8/322
Mental health--Religious aspects--
subject: Christianity, Church work with the mentally
ill.
Page 1
No Longer Alone
Page 2
Mental Health & Disabilities Program
Mennonite Central Committee Canada
134 Plaza Drive
Winnipeg, Manitoba
R3T 5K9
phone: [phone]
fax: [phone]
Page 3
No Longer Alone
Mental Health and the Church
John Toews with Eleanor Loewen
Foreword by John and Naomi Lederach
Page 4
Canadian Cataloguing in Publication Data
Toews, John
No longer alone
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN 0-8361-9010-6
1. Church work with the mentally ill. 2. Mental health Religious
aspects Christianity.
1. Loewen, Eleanor, 1938 . II. Title.
BV4461.T64 1995 259'.4 C95-930298-0
The paper used in this publication is recycled and meets the minimum
requirements of American National Standard for Information
SciencesPermanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI
Z39.48-1984.
All Bible quotations are used by permission, all rights reserved, and
are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, by
the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the
Churches of Christ in the USA.
NO LONGER ALONE
Copyright © 1995 by Herald Press, Waterloo, Ontario N2L 6H7
Published simultaneously in the United States by Herald Press,
Scottdale, Pa. 15683. All rights reserved
Library of Congress Catalog Number: 94-73616
International Standard Book Number: 0-8361-9010-6
Printed in the United States of America
Book and cover design by Gwen M. Stamm
05 04 03 02 01 00 99 98 97 96 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2
Page 5
To all the people who have wanted to be accepted as
a regular part of the church and to make their contributions
as best they could under the very trying circumstances
of mental ill health.
Page 7
Contents
Foreword 9
by John and Naomi Lederach
Preface 12
by Travis Reimer
Introduction 15
1. What Is Mental Health? 23
2. Mental Health and Life Stages 36
3. Who Sinned? 50
4. The Need for Healing 64
5. Emotions That HurtEmotions That Heal 78
6. Who of You by Worrying Can Add a Single Hour to 93
Your Life?
7. My God, My God, Why Have You Forsaken Me? 107
8. No Other Gods 122
9. Shattered Dreams 138
10. Whatever You Do . . . 155
The Authors 172
Page 9
Foreword
Over the years, as we have had conversations with colleagues and
friends, we've often said, "Someone should write a book about this."
We were referring to a guide or framework for understanding
ourselves and those of us and our families and acquaintances who
experience mental ill health. With great expertise and sensitivity, Dr.
Toews (assisted by Eleanor Loewen) has written just such a book, full
of careful, simple, yet profound truths. The book addresses in a
straightforward way such common questions as, Who am I? What do I
believe about my relationship with God, about my faith (or lack of it)?
How does my faith affect the problems I face?
To encourage us when we were experiencing a particularly difficult
time, Aunt Gladys once said, "Life is what happens to you when you
have other plans." We areor see or walk withthose who had other
plans but whose lives are broken and difficult for a variety of reasons.
As a community of faith, called or to healing in our relationships, we
have too often contributed to or perhaps even perpetuated
(unknowingly?) the hurt of others, rather than their healing. No
Longer Alone opens windows