Faith
Faith Affirms Therapy Against Stigma
Faith Facts
- Telegraph column claims Christian leaders like Justin Welby should pray instead of seeking therapy.
- Priest Fr Mark Edwards, enduring depression, defends medication as God-given healthcare.
- Biblical figures Elijah, David, and Job faced despair yet upheld unwavering faith.
A recent Telegraph piece by Celia Walden questioned why former Archbishop Justin Welby pursues therapy rather than solely confiding in God.
Fr Mark Edwards, a clergyman recovering from severe mental health crisis, deems this perspective wrong and harmful to pastoral care.
What’s the point of God if even Justin Welby is seeing a therapist?
Edwards stresses therapy and antidepressants complement prayer, rejecting any notion of faith failure.
He notes never advising cancer patients to skip chemotherapy for prayer alone, questioning mental health double standards.
I have never told someone with cancer to refuse chemotherapy and “just pray.” Why is mental health treated differently?
Welby’s resignation stemmed from Church safeguarding failures, unrelated to his beneficial psychiatric support.
Faith sustains through suffering; Scripture unflinchingly depicts prophets’ anguish without invalidating devotion.
Public shaming risks silencing strugglers, endangering lives when medicine upholds God’s gift of healing.
Believers, integrate godly hope with professional care to glorify Him in wholeness. Subscribe to Faith and Freedom Report for Biblical truths defending family and freedom.