Read 'em and Reap!: Blaim it on the Brain?

Blaim it on the Brain? – Ed Welch
With the disease model for problems firmly established, it seems that nothing is beyond the possibility of being a “sickness”. This is particularly true of brain problems. Obviously, the brain plays a major role in everything we do. But is it the source of so many of our problems?

In this useful and clarifying book, Ed Welch delves into some of the disorders that are routinely attributed to brain malfunction. Approaching the issues from a profoundly biblical standpoint, he discusses the issues of Dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, Depression, ADD, Alcoholism and Homosexuality.

There are some legitimate brain problems that have enormous effects on people’s lives. However, the brain cannot make us sin. Most people will acknowledge that physical problems (back pain, broken limbs, etc…) do not cause a person to sin, but for some reason they will excuse the sin if there is a brain problem. For example, a man who spends time on the internet looking at smut will usually confess to being addicted rather than committing sin.

Welch’s book is divided into two parts: Biblical Foundations, where he discusses the mind-body issue and gives some implications of it, and Brain Problems Seen through the Lens of Scripture. Under this last part, there are three sections dealing with the different issues listed above. Dementia and Alzheimer’s are two legitimate brain problems and are treated under “The Brain Did it: Brain Dysfunction”. Depression and ADD are discussed under “Maybe the Brain Did it: Psychiatric problems”. This is perhaps the most helpful section of the book, because it deals with potential chemical imbalances and how to distinquish between them. He gives three biblically reliable propositions regarding psychiatric problems:

Proposition 1: Psychiatric problems are always spiritual problems and sometimes physical problems
Proposition 2: Psychiatric disorders sometimes respond to medication
Proposition 3: Psychiatric labels are descriptions, not explanations.

The last section deals with Alcoholism and Homosexuality under the heading, “The Brain Didn’t Do it”. It is commonplace to attribute these to brain disorders, which releases the participant from personal responsibility.

Do yourself a favor and educate yourself on which problems are chemical imbalances, which ones are brain disorders and which ones are plain disobedience. This book will help! Read ‘em & Reap!
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Comments

This was an interesting and useful review. I will need to read the book (which I eagerly look forward to) before commenting much, but I am intrigued with one specific statement:

"Proposition 1: Psychiatric problems are always spiritual problems and sometimes physical problems"

The secular mental health establishment way too often misses the boat entirely by making incorrect assumption upon incorrect assumption. There may be bits of truth amongst their nonsense, but conclusions are way too often wrong, often with devastating consequences. Mostly because to them man is the center of existence, which is a fatal flaw if ever there was one. This is not to say everything they stumble across is always categorically wrong. Much is, though even evolutionary scientists get SOME of their science right even if they don't always connect all the dots. Similar picture here with mental health and medicine in general. So there has understandably been some backlash to this absurdity amongst the conservative Church. But we would do well to remember that Truth is Truth, and God is Truth's author regardless of who finds it. Yes, indeed others may occasionally find some bit of truth from time to time. (Are we really the SOLE possessors of EVERY particle of Truth? This would be so arrogant to say so! Einstein so far as I know did not claim to be a believer, yet he did have a bit of a grasp on one aspect of God's creativity, did he not? His physics cannot be invalidated simply because he did not subscribe to the doctrine of a fundamentalist church. God left His fingerprints on everything He did so that we should remember Him. Let’s give God credit for Truth in all cases- the best we can do is find it, not manufacture it.) Truth is bigger than anything any man can completely own. God alone "owns" Truth. We believers just happen to have an inside track on recognizing it. At least I would hope we would.

I'm wondering out loud if perhaps the author of this book along with a number of otherwise rational conservative evangelicals are making the same error but in the opposite direction- EVERYTHING has a spiritual root. There is a way that this is true of course; since the Fall of man in the Garden the spiritual fallout has been manifested in many ways including physical. This is undeniable. What I will be interested to see is whether the author tries to make some artificial distinction that organic illnesses involving the brain are always and inevitably caused by the individual's sin, while other illnesses are merely physical in nature. I do not pretend to know the author's beliefs on this yet, and will not necessarily have any disagreement with him at all. I most certainly do disagree with those who say that sin is ALWAYS the SPECIFIC root cause of every illness- mental or otherwise. Depression for example, in its many forms, MAY WELL be the result of sin. Probably the majority of times even. But to conclude that it is ALWAYS the primary source in all cases is akin to going back to bloodletting to the bad humours out as a method of healing, or that the epilepsy is always the result of demon possession. It is my view that some make a dangerous assumption based in ignorance when they go along with this. How can this be so boldly proclaimed? What Scripture supports this conclusion? What science supports it? Fact is we understand little in this arena, and many presuppositions may exist on our side as well. It is so easy to jump on this bandwagon glibly without ever confronting the whole truth here. Who does possess the whole truth here? I seriously doubt that anyone this side of Heaven does.

I do have personal knowledge of a family which has at least three known generations of mild to moderate depression, sometimes chronic, which cannot be adequately explained by environment, or lack of mental or spiritual discipline. At least six are confirmed to have had this tendency, likely there are more- though some have had no apparent causes to trigger this- one even after extensive counseling from a conservative professional Biblical Counselor trained by a conservative Christian University. The only connection between some of these people is genetic- this has gone on for some without any social connections even. I know several of these people myself. While I am not a therapist of any sort, I know enough to say that at least some have no habitual unconfessed sin and still maintain a strong walk with the Lord and faithfully minister in their church. Yet they battle depression every day. You might never see it, but to them it is a constant battle they desperately desire to be freed from.

Would I suggest that those afflicted abdicate responsibility for their mental state? Not at all! They still bear the responsibility for confronting and if possible overcoming (or more realistically- managing) their affliction. For those whose thorn to bear is mental illness, I no longer look at you with derision and condemnation, especially if you are making a good faith effort to get well. When I use the term "manage" I do not mean swallow pills, although it can sometimes be a useful tool for some depending on their specific affliction. Some will never be able to be rid of their illness any more than a diabetic or thyroid patient can. This is not necessarily a result of their sin. For some it probably will be, but not for others. For some, it may well be a chemical imbalance primarily. The brain is so complex- chemistry affects behavior, yet behavior affects chemistry. No one has this all mapped out yet. Not even close. Of course there will always be secondary issues which tend to follow, but let us not put the cart before the horse.

Let us not throw out the baby with the bathwater. To state that "psychiatric problems are always spiritual problems" is to paint with too broad a brush if it is meant to imply that the spiritual problems are always the root cause. On the other hand, it would be ridiculous to pretend that there may not be spiritual implications to psychiatric disorders. Let us be careful about joining any bandwagon which so carelessly and from such a comfortably aloof vantage decide (judge for others) what is spiritual or not. To do so is purely arrogant.