I don't cry very often. Not because I think crying is wrong or that "real men don't cry" or anything like that. On the contrary, I absolutely think that there needs to be a space for openly expressing emotions in our understanding of masculinity, but that's another blog post altogether. I say all this because as I was reading through David Finnegan-Hosey's new book, Christ on the Psych Ward, on an airplane recently, I was brought to tears.
Christ on the Psych Ward is one part theological reflection, one part personal memoir about the author's experience with his own mental health struggles, and one part practical advice for the Church as it pertains to being in ministry with those who have mental health struggles of their own. Finnegan-Hosey does a beautiful job of weaving these three threads together into a single, compelling narrative that will simultaneously break your heart and wrap you up in a tapestry of affirmation, comfort, and conviction. All of this results in a challenge and a clarion call to action for those of us who find ourselves in the Church. We absolutely must be having conversations about mental health. We need to be willing to listen to those who are brave enough to share their stories with us, and we need to find the courage to be vulnerable ourselves to share our own stories with others. Christ on the Psych Ward is as good a place as any to start. Accessible to seasoned clergy and mental health professionals as well as the lay person who wouldn't know the difference between lithium and ibuprofen, this book does a phenomenal job of bridging that gap and serving as a conversation starter.
For too long, the Church has done an abysmal job at being in ministry with those who live with mental health challenges. We have used our language to perpetuate a harmful stigma surrounding mental health. Mental illness is not a moral or spiritual failing. People who live with mental health challenges bear the same divine image of God as everybody else. It's high time that the Church repents of its shame-mongering and open itself up to radical vulnerability through being in ministry with—not ministry to or ministry for—those who live with mental health challenges. "There is not one Christ for those with mental illness and another for the rest of the world," Finnegan-Hosey writes, "there is one Christ for all. There is not one church or ministry for those with mental illness and another for the rest of the world. There is one church for all."
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David Finnegan-Hosey's book, Christ on the Psych Ward (Church Publishing, 2018) is available for purchase through Church Publishing and Amazon.
