Marja Bergen

author, mental health advocate, follower of Christ

Category: Mental illness and the church (page 3 of 10)

Despised and rejected

  He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem. Isaiah 53:3   Good Friday is a time when we remember how Christ suffered and died for us. I hope this […]

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Too much attachment?

Boundaries Much has been written about the need for boundaries when supporting people with mental health issues. But I don’t think we hear much about what having such boundaries means to such people themselves. I will describe a bit from a point of view I had at one time. What boundaries mean to me Many […]

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Christian support for mental wellness

ALL OF US TOGETHER Much has been done to increase awareness about mental health in the church. But there’s room for better understanding. A lot more needs to happen than simple acceptance alone. People with mental health issues are no different in wanting to be regarded as having equal worth with others. It’s common for […]

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Borderline personality disorder and the church

A PLEA TO THE CHURCH Where do you go when you have an illness that medical professionals and counselors don’t want to deal with – treated like an untouchable in a modern world? Have you ever thought what that would feel like? It’s happening all the time to people with BPD. In their book Beyond […]

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Our humanity

  Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.. 2 Corinthians 1:3   We sense our humanity […]

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Give us a voice of our own

Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves; ensure justice for those being crushed. Yes, speak up for the poor and helpless, and see that they get justice. Proverbs 31:8-9 NLT “Speaking for the poor and helpless.” Is this what God really means? I think we need to be careful and think about that […]

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In our shoes

  Christian support for people with mental health challenges May 2017   Most followers of Christ feel called to help sick people and many have started supporting those living with mental illness. They try to be God’s hands for them and show them his love. Such support has been invaluable to people like me, especially […]

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With more than acceptance alone

  Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion,  then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition […]

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Today’s outcasts

We who live with mental health issues are also looked down on, shunned, disrespected, excluded, not considered to have credibility. Is this situation so different from the treatment given to those who Gandhi and Mandela fought for? Isn’t it time we got angry about the unjust attitudes towards people with mental illness? Who can help […]

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From victim to victor

September 2016  And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. (NASB) Romans 8:28   Everyone experiences mistreatment in life. I’m sure you must have had that happen, whether as a child or later in life. For […]

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