Stick to Preaching, Preacher - Take Two

Perhaps you remember my previous post about Dr. Rex Yancey's take on depression. The good "doctor" has doubled down on his position this week with a new column in our paper entitled, "Depression brings us closer to God."

After diagnosing numerous Biblical characters with depression, he offers this sage advice:

We must wait on the Lord. We wait for the Lord to pull us out of the depths. There is a proper time for deliverance. God may not pull you out of the depths after the first prayer.

 You do not hurry the Lord up.

Get into the Word of God while you are waiting.

Once again we are told that God is the cure for depression and that prayer and Bible reading are the cost of that cure. Once again he redefines this medical disorder as a "spiritual" disorder, seemingly unconcerned with the consequences.

Unless his god has a name like Lexapro, that god has never cured anyone of depression. You can sit on your ass and pray until the cows come home but you will not be cured of depression. Your mood may lift temporarily if you are a believer, but that is not the same thing as proper treatment of depression.

Telling people to do nothing about their depression is like putting a loaded gun in their hands as far as I'm concerned. Depression is a condition that worsens over time if not treated and does lead to suicide. It's not something to be played with. I see Dr. Yancey's advice about depression as being the same as these televangelists who tell cancer patients not to take their meds any more because they are cured. It's the same kind of quackery - the same kind of dangerous lie. Our newspaper is content to print those lies again and again without any comment or rebuttal.

Perhaps Dr. Yancey should put this sign up at his church. It captures the idea well. If something is wrong, just lay down and die. Surrender. It's God's will.

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