Finding Jesus in the Storm: The Spiritual Lives of Christians with Mental Health Challenges

Abstract

with evil, sin, or punishment (p. 103). Rather, “we need communal practices that allow us to sustain our faith” (p. 120). Christians must view one another through the imago Dei, allowing the creative capacity of God to surpass our imaginations (p. 131). Chapter 5 continues to unlink the Christian call to service from the teleological claim of a world with normalized bodies, freeing us to work toward ending suffering without following the claims of scientific domination. This leads to a significant challenge to the Church. Namely, “by welcoming and including all persons into their communities, Christian churches have the opportunity to declare something vital about the worth of human life” (p. 151). Refusing to engage at the deepest levels of metaphysics with science, as those from the Catholic tradition have, prevents the Protestant church from making claims rooted in its own ontology, and thus prevents disabled persons from experiencing the benefits of a world which sees their lives as gifts. Chapter 6 turns more deeply into natural law theology, contrasting Aquinas and Tillich to produce a “genethic” for the Church rooted in mirroring the creative justice, joy, and love which is already written into God’s creation (p. 169). The nuances here ultimately provide a link between human’s essential nature with their moral obligations, while naming the shifts necessary to connect Protestants to an otherwise typically Catholic doctrine. Chapters 7 and 8 deal with the concept and implication of all people being fundamentally gifts rather than as things to be controlled or manipulated. This requires the Church to produce spaces in which all are truly welcomed, liturgies in which diversities are acknowledged and accepted, and conversations about genetics which intentionally privilege disabled voices. These actions are solely in the domain of the Church, as neoliberal modernity and the scientific gaze hold virtually no space for such endeavors. Stahl makes her case convincingly. This work is an excellent resource for bioethicists and denominational leaders alike. The calls to action are clear and built on a firm foundation of theology and history. Although this book is certainly of use to congregants and ministers, perhaps it would land best among medical providers and those charged with crafting denominational policies. As Stahl shows, much work must be done at every level to create the possibility of a Church which can speak faithfully on genetic issues.