Continuing with our previews of the breakout sessions at the upcoming NYC Conference (4/19-21), here’s one we are particularly excited about, from esteemed guest presenter Kathryn Greene-McCreight. The session will take place from 2:30-3:30pm on Friday the 20th.
In the words of twentieth-century mystic Adrienne von Speyr, “the first step in learning to love others is the attempt to understand them.” In light of Jesus’ command that we love one another, how might we learn to love those who suffer from the burdens imposed by mental illnesses? First, what are the Major Mental Illnesses? What are their root causes? What are some of the symptoms, and whose lives do they touch? How and why do these symptoms pose a particular challenge to the Christian believer, and to the Body of Christ as a whole? How can we become bearers of the Light of Christ into the dark corners which those who suffer inhabit?
This workshop is designed for anyone seeking to understand those who suffer from these burdens.
Kathryn Greene-McCreight is an Episcopal priest in the Diocese of Connecticut, and author of Darkness Is My Only Companion: A Christian Response to Mental Illness (2006) [which Mockingbird reviewed here]. She has written numerous articles and lectured internationally on mental health care from a Christian perspective. Her other books include Ad Litteram: How Augustine, Calvin, and Barth Read the Plain Sense of Genesis 1-3 (1999) and Feminist Reconstructions of Christian Doctrine (2000).
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2 responses to “Light When All Is Dark: Mental Illnesses and Christian Hope”
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this caught my eye. “the first step in learning to love others is the attempt to understand them.” this changes everything. ’nuff said