DEPRESSION, DESPAIR, MENTAL HEALTH, AND A TRANSCENDENT PURPOSE

 

 

 

When we exercise too vigorously, we can experience muscle spasms. When we eat more sweets than we should, we might even feel sick. Wisdom invites us to understand our discomforts, including anxiety and depression, which have been escalating for decades, even before the COVID shutdowns began. Therefore, it seems that COVID is being unduly credited for our present woes:

 

·       Many high school students have reported experiencing mental health challenges during the coronavirus outbreak, according to recently published survey findings from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). High school students who are gay, lesbian or bisexual, as well as girls, were especially likely to say their mental health has suffered during the pandemic.

 

·       Overall, 37% of students at public and private high schools reported that their mental health was not good most or all of the time during the pandemic, according to the CDC’s Adolescent Behaviors and Experiences Survey, which was fielded from January to June 2021.

 

Depression had become a worldwide stalker long before COVID. Several studies have revealed that depression has been on the prowl for a long time:

 

·       The total estimated number of people living with depression worldwide increased by 18.4% between 2005 and 2015 to 322 million, according to the World Health Organization. Nearly half of people living with depression live in the more highly-populated global areas...

 

·       ...depressive illness is the disease with the second heaviest burden on society, with around one in 20 people suffering...[This] burden increased by 37.5% between 1990 and 2010...(The Guardian, 2013)

 

Perhaps the fear of violating political correctness has narrowed our focus away from other factors, like our choices that might be responsible for depression and anxiety.

 

Our lifestyles and beliefs have radically changed from the 50s. One indication of how it has affected us is the research of James Buie that “Depression…for those born after 1950 is as much as twenty times higher than the incidence rate for those born before 1910” (Edward Welch, Depression: A Stubborn Darkness, 113).

 

However, we have some clues about an answer. The German philosopher, Friedrich Nietzsche had stated that, “If we have a ‘why’ to live for, we can withstand almost any what.’”

 

This might sound extreme, but Nietzsche’s thought has been expressed by many other observers. Depressed people need hope more than anything else. They have been fighting a foe that is greater than they and have despaired of their own efforts. Psychiatrist and Holocaust survivor Victor Frankl had observed that many had struggled and finally acquiesced to the verdict of the National Socialist death camps. In Man’s Search for Meaning, he writes:

 

·       The prisoner who had lost his faith in the future—his future—was doomed. With his loss of belief in the future, he also lost his spiritual hold; he let himself decline and become subject to mental and physical decay."

 

With the decline of Christianity, we too have lost a meaning and purpose for our lives, apart from self-fulfillment. However, what happens when we no longer can feel fulfilled, and our dreams evaporate? Despair!

 

Consequently, we have to look beyond ourselves, for the answer to our woes, to a God who loves, forgives, and nurtures us and has proved it by dying for our sins.

A REAL FAITH IS AN OBEDIENT FAITH

 

 

The Scriptures often warn that a real faith is a fruitful and obedient faith:

 

·       What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? (James 2:14 ESV)

 

Consequently, obedience is not an additional requirement for salvation but a picture of what a real faith looks like:

 

·       ...the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might, when he comes on that day to be glorified in his saints, and to be marveled at among all who have believed...(2 Thessalonians 1:7-10)

 

Upon His return, He will bring “eternal destruction” upon “those who do not obey the gospel,” on those who refuse to believe. There is no indication anywhere in the Scriptures of a second chance. Why not? Because they will respond to a “second chance” as they had the first! If they had rejected the Light of the evidence in this life, they will certainly reject Him in the next, as His Light penetrates even deeper into their souls to expose their darkness.

 

If we continue to walk in the darkness, it means that we are bereft of saving faith:

 

·       If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. (1 John 1:6-7)

 

A real faith will bear good fruit, as Jesus had taught:

 

·       “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.” (Matthew 7:15-19)

 

Good deeds do not save us but serve as signs of a saving faith, as apples bear witness that they come from an apple tree.

 

Nevertheless, we need to be very hesitant about passing judgment. From all appearances, it didn’t seem that Lot had been walking in the light. His two daughters had even gotten him drunk to get impregnated by him. Yet, the NT informs us that he was a righteous man:

 

·       ...He rescued righteous Lot, greatly distressed by the sensual conduct of the wicked (for as that righteous man lived among them day after day, he was tormenting his righteous soul over their lawless deeds that he saw and heard). (2 Peter 2:7-8)

 

But, according to Jesus, we must judge someone calling himself a teacher or a prophet. He must be able to demonstrate that he is bearing good fruit.

JORDAN PETERSON FACING HIS FOE

 

Being born-again involves a major overhaul as dramatic as a caterpillar becoming a butterfly. We too often experience a complete meltdown as we are being renewed in the chrysalis—a painful humbling process—before we can learn to fly. It requires us to think, believe, and to act in new ways.

Understandably, we enter into our new life with a lot of soiled baggage, which needs to be painfully exposed and replaced. Therefore, it takes time to be clothed anew. As a result, the more we think we know, the more training we require to unlearn it. Jordan Peterson’s “discussion” with a highly educated Muslim apologist, who shredded Peterson as if he was grating cheese, illuminated this. principle.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gqS1ov4lSI0

I have a great amount of admiration for Peterson, especially now that he has professed the Christian faith. However, he came to this “discussion” poorly prepared in regards to Islam and his protagonist.

Peterson wanted to find common ground with the apologist in hope of uniting the two groups against the secular onslaught. However, it finally became clear that the Muslim had no such intention. He was only interested in one thing—promoting Islam. Therefore, he pummeled Peterson mercilessly, even as he praised him disingenuously.

How did Peterson make himself so vulnerable? First of all, as a new Christian, he probably wasn’t familiar with the many supportive proofs for the Christian Faith.

Secondly, Peterson didn’t seem interested in them. Instead, he came to make peace by finding areas of commonality. He failed to readjust his sights when it became painfully obvious that the apologist didn’t show any interest with finding a common cause with Christians. Instead, the Muslim was concerned about one thing—to show the reasonableness of Islam as opposed to Christianity.

Most importantly, Peterson approached the discussion with his postmodern worldview—that we cannot absolutely be certain of the truth of Christianity. Consequently, he was unprepared to defend the faith against the Muslim apologist who found a critical flaw in Peterson’s faith and exploited it effectively by arguing that Islam is the truth, while Christianity is not. Sadly, Peterson didn’t respond to these assertions.

To confront the adversary, we have to put on the full armor of God, which includes the knowledge of the Word of God and the empowering promotion of the Gospel (Ephesians 6:15):

 • In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, (Ephesians‬ ‭6‬:‭16‬-‭17‬)

I admire Peterson in so many ways. As gifted, humble, and courageous as he is, coming against a trained adversary is not an undertaking for a new Christian.

RELIGIOUS LIBERTY, NEUTRALITY, AND “CHRISTIAN NATIONALISM”

 

 

A few years ago, my wife and I strolled Fifth avenue in Manhattan to view the magically animated nativity storefronts. However, they had all been replaced by Santas, snow, and sleds. Disappointed, we never returned.

 

Hoping for something more reminiscent of Christmas, we purchased tickets to attend a rural lantern tour of a reconstructed 1848 village. Once again, there was no mention of the birth of Jesus. This too had been replaced by presentations of a gingerbread baking contest.

 

Often the rejection of Christ has been enforced by threats, firings, or discipline for teachers or students who might have the audacity to carry their Bible into class or pray. Along with this is the rejection of traditional values and enforced attendance at Critical Race Theory and LGBTQ indoctrinations, where even the youngest students are taught that they can choose their gender.

 

In addition to these offenses, many have brought lawsuits against Christian businesses because Christians have refused to indulge in behaviors they regard as sinful.  Meanwhile, the First Amendment of the US Constitution guarantees religious freedom:

 

·       Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press…

 

It shouldn’t be surprising that many Christians are dismayed about the direction this nation has taken. How then are these violations of religious liberty justified?

 

1.     The need for neutrality in view of the many competing religions

2.     Hyped fears about the opposition—Christian Nationalism

 

NEUTRALITY? This is an impossibility. Every decision we make reflects our underlying values. These determine hiring and the selection of textbooks and curriculum.

 

It is therefore a deceptive myth that secularism and the secular state offer a neutral solution where all can congregate under one tent. Instead, Secularism has been militantly and intolerantly imposing its own state-sanctioned religion consisting of socialistic Marxism, hyper-sexualization, along with sexual and racial favoritism, thereby disfavoring all tradition religions.

 

 

“CHRISTIAN NATIONALISM?” Carol Swain has written that Biblical values had formerly prevailed:

 

·       This Christian-based morality set the tone for our national culture. Life and law unfolded in harmony with a national Christian consciousness. The founders were careful not to designate any particular denomination as the official state church. They had witnessed the folly of this practice in other countries. Even though they chose no state church, they never wished for the influence of the Christian faith to vanish from the public arena. (“Abduction How Liberalism Steals Our Children’s Hearts And Minds;” Feazel and Swain)

 

According to Swain, even though imposing the Christian faith had never been the intention of the Founding Fathers, the influence of the Christian faith had been far reaching:

 

·       In this traditional culture grounded in the Christian faith, what was taught to a child at church and in the family was reinforced by public institutions and national sentiment. The “New England Primer,” which served as a public-school textbook for nearly the first 125 years of the nation’s history, was based solidly on the Bible and Christian teachings. It never entered anyone’s mind to question its constitutionality.

 

Swain cited several revealing examples of how this Faith has recently been undermined and replaced by another faith:

 

·       The female director of a small private school in Minnesota takes middle-and high-school students on a field trip to a sex novelty shop without parental permission (Minnesota 2015).

 

·       The Boston Public School System distributes forty thousand donated condoms to teens. Parents who support the distribution of condoms complain about the sexually explicit messages on the wrappers: “One lucky lady,” “Hump one,” and “Tasty one” (Massachusetts 2014).

 

·       The taxpayer-funded Adolescent Sexuality Conference teaches teens how to use meth to heighten their sexual experiences. Conference organizers distribute a pamphlet offering tips on oral sex and prostate stimulation (Oregon 2014).

 

The sexualization of children has only gotten worse. It is no surprise that Christian parents now feel that an antagonistic State has stolen their children with the almost irresistible temptations of a militant State-supported sexually-permissive religion.

 

It’s worse than that! These parents can no longer trust a system that allows for no democratic outlet for parental indignation in view of the many believable allegations of stolen elections and the parents being labeled and treated as “domestic terrorists” because of their opposition to the “New Morality.” Is it any wonder that some have rallied together under the misleading banner wrongly termed “Christian Nationalism!”

 

Instead, they seek a return to the guarantees insured by the First Amendment. Commentator and missionary-pastor Martin Rizley has recently clarified what the great majority Christian parents believe:

 

·       As a Baptist who believes strongly in the principle of religious liberty, viewing the church and the state as two separate institutions with very distinct functions, though equally accountable to God, I must confess that I don't particularly like the term "Christian nationalism". That is because the term "Christian nationalism" could well be interpreted…to suggest a number of things with which I strongly disagree.

 

·       For example, I disagree with the idea that Christians should seek to take control of a society by imposing on all the citizens of a nation by force of law an explicitly "Christian" identity, which in practical terms historically has often involved a particular denomination, sect, or organization using the awesome power of civil penalties to impose its own religious creed or confession on all the citizens of a nation and to punish "dissenters".

 

Along with Rizley, we do not want an alien and oppressive religion forced upon us but rather equal protection for all to live according to their faith, as long as it doesn’t cause tangible harm to others.