Is it unspiritual to be depressed? Or perhaps, said better, is it necessarily unspiritual to be depressed? Most of us would agree that the answer is “no.” Of course we would want to include some nuance to affirm that spiritual malaise or emotional despondency can sometimes be the result of sinful thoughts or actions and in such cases there may be a connection with a lack of spirituality. But we also know that sometimes depression appears mysteriously, providentially, and unprovoked by any sin or transgression on our part. We know that some of the people who are most spiritually mature can still suffer through very dark valleys.
But while we affirm there is no necessary connection between depression and a lack of spiritual obedience or maturity, I do wonder whether our initial instincts sometimes betray us. I do wonder whether beneath our well-rehearsed answers there is a part of us that really does believe that depression and other forms of emotional distress or mental illness are associated with sin and immaturity.
This is an urgent issue to Paul Ritchie, a pastor in Ireland who struggles with depression, anxiety, and O.C.D. In his new book, Is It Unspiritual
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