{"id":32981,"date":"2022-09-10T16:30:48","date_gmt":"2022-09-10T21:30:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/mental-health-half-of-evangelicals-believe-prayer-can-heal-mental-illness\/"},"modified":"2022-09-10T16:30:48","modified_gmt":"2022-09-10T21:30:48","slug":"mental-health-half-of-evangelicals-believe-prayer-can-heal-mental-illness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/mental-health-half-of-evangelicals-believe-prayer-can-heal-mental-illness\/","title":{"rendered":"Mental Health: Half of evangelicals believe prayer can heal mental illness"},"content":{"rendered":"
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By Bob Smietana<\/em><\/p>\n

A third of Americans \u2013 and nearly half of evangelical, fundamentalist, or born-again Christians \u2013 believe prayer and Bible study alone can overcome serious mental illness, according to a recent survey by Nashville-based Lifeway Research.<\/p>\n

The survey also found most Americans (68 percent) would feel welcome in church if they were mentally ill.<\/p>\n

Ed Stetzer, president of Lifeway Research, said Christians care about those affected by mental illness.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s glad churches are seen as a welcome place for those with depression, bipolar disorder, or schizophrenia.<\/p>\n

But he worries some Christians see mental illness as a character flaw rather than a medical condition.<\/p>\n

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Christians will go to the doctor if they break their leg, he said. But some may try to pray away serious mental illness.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey forget that the key part of mental illness is the word \u2018illness,\u2019\u201d he said. \u201cIn a typical evangelical church, half the people believe mental illness can be solved by prayer and Bible study alone.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lifeway Research asked four questions about mental illness as part of a telephone survey of 1,001 Americans conducted Sept. 6-10, 2013.<\/p>\n

Thirty-five percent agree with the statement, \u201cWith just Bible study and prayer, ALONE, people with serious mental illness like depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia could overcome mental illness.\u201d<\/p>\n

Responses are split by both faith and age.<\/p>\n

Fifty percent of those 18-29 years old say prayer and Bible study could overcome mental illness. That number falls to less than 30 percent for those 55-64.<\/p>\n

Evangelical, fundamentalist, or born-again Christians (48 percent) agree prayer can overcome mental illness. Only 27 percent of other Americans agree.<\/p>\n

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Among other findings:<\/p>\n

Just over half (51 percent) say someone close to them has experienced mental illness. That number drops to 37 percent for those over 65.<\/p>\n

Fifty-four percent of Americans say churches should do more to prevent suicide. That number jumps to 64 percent among evangelical, fundamentalist or born-again Christians.<\/p>\n

Americans who never attend church services are the least likely to agree that churches welcome those with mental illness. Those who attend weekly see churches as welcoming.<\/p>\n

Tim Clinton, president of the Forest, Va.-based American Association of Christians Counselors, said spirituality can play a crucial role in treating mental illness.<\/p>\n

He called it \u201csoul care.\u201d<\/p>\n

Clinton hopes more churches will become open to talking about mental illness. That means taking a holistic approach that deals with spiritual, emotional and physical concerns.<\/p>\n

That can involve counseling, medication, as well as prayer and Bible study.<\/p>\n

\u201cChurches need to be biblical communities of healing, \u201c he said.<\/p>\n

DOWNLOAD THE FULL PRESENTATION<\/p>\n

High-Resolution Research Graphs and Charts<\/h3>\n