The Possibilities of Grace amid Persistent Depression
- First Published August 15, 2019
- 428 views
Abstract:
Chronic and recurring depression presents challenges to theologians working on the
doctrine of grace. First, its frequent misrepresentation inhibits accurate perceptions
of God’s loving presence in this context. Second, like all suffering, it threatens the
affirmation of divine benevolence upon which the doctrine is predicated. Third, the
moral complexities of depression obfuscate grace’s healing effects. To meet these
challenges and clarify the contextual work of grace, the author draws on depression
narratives to identify the effects of grace as gratuitous, elevating, and healing
expansions of possibility that many sufferers experience as depression persists.