Becca French
Prof.
Westblade
Jonathan
Edwards
11/26/13
In
the modern age of cutting-edge technology and life-saving medical advances, it
becomes more and more apparent how little is known about the human body and the
diseases that plague it most. While scientists and doctors look forward to the
future and the discoveries and secrets it holds, sometimes the greatest insight
for treating illnesses lies in the past. Depression is a perfect example--as
neuroscientists explore the chemical makeup of the brain to find imbalances
that may induce depression, it is wise to look back at how people have endured
depression in history for a fresh but time-tested perspective.
Eighteenth-century theologian and pastor Jonathan Edwards provides a
fascinating case study for anyone wanting to understand a theological
perspective of depression. Depression, or melancholy, as he would have called
it, greatly influenced the Puritan society he pastored and thus the writings
and sermons he is so well known for today. While he and his wife themselves
struggled with it, depression ran in his family, afflicted a close friend of
his, plagued many in his community, and took the life of many in his
congregation and family. EdwardsÕs theological understanding of melancholy
provides Christians today with much insight on how to face such trials today,
however, in an age of psychiatric medicine it is hard to know how to
incorporate the scientific with the theological, the physical with the
spiritual, and psychology with Christianity. Jonathan Edwards sheds an
important light on the modern psychological view of depression through his
writings on melancholy, which he learned through personal experience,
melancholic loved ones, and pastoring a Puritan church in a society very prone
to melancholy.
According
to the World Health Organization, more than 350 million people suffer from
depression globally, granting it the nickname Òthe common cold of mental health
disordersÓ in regards to its commonality (World Health Organization). The
severity of depression, however, should not be taken lightly--fifteen percent
of those diagnosed with depression commit suicide making it the tenth leading
causes of death in the United States over the age of ten, according to the
Center for Disease Control (ÒPrevention and Postvention
GuidesÓ; CDC). Depression is a deadly disease that warrants treatment and great
care, however, it is not something new to this age. In
1586 a doctor named Timothy Bright wrote Treatise
of Melancholie,
in which he described melancholy as coming from one of the four humors settling
in the spleen and sending vapors up to the brain causing what is now called
depression, of Major Depressive Disorder (Parker). According to the Diagnostic
and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, or DSM-5, the leading authority in
psychological and psychiatric circles concerning diagnostic texts, explains
that depressive mood disorders are marked by a Òsad, empty, or irritable mood,
accompanied by somatic and cognitive changes that significantly affect the individual's
capacity to functionÓ (155). The struggles of depression is certainly not a new
phenomenon but has plagued humanity for centuries. The importance of
understanding depression can mean life or death for many affected individuals.
Many techniques for handling depression have developed over the years,
especially since the birth of psychology as a study and psychiatry as a medical
practice. Many of the psychiatric approaches to depressive disorders can save
and improve lives, however depression is far from understood, especially the
theological implications.
Modern
medicine approaches depression with the combination of two treatments:
medicinal and therapeutic. The medicinal route seeks to restore balance to the
chemicals in the brain Òby increasing the availability of norepinephrine or
serotonin, neurotransmitters that elevate arousal and mood and appear scarce
during depressionÓ (Myers 676). The therapeutic approach has many different
perspectives and approaches, including arguably the two most identifiable
psychoanalytical and humanistic perspectives. The psychoanalytical perspective
was developed and popularized by Sigmund Freud, a late eighteenth-century
doctor who began what is now known as psychology. He theorized that much of a
personÕs actions are determined by an unconscious struggle between three
different energies, the id, ego, and superego, and their contradictory desires.
The id controls the sexual and aggressive desires and seeks pleasure as quickly
as possible, the superego governs internalized ideals such as morals, rules,
goals, and beliefs, and lastly the ego seeks to make peace between the id and
superego. This struggle happens in the unconscious mind, while parts of the
superego and ego emerge in conscious thoughts occasionally. In FreudÕs
psychoanalytic perspective, a therapistÕs goal in treating a patient is to help
them uncover this unconscious struggle and restore balance to the three
energies. If anyone is too strong then their lives will be dominated by
unhealthy struggles; for example, if the superego is too strong (e.i. internalized ideals emphasized), then the patient will
experience overwhelming guilt anytime he or she gives in to their desire for
pleasure, but if the id is in control then the individual will live a dangerous
life of indulging every sexual and aggressive whim--often through gambling,
irresponsible sexual behavior, addiction, et cetera. However, the
psychoanalytic perspective has received criticism for relying too heavily on
the speculation of the therapist and for lacking the ability to be tested and
therefore becoming more philosophical than scientific.
In
contrast to FreudÕs psychoanalytical theory where one is enslaved by the sinful
urges of the id and the only hope for peace in the midst of the struggle is a
proper balance of the energies, the humanistic perspective developed with a
radically different view of mankind. The humanists believed that man has the
potential to be good, but achieving that is a matter of circumstances and
environment. Psychologist Abraham Maslow believed that humans have a hierarchy
of needs beginning with physical needs such as food and hunger, then building
up to a need for love, then self-esteem, and ultimately leading to
self-actualization, which Myers defines as Òthe motivation to fulfill oneÕs
potentialÓ (Myers 524). Carl Rogers theorized that everyone has the tendency
towards self-actualization, and only when environment and circumstances hinders
someone will they never achieve their full potential. Myers summarized their views:
For them a central feature of personality is oneÕs
self-concept—all the thoughts and feelings we have in response to the
question, ÔWho am I?Õ If our self-concept is positive, we tend to act and
perceive the world positively. If it is negative—if in our own eyes we
fall far short of our ideal self—said Rogers, we feel dissatisfied and
unhappy. A worthwhile goal for therapists, parents, teachers, and friends is
therefore, he said, to help others know, accept, and be true to themselves. (524)
However,
how should a Christian, who believes humanity is sinful and in need of a
Savior, respond to these assertions that humanity is capable of achieving
goodness as long as he or she lives in a suitable environment? Should a
Christian take part in psychiatric treatment such as therapy in a practice that
is dominated by such incorrect views of human nature and its need for Christ?
Jonathan Edwards would have wise and helpful input on this topic. His bouts of
depression, his experience pastoring a rather melancholic community, and his
friendship with Reverend David Brainerd helped him develop a view of depression
that would solve many of psychologyÕs problems today.
In
the life of Jonathan Edwards, he experienced different bouts of melancholy and
periods of depression, and it is not hard to speculate that EdwardsÕs
depression was due to biological and genetic abnormalities because his family
history of mental illness. JonathanÕs paternal grandmother, Elizabeth Tuttle,
was known to have some sort of mysterious mental illness. Her sister,
JonathanÕs great-aunt, suffered from some mental illness that
cause her to kill her own son with an ax to the head. Similarly,
ElizabethÕs brother Benjamin killed their sister, Sarah due to a mental
illness. Their brother, David, suffered from melancholy in
the midst of all of this (Sweeney). The Edwards-Tuttle family evidently
suffered from a physiological mental illness, which provided Edwards with
empathy and insight as he pastored the many in his congregation who suffered
from melancholy. Through his own periods of melancholy he grew closer to God,
as Weddle explains, Òrenewing his determination to be active in the service of
the kingdom of God,Ó and then years later in his Personal Narrative, he Òmoved beyond the dialect of melancholy and resolution
to a form of spirituality shaped by a vision of divine beauty and issuing in
consent to the harmony of universal beingÓ (Weddle 298). God used EdwardsÕs
melancholy, a physical ailment of the brain, as a tool in forming him into a
better child of God, pastor, and husband.
EdwardsÕs
exposure to melancholy was not limited to himself and his ancestors, however,
his wife Sarah Pierpont Edwards also suffered from periods of melancholy.
Jonathan Edwards biographer George Marsden notes that Edwards recorded that
Sarah Òhad many ups and downs,Ó Marsden adds that Jonathan recorded Sarah
having ÒÔa vapory habit of bodyÕ (a tendency toward depression--which he had
also) and was Ôoften subject to melancholyÕ and sometimes Ôalmost overborne
with it, it having been so even from early youthÕÓ (108). Jonathan Edwards
greatly admired Sarah for her grace and strength in trials, remaining patient
in the Lord and always accepting His grace. For, a troublesome problem arose in
Puritan society causing a psychosocial predisposition for depression--many
people, in examining their lives for sin to remain penitent before God, focused
so much on the gravity of their own sin that they never turned toward God and
accepted His forgiveness. Marsden explains, ÒIf we learn anything from
JonathanÕs diary, Calvinist saints never sailed long on smooth waters with
steady spiritual winds. Rather, faith was a constant struggle as God tested
them and allowed Satan to toss them on stormy seas. Often it seemed to them
that God had deserted them. Often they saw themselves as the greatest of
sinnersÓ (Marsden 108). Much of the melancholy that ran so ramped in Puritan
society was encouraged by the desire to repent of sins. This desire, while a
good desire, became unhealthy as the Puritans had trouble then turning toward
forgiveness and away from their own sin. Edwards often pondered the importance
of rumination (Parker 212). One example of a highly introspective Puritan is a
good friend of EdwardsÕs, David Brainerd, a pastor whose melancholy developed
to very unhealthy levels due to his insofficient
coping mechanisms and inaccurate view of God.
In
1749 Edwards published a book called The
Life of David Brainerd, a
collection of edited journals he compiled belonging to David Brainerd. In this
fascinating journal, Brainerd revealed his severe depression and idealization
of suicide. Weddle explained that ÒBrainerd waged a life-long struggle with
melancholy, manifested in morbid self-condemnation, obsessive self-interest,
and the glorification of death,Ó and he exhibited Òan utter lack of confidence
in his own integrity or worth,Ó things that would make any psychologist today
very concerned (Weddle 298, 301). Brainerd spent much of his time in quiet
contemplation of his sins which only exacerbated his
melancholic symptoms (Weddle 306). He longed for God but because he understood
that his earthly sin separated him from God, he longed for death to free him
from the bondage of his sin and suffering. He wrote in his journal, ÒI seemed
to live for nothing and to do no good: And oh, the burden of such a life! Oh,
death, death, my kind friend, hasten and deliver me from dull mortality, and
make me spiritual and vigorous to eternity!Ó (Weddle 306).
There is a stark contrast, however, in how Brainerd and Edwards dealt with
their bouts of melancholy. While Brainerd turned his melancholy into
contemplation of his sinfulness, seeing it almost as an affliction from
God--both a gift and a dreadful curse--to continually reveal his sin, Edwards
sought freedom from his melancholy and a joy and excitement for GodÕs glory and
beauty in its stead. The problem with BrainerdÕs view of melancholy and what
many other Puritans experienced is an emphasis on themselves and their own sin
rather than on God and His forgiveness.
In
order to properly treat depression and melancholy, one must understand the
cause of this disease. Is it, as many scientists since the sixteenth century have argued, a physical illness, or solely a spiritual
condition as some Christians have said? As science continues to advance and
medicinal treatment cures develop, it becomes even more evident that the cause
of depression cannot be corrected with a pill. Standard treatment for
depression begins with therapy, then if that proves
unsuccessful psychiatrists and therapists will pursue the pharmaceutical route.
Edwards would not disagree with this assessment. He believed depression stemmed
from an interplay of physical factors, a disease of
the brain, with a definite effect of spiritual warfare. Edwards wrote:
The brain being thus weakened and diseased, Ôtis less under
the command of the higher faculties of the soul, and yields the more easily to
extrinsic impressions, and is overpowered by the disordered motions of the
animals spirits; and so the Devil has created
advantage to affect the mind, by working on the imagination. And thus Satan,
when he casts in those horrid suggestions into the minds of many melancholy
persons, in which they have no hand themselves, he does it by exciting
imaginary ideas, either of some dreadful words or sentences, or other horrid outward
ideas.Ó (Parker 202)
He
argued that a physical disease effected the brain, then the Devil attacks the
weakened brain and speaks to the mind to suggest horrible ideas--whether that
be lies about their worth, the character of God, or that they should commit
self-destructive or even suicidal acts as the only escape or rescue from their
sin.
To
treat depression and therapy, Edwards demonstrated much of his views in an
indirect way through the editing of David BrainerdÕs diaries. As a pastor,
Edwards chose to leave out portions of the diaries in areas where he worried
BrainerdÕs views and writings would lead others astray. While maintaining great
respect for his friend, Edwards wrote of him, ÒHe was a mourner for sin all his
days...though he was assured that God had forgiven it, yet he never forgave
himself,Ó and Weddle adds, ÒThat is a description not of a tender conscious,
but of a battered spiritÓ (303). While important to mourn sins, Edwards believed
the process of repentance does not end there--one must instead turn toward
GodÕs forgiveness and seek His beauty and glory. In ÒThe End for Which God
Created the World,Ó Edwards explains that everything is centered around GodÕs glory--everything happens or exists in order to
bring glory to God, including the lives and salvation of mankind. In order to
aid someone suffering from depression and melancholy, Edwards would point them
to God and His glory. The reason for repentance is to flee from that which
counterfeited His glory and accept His gracious character and the saving act of
the cross. The purpose psychology seeks, including
non-Christians still blinded by their sin, is to restore broken people back to
a healthy and good state. That healthy and good state is a proper understanding
of the glory of God, a true understanding of who He is and who each person is
in comparison. From this understanding flows the
humility and piety the Puritans sought after, and the healthy mental state
psychologists search for.
Christians
should not fear the seemingly worldly science of psychology, rather they should
embrace the way it demonstrates manÕs need for His Savior. Jonathan Edwards
believed that depression and melancholy was a physical illness that deserved treatment
and attention. While many Christians today cower from psychology as it claims a
biological and chemical cause for emotions and decisions, Jonathan Edwards
would have agreed with modern psychology in that biological influences greatly
effect who a person is, seeing that God created both the soul and the physical
body, and He continues to rule over both. When Christians experience
melancholy, as they are bound to do in this life, they should seek psychiatric
help for both counseling and potentially medication, but most importantly
correct their view of God. When a Christian seeks His glory, they must explore
His character--something the darkness of depression threatens to skew. As
characteristic of the Puritans, Jonathan Edwards passionately explored GodÕs
character and longed to see more of His glory, which inspired his longing for
riding his life from sin; however, unlike Brainerd, Edwards then turned his
mourning into praise for GodÕs unending mercies. In the midst of his struggles
with melancholy, Edwards always adored his wife, SarahÕs great grace in the
face of trials as she rested in GodÕs unending mercies. When facing and
treating melancholy, Christians should face it like Sarah and Jonathan Edwards,
always seeking GodÕs face and His glory in the midst of the physical trials of
this broken world. ÒShe was also free from the obligation to judge herself. In
the freedom of universal love Sarah Edwards lived in the grace that is beyond
melancholy, in loyalty to the God who is beyond the Judge.Ó (Weddle 318)