Dust in the blood : a theology of life with depression

Dust in the Blood considers the harrowing realities of life with depression from a Christian theological perspective. In conversation with popular Christian theologies of depression that justify why this suffering exists and prescribe how people ought to relate to it, Jessica Coblentz offers another Christian approach to this condition: she reflects on depression as a wilderness experience. Weaving first-person narratives of depression, contemporary theologies of suffering, and ancient biblical tales of the wilderness, especially the story of Hagar, Coblentz argues for and contributes to an expansion of Christian ideas about what depression is, how God relates to it, and how Christians should understand and respond to depression in turn. 2023 College Theology Society Best Book Award 2023 Catholic Media Association Third Place Award, Theology Morality, Ethics, Christology, Mariology, and Redemption 2023 Association of Catholic Publishers Second Place Award, Theology Dust in the Blood considers the harrowing realities of life with depression from a Christian theological perspective. In conversation with popular Christian theologies of depression that justify why this suffering exists and prescribe how people ought to relate to it, Jessica Coblentz offers another Christian approach to this she reflects on depression as a wilderness experience. Weaving first-person narratives of depression, contemporary theologies of suffering, and ancient biblical tales of the wilderness, especially the story of Hagar,Coblentzargues for and contributes to an expansion of Christian ideas about what depression is, how God relates to it, and how Christians should understand and respond to depression in turn. Dust in the Blood Part I: Surveying the Landscape Introduction: Dust in the Blood Chapter 1: Depression as Unhomelikeness Chapter 2: Popular Christian Theologies of Depression Chapter 3: Critiques of Popular Christian Theologies of Depression Chapter 4: How (Not) to Talk about Depression Part II: Sketching New Maps Chapter 5: Depression as a Wilderness Experience: Theological Foundations Chapter 6: Depression as an Hagaric Wilderness Chapter 7: God and Salvation in the Wilderness of Depression Chapter 8: Discipleship alongside Depression Sufferers Conclusion: A Wilderness Within Acknowledgments Index "Through first-person narratives of depression, contemporary theologies of suffering, and ancient biblical tales of the wilderness, especially the story of Hagar, Coblentz argues for and contributes to an expansion of Christian ideas about what depression is, how God relates to it, and how Christians should understand and respond to depression in turn"-- Provided by publisher