Whispers in the Pews

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By Chris Morris

Publisher Description

Mental Illness is real. Will the Church get real?

This book is a collection of essays from various authors: men and women, pastors and congregants, counselors and nurses, parents and children. All have a unique view of how mental health conditions affect people, and how the church has responded to these circumstances.

Whispers in the Pews tackles how the mentally ill have been, and still are, treated in the church at large by sharing stories. This is not fundamentally a teaching book, but a book of moments and lives, knitted together by the common theme of mental health. No sermons will be included, though lessons learned from difficulties and their foundations in Scripture are encouraged.

This collection will expand your vision, and your heart, about what the church does well for the mentally ill, and where we can improve.

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2 Reviews

4.5

HorrorPrincess

Created almost 5 years ago

“I don’t think I’ve had such a difficult time writing a review for a book. After reading it, my mind was all over the place and I struggled to piece together my thoughts on the message this book conveys. But, I know this for certain: the message in this book is important. Now, I have to preface this with the point that I don’t think everything in this book is a mental illness. I do, however, think that some churches lack the willingness and/or resources to help those who are struggling with these illness and issues. I cannot stress how important I think this message is. I would extend it to those who have what they call “invisible diseases” or even “invisible illnesses. As you may or may not know, my mom suffers from A-typical migraines with seizure-like activity; she’s suffered from it for the past seven years. There are some days that are better than others, but we’ve all learned how to help her and just be there for her, but I’ve seen the church’s lack at understanding what’s it’s like for people who suffer from these things. They only see what social media and things like that allow them to see, and they base their assumptions on those glances at the good days. I can understand how this can be an issue for those with mental illness and other issues. The church needs to be rising up and helping (whether it’s just being there for them or holding them accountable when the situation calls for it) those who are coming to them for help. Church should not be a place where people feel alone, unloved, or invisible because of their health. Mental or physical. Jesus did not reject those who needed His help. He came to them, or even just stopped for a moment to help them. It reminds me of the woman who knew if she just touched the hem of His garment, she would be healed. Jesus didn’t push her away, He blessed her. He told her to have courage and that her faith saved her. The church should not be pushing people away when they need help just because they don’t know how to help, and if it’s just a lack of willingness, then there are some serious flaws there. We, as a church, should be embracing those who need our help, just as Jesus has done for us in our hours of need. I think whether or not you consider everything in this book mental illness, the point remains the same: there are people in our Body who need help beyond the (in my opinion, unhelpful) “you need to pray more”, or the “you need to have more faith” answers. I didn’t mean to get off on a tangent with this review. It’s just something that is close to my heart. I’ve got to meet Chris at a few conferences and I know that this is a message that’s important to him. I think it should be important to all believers as well. How can we function as a unified Body of Christ if we can’t help each other in our time of need? I hope you all pick up a copy of this book and read it. I think your eyes will be open to those in our Body who are in need of help, and maybe this book will help you understand how to help them better. I received a copy of this book from Chris Morris via Celebrate Lit and was under no obligation to post a positive review. All these thoughts are my own.”

Patti Pierce

Created almost 5 years ago

“Whispers in the Pew examines how faith and unresolved pain can collide. Chris Morris captures stories of what other people have gone through. Mental illness has a way of plaguing people and often I feel the church lacks in its response to those individuals. Individuals suffer from immeasurable pain that requires care and compassion rather than judgment. The stories opened my eyes and my heart. Truly this is a book that every Christian should read. Often I know we try to mask our pain by pretending we are happy. This book captures those feeling and more. So if you are looking for a book that does an excellent job of examing the church and its response to mental illness and pain check out this book for yourself. I received a copy of this book for my fair and honest review.”