Light on the Fringe: Finding Hope in the Darkness of Depression

"Light on the Fringe: Finding Hope in the Darkness of Depression" addresses the difficulty that many depressed Christians often have in understanding their experience from the perspective of their faith. They feel ashamed that they are depressed because they believe that it means they are failures to God, and that God can no longer use them as servants for His kingdom. They feel that they are worthless and totally inadequate believers who have let God down. To them, "good Christians" are always happy and content, absent of any major emotional struggles. This volume dispels such non-biblical notions, and opens the reader's eyes to the fact that God views His followers who are contending with depression much differently than they view themselves. It reveals the truth that, in some of His most redemptive acts in history, God mightily used servants who were experiencing depression, sometimes severe, even suicidal, depression. His responses to each of them provide dramatic lessons in contrast to what many Christians typically believe. Along the way, this book also places our emotional life (including the hard experiences) within the context of the divine image and therefore provides the grounds for exposing the false stereotypes of depression and the debilitating concepts of God. With this framework, the authors lay out, not only the psychological and biological underpinings of depression, but also the biblical teachings about them. In other words, they integrate a sound theology with a professional assessment of the psychological dynamics of depression to answer the question: What if depression has a good purpose in God's plan? Here is a book that goes beyond finding a cure to demonstrate the positive results an experience with depression can have when we look for God's purpose in it. Since depression is a matter of the whole person, nothing is left untouched. Our spiritual life, our emotional life, and our physical life are all at stake. Readers are challenged then to see the gracious, loving, and merciful character of God in a new, far more transforming way, so that their faith may become a source of healing, not a source of further anguish. This is the life changing foundation for finding hope and purpose within their depression.

Gary H. Lovejoy, Ph.D., spent over 30 years conducting his private counseling practice where he has extensive experience serving individuals, couples, and families. He continues an active practice with Valley View Counseling Services, LLC in Portland, Oregon. Dr. Lovejoy was a professor of both psychology and religion at Mt. Hood Community College for 32 years. He earned a master's degree in religious education from Fuller Theological Seminary as well as a master's in psychology at California State University, Los Angeles, and completed his doctorate in psychology while attending the United States International University. Dr. Lovejoy has conducted numerous seminars on depression and been the keynote speaker at many family camps, couple's retreats and college conferences. Dr. Lovejoy and his wife, Sue, have two adult children. Gregory Knopf, M.D. has been a family practice physician for 30 years and is the founder and medical director of the Gresham-Troutdale Family Medical Center. He is a graduate and Clinical Associate Professor of Family Medicine at Oregon Health Sciences University. Dr. Knopf is board certified in family medicine, but has a special interest in the treatment of anxiety and depression. He speaks across the country on these topics, principally for professional audiences and for churches, and for the general public as well. He has been involved in clinical research and is a member of the national primary care advisory board for Wyeth Pharmaceuticals. He enjoys tennis, gardening, and is on the leadership team of Radiant Church of Gresham, Oregon. Dr. Knopf and his wife, Bonnie, live on a 26 acre farm and have adult children.