Category Archives: Controversies

Need Project podcast spotlights Key Ministry, hidden disabilities

In my conversation with Bob, we discussed the state of mental health care in the U.S., explored the reasons why kids with mental illness aren’t typically served in the context of existing disability ministries, examined some of the struggles churches experience in serving those with hidden disabilities and shared strategies some churches are utilizing to reach families impacted by disabilities lacking meaningful involvement with a local church. Continue reading

Posted in Advocacy, Controversies, Hidden Disabilities, Inclusion, Key Ministry, Resources, Training Events | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Ed Stetzer is dead-on about mental illness and Christians…now what?

Sadly, I can’t help but conclude that in our desire as church to avoid the influence of anti-Biblical worldviews foundational to some treatment orientations employed in the mental health community and worldviews held by the vast preponderance of mental health practitioners…we’ve forgotten to love the people experiencing mental illness and contributed to needless suffering by millions of Christ followers and their families.
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Posted in Advocacy, Controversies, Hidden Disabilities, Inclusion, Key Ministry, Mental Health | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

Observations from a Christian Psychiatrist…Elliot Rodger and the Santa Barbara Killings

We know that vulnerable kids experience enormous harm from harsh words and bullying, and our schools and institutions have appropriately taken steps to protect them. But what about protecting vulnerable kids from the impact of the highly sexualized culture in which we live? I’ve treated a number of kids in recent years who exhibit the effects of trauma resulting from exposure to sexual material or situations fairly common to daily life.
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Posted in Advocacy, Anxiety Disorders, Autism, Controversies, Hidden Disabilities, Key Ministry, Mental Health | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Thinking differently about kids and mental illness…

One of the challenges in understanding the epidemic of mental illness in kids is that conditions such as anxiety disorders and ADHD may be disabling in some environments, but not others. Continue reading

Posted in ADHD, Anxiety Disorders, Autism, Controversies, Hidden Disabilities, Key Ministry, Mental Health | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Why are so many parents open to ADHD medication for their kids?

The end result is that the consequences of a lack of success in our educational system can be dire, and if we conceptualize kids having to pass through an ever-increasing number of “round holes” in our schools, the desperation of parents to get their “square peg” through those round holes is mounting. The end result is that parents pursue medication, tutoring, alternative schools and other approaches for their kids who struggle academically because they fear the long-term consequences associated with academic underachievement. Continue reading

Posted in ADHD, Advocacy, Controversies, Key Ministry | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Updated…Why your kid’s Concerta hasn’t been working lately

Based on an analysis of data, FDA has concerns about whether or not two approved generic versions of Concerta tablets (methylphenidate hydrochloride extended-release tablets), used to treat attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder in adults and children, are therapeutically equivalent to the brand-name drug. Continue reading

Posted in ADHD, Controversies, Mental Health | Tagged , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Is mental illness a disability?

Why wouldn’t we expect people with the most common cause of disability in the U.S. to be served by our existing disability ministries? My colleague is absolutely right…they’re NOT. Why not? Is that a good thing or a bad thing? Continue reading

Posted in Adoption, Controversies, Hidden Disabilities, Mental Health | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Drug company marketing ISN’T the cause of the ADHD epidemic

Is the ADHD epidemic really a product of drug company marketing, or is it a result of our culture and our educational system imposing expectations upon a large segment of our child and teen population that they’re not developmentally prepared to meet? Continue reading

Posted in ADHD, Advocacy, Controversies, Families, Key Ministry | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Hu Auburn on Kingdom Theology…Faces of the Movement

Kingdom Theology has to do with why we do the things we do. Whether we consider this something that is simply interesting or something that is crucial all depends on how we view the importance of our motives and intentions. Thus, I would like to begin by thinking with you about matters of motivation, and then think more about how Kingdom Theology shapes those motives. Continue reading

Posted in Controversies, Spiritual Development | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment