Madness: American Protestant Responses to Mental Illness. By Heather H. Vacek . Studies in Religion, Theology, and Disability. Waco, Texas: Baylor University Press, 2015. xii + 271 pp. $39.95 cloth (original) (raw)

This is a rich and fascinating text that covers more than three hundred years of Protestant Christian responses to mental illness, or "maladies," in the United States in order "to shed light to the present" (p. 6). Although it states "American" Protestantism, it is specifically Protestantism in the United States of America. Heather Vacek, a Moravian clergyperson and seminary professor, offers a detailed historical text like no other. Her work begins in the colonial era of the United States (1600s) and continues into the 20th century. Vacek meticulously covers the life, work, faith, contributions, and the historical context of five Protestant individuals as they address the suffering of persons with mental maladies: the Puritan clergyperson Cotton Mather (1663-1728), the Calvinist physician Benjamin Rush (1746-1813), the Unitarian advocate Dorothea Dix (1802-1887), the Presbyterian clergyperson Anton Boisen (1876-1965), and the Presbyterian psychiatrist Karl Menninger (1893-1990). Even though they differed in background, approach, and theology, "each responded to mental affliction with a sense of moral obligation and Christian duty, and all, implicitly or explicitly, claimed theological authority as they defined and addressed suffering" (p. 5). Vacek's unique contribution lifts up the tensions between faith and medicine throughout the centuries. There are many historical books that cover the medical care of people with mental illness throughout the history of the United States, which often mention the individuals above, but none focus deeply on their faith, theology, and contributions. Vacek particularly highlights the shift between the role of clergy and the role of medical professionals for understanding and treating physical and mental ailments. After covering a chapter on each of the five, with deep and wide strokes of their lives and contexts, Vacek looks at their contributions to the state of mental illness in 21st-century United States Protestantism. She notes that while the work of these five individuals to provide care for people with mental maladies yielded lasting results in many areas, their efforts "failed to refashion congregational practice, despite ongoing suffering" (p. 172). Fear and stigma of mental illness still exist in congregations. Therefore, she calls for congregations to restore the practice of Christian hospitality, which "seeks to enfold both guest and host into the life of the Triune God, as it does so through acts of welcome, compassion, incorporation, and patience" (p. 174). Vacek states by practicing Christian hospitality, Christian communities may respond to the suffering of people with mental illness (or even the suffering of people without mental illness) with faithfulness and care, and find creative ways to overcome fear and stigma. This book may be of interest for those who wrestle with the intersection of mental illness and religion and wonder how it came to be the way it is in the United States, or who think the issue has never been addressed by people of faith. It may also be of interest to those who appreciate the history of theological development and how that has evolved in present-day United States or for those who like history and historical context.