Finding Jesus in the Storm: The Spiritual Lives of Christians with Mental Health Challenges, by John Swinton. Eerdmans, 2020, 245 pages, paper, $27.99.

In recent years, mental health has become an extremely popular topic. It is, of course, a very important one. No one wants to be mentally unhealthy. We all want mental well-being, psychological stability, and clear thinking. At the same time, since we live in a fallen world, we know that people face serious and severe mental health issues. Mental health difficulties affect all sorts of people—Christians, non-Christians, men, women, younger people, older folks, and people of all different ethnicities. If you have struggled with mental health challenges or know someone who does, you know how dreadful they can be. It is nothing to joke about or take lightly. Sadly, Christians do not always respond to mental health challenges with wisdom and love. Sadly, sometimes mental health issues are even stigmatized in some Christian circles.

Thankfully, there are helpful resources for Christians struggling with mental health issues or supporting people with such issues. One of the best resources on this topic I have read is Finding Jesus in the Storm (FJS) by John Swinton. Swinton spent over fifteen years as a nurse in a mental health clinic before obtaining a PhD in theology from Aberdeen University. He has spent much of his adult life ministering to people with mental health challenges and has also written various helpful Christian books and articles on topics such as dementia, disability, medication, dying, and other similar topics. In FJS Swinton looks into depression, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder. More specifically, this book is about Christians who suffer from those mental health challenges. What is it like to follow Jesus while seriously depressed? How can a bipolar Christian serve Christ faithfully? How does schizophrenia affect a Christian’s walk with the Lord? Swinton masterfully tackles those types of questions in FJS.

This book has five main parts. The first part is “The Art of Description.” This section is where Swinton talks about the various labels people use for mental health challenges. Sometimes descriptions such as “bipolar disorder” or “schizophrenia” are very unhelpful. All too often, Swinton argues, these descriptions are “thin.” For example, if you have been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, a thin description means you are stigmatized, labeled, dehumanized, and misunderstood. Although descriptions are not bad in themselves, we need to have “thick” descriptions. That is, we need to understand that labels in and of themselves do not tell us all we need to know about the person and his or her mental challenge. There are many aspects and layers to mental health issues that defy a brief definition. I appreciate how Swinton interacted with the DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) in this section. He did explain how the DSM can be helpful, but it is not a be-all-end-all resource for mental health issues. “If we assume that it [the DSM] is adequate for understanding, then we have a problem” (41). Someone may have a mental health challenge and label, but that challenge and label should not define the person.

“Redescribing Diagnosis” is the title of the second section of FJS. It is a short section that gives more information about labels and descriptions for mental challenges. It also gives a short story about someone with bipolar disorder who struggled with the label. The story is helpful for readers to understand what it is like to be labeled with a mental health term. It is a very difficult reality for some Christians!

The third part of FJS covers the topic of depression. This is an excellent overview of what depression is like. Depression is not merely sadness. It is “antifeeling.” Depression is not a simple thing. It has layers and various aspects. It is not just “the blues.” We cannot talk about depression as if it is a one-dimensional thing. It includes biological issues, social issues, spiritual issues, and other issues. And sometimes they are all mixed together. In this section of the book, Swinton also discusses the psalms of lament, joy, the silence of God, medication, and Christian meditation.

Swinton’s insights into medication are especially valuable. He has a balanced and nuanced approach. It’s not just “throw medicine at depression.” But it is also not a biblicistic response: “Your depression is because of sin. Medication is just a band-aid.” Swinton wisely says that if medication “aids in the process of communing with God and the enjoyment of God, it may be functioning faithfully” (107). That is the “chief end of medication” (107).

Schizophrenia is the topic of the fourth section of FJS. This is an especially important chapter because Swinton explains what psychosis is like, including when a person hears voices. This part of the book was very informative for me. Typically, we may react poorly when we hear someone say they hear voices when they are in a difficult mental state. It is hard for most people to understand what it is like to hear voices. But hearing different stories about this and learning from Swinton’s insights have given me some important things to think about when it comes to schizophrenia. If you know someone with schizophrenia, this part of FJS will be a valuable resource for you in understanding it from a Christian perspective. And yes, sometimes solid Christians struggle with psychosis and schizophrenia. Swinton understands this and discusses it with a pastoral emphasis.

The fifth part of Finding Jesus in the Storm is all about what it is like to live with bipolar disorder. Swinton specifically explains the suffering involved in bipolar disorder. It is a “strange kind of loneliness,” as the title of chapter 8 suggests. Swinton does an excellent job in his discussion of the spirituality of bipolar disorder—the highs and lows, the shame and regret, the distress and disruption of life involved in it. There is also a level-headed examination of spiritual warfare and the demonic realm in this section of the book.

The conclusion of FJS is called “Redescribing Healing.” It is a short section, but it is helpful. Swinton talks about relational healing, theological healing, cultural healing, liturgical healing, and other aspects of healing mental health challenges. I was happy to see a list of websites and resources for people to learn more about various mental health challenges. In fact, I have been listening to a helpful podcast from a website Swinton recommended.

All in all, I believe Finding Jesus in the Storm is one of the best Christian books on mental challenges such as bipolar disorder, depression, and schizophrenia. Swinton wonderfully weaves in stories of Christians he knows who face these challenges and helps the reader understand what it is like to live with such difficult challenges. I learned so much about mental health from FJS. It has helped me understand mental health challenges more than anything else I have read. This book has helped in my sermon application, counseling, and thinking about discipleship. I believe this would be a good book for pastors and elders to utilize in their local shepherding situations. It will keep them from stigmatizing or mistreating those with mental health challenges, and at the same time give them a deeper understanding of common mental health issues.

I also enjoyed Swinton’s pastoral tone throughout the book; it was a tone of love and understanding. Certainly, individual Christians and Christian churches need more love and understanding when ministering to those with mental health challenges. And for you Christians who live with serious mental health challenges, know that other Christians are facing the same challenges. Also, know that other Christians do care! Be patient with other believers as we try to walk with you following Jesus together. And best of all, Jesus himself will walk with you through the deep, dark shadows of each and every mental health challenge you may face. And one day, when you are enjoying Christ’s healing presence in glory, each and every mental health challenge you have had will be forever gone. Come, Lord Jesus, come quickly!

Shane Lems serves as pastor of Covenant Presbyterian Church (OPC) in Hammond, Wisconsin. Ordained Servant Online, October, 2025.