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Blame It on the Brain?: Distinguishing Chemical Imbalances, Brain Disorders, and Disobedience (Resources for Changing Lives)

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This book by Welch is divided into two major sections. In Part One: Biblical Foundations, Welch begins by asking several questions regarding human behavior in a number of different areas which he will cover later in the book. Here it seems that his main objective is to get the mind of his readers to contemplate questions about subjects that may be new or unfamiliar to them. He does a good job of avoiding any difficulties which might have arisen from the rather technical nature of some of the subjects by asserting that, "What is needed is not necessarily more sophistication in understanding the brain. Instead, what is needed is a more in-depth and practical examination of Scripture that is relevant to these questions" (p. 19-20). In this chapter, he remains resolute in affirming the supreme authority of God's Word in understanding and applying the deluge of information which our secular society is bent on giving us. The rest of this opening section is spent with the following two chapters discussing the relation between the human mind and body. He leads the reader through some of the high points in this discussion, giving a general overview of the secular positions regarding the mind/body relation, as well as surveying the relevant Biblical passages which speak to the issue. Particularly helpful here is his emphasis on the fragile, yet integral, relationship which exists between the mind and the body. As he says, "Heart and body are both two and one. They are two in that the body cannot be reduced to heart or spirit, and heart cannot be reduced to body. But they are mutually independent. They need each other. Human life cannot even be imagined without both the inner and the outer person" (p. 47).
In Part Two: Brain Problems Seen Through the Lens of Scripture, Welch seeks to give some practical application of the principles gleaned from Scripture in the previous section. This latter portion of the book is neatly divided into three subsections. In chapters 4 and 5, we read about legitimate brain dysfunctions which are the result of Alzheimer's disease (and dementia) or serious head injury stemming from an accident. Here, Welch wants the reader to understand that there are indeed cases where the brain can suffer illness or injury to the extent that the behavior and mental capacity of the individual will be directly affected. He is quick to point out that though these conditions may harm the outer man, they do not necessarily mean that the inner man will also begin to dissipate. In chapters 7 and 8, we read about psychiatric problems such as depression and attention deficit disorder (ADD) which may or may not be the result of the brain's alleged deficiencies. Here, Welch seems to indicate that though there may be some relation between the aforementioned psychiatric problems and the activity of the brain, we ought to exercise caution when attempting to ascertain a solution to the given problem. He is also quick to point out that the depression or ADD may be the result of a spiritual problem and that the care of the individual and their relation to God ought to factor in the treatment every bit as much as medicinal treatments. In chapters 9 and 10 we read about two areas of human behavior which the brain is often held responsible for...homosexuality and alcoholism. In both cases, Welch is insistent that the brain cannot the cause of one's sinful behavior. As he says so plainly, "The ultimate cause of sin is always the human heart" (p. 169, emphasis added). He argues that when these behaviors are seen as proceeding directly from the brain's activity, then the connection that exists between human beings as morally accountable agents and a holy and righteous God is severed. What needs to take place is repentance from such sinful behavior in light of the promise of God's gracious provision of forgiveness which can be found in Jesus Christ. Though these sins present particularly strong forms of bondage, God's mercy can break even their stronghold.

Dr. Welch has a Ph.D. in psychology as well as theology degrees, and has been a counselor for years. His doctoral work was on brain physiology, so Blame it on the Brain is the fruit of 20 years of reflection on the subject.

Welch wonders if the brain "has been given too much credit" (p. 12). Many have held the brain responsible for some bad behavior: "My disease did it!" (p. 13). While the observations of the rapidly expanding field of brain sciences can be very helpful, when interpreted through a biblical lens they can be put in a more modest and helpful perspective. How do these discoveries illustrate biblical truths that can be applied to people's lives? Instead, too often sin problems are mislabeled as solely brain problems, and thus the true cause is left unaddressed (p. 25).

Four very practical principles emerge from this approach to mind-body issues: 1. The brain cannot by itself `make' a person sin (pp.49f.). 2. Each person's abilities (brain strengths and weaknesses) are unique (pp.53f.). 3. Brain problems can expose heart problems (pp.56f.). 4. Sinful hearts can lead to physical illness; upright hearts can contribute to good health (pp.58f.).

In part two of the book these principles are then concisely but thoughtfully applied to a series of examples. First are apparently physical issues: Alzheimer's disease (pp. 67f.) and head injury (pp.85f.). Next are more psychiatric issues: depression (pp.115f.), "A.D.D." (pp. 131f.), homosexuality (pp.151f.), and alcoholism (pp. 183f.).

Welch's treatments of these problems abound with practical, sensitive insight. In the process he clearly defines the deeper issues at stake: what is the soul?; what is the body?; what is sin?

For me, a crucial component of the book is the section on the mind-body relationships, especially pp. 43-48. Welch is careful to distinguish the heart from the body, but without separating them. Drawing upon rich Trinitarian analogies, he is careful to outline a model that seeks not to over-emphasize either the duality or the unity. This understanding enables us to try to distinguish between sin and sickness. As Welch ably define sit: "any behavior that does not conform to biblical commands or any behavior that transgresses biblical prohibitions proceeds form the heart and is sin" (p. 43). Conversely, "any behavior that is more accurately called a weakness proceeds form the body and is sickness or suffering" (p. 44). We are to repent of sin. But things that reflect only our creaturely limitations are not immoral, but proceed from our fallen bodies.

The example Welch uses of hallucinations is illustrative. The Bible does not prohibit them, so we can not admonish someone for experiencing them. We are called to compassion for them. The hallucination may have been caused by a prior sinful choice, and the hallucinatory may respond to them with sin, but the hallucination itself is not sinful. A helpful chart on p. 45 lists out some examples of body problems (broken bones, mental retardation, feelings of depression, hallucinations) and heart (mind) problems (anger, pride, drunkenness). Of course, many problems involve both the body and the heart or mind, and in unequal and obscured proportions. How do we separate out the differences? And why is it helpful to try?

Each summer during high school and college I worked in a nursing home. The changes I witnessed in particular residents after being away from them for almost a year were often shocking and tragic. I think of a seemingly kind and affable man named D., who in a few months seemed to transform into an unrecognizably profane and lewd bore. Welch demonstrates convincingly that such brain or body problems as D.'s Alzheimer's can expose what is in the heart. The brain appears to have led the person into bad behavior, when it is more accurate to say that the brain problem allowed certain otherwise hidden parts of their heart to be uncovered. Welch contends, "In some case brain problems function like truth serum for the heart" (p. 58).

Welch's treatment of the subject is fairly comprehensive but far from exhaustive. Questions of application remain. If meds can only, at their best, address the body issues and not the heart, how do we know which needs addressing? Welch addresses this in a wise, but frustratingly brief section in pp. 125-127. Adopting Welch's guidelines is easy enough, but applying them to real life situations, I know from experience, is another matter. What about the person who meets some but not all of the criteria listed on p. 127 (they are over forty; have had no prior history of problems with depression; are taking prescription drugs, etc.)? This is not a flaw in Welch's treatment of the topic, just a limitation of its brief explication here.

I have known a person, for example, who had his first bout with depression at age 62. But it was extremely serious. He became despondent and delusional and was checked into a residential treatment facility. His case meets the first of the two criteria listed by Welch, but not the last two. Clearly, his depression was triggered by some circumstances in his life (some the direct result of some horrible choices, others not). Yet, just as clearly it seems that the depression, while largely originating from his sinful behavior, now had a physical component. His medications, while wrought with multiple serious side effects, did seem to successfully contribute to his ability to function. Yet, if I were given a decision making role in his `treatment,' I would want to somehow know: were the drugs really helpful, or was it their placebo effect? And if they did reduce his anxiety, is that all necessarily good? Did he not need discomfort to drive him to make changes in his absolutely horrendous behavior? And if so, how much and what type of discomfort?

Anyway, Welch's book wrestles with some deep issues and presents them in a lucid and readable format.

As someone who has first hand experience with brain injury, depression, ADD and most other ailments he discusses except alcohol and homosexuality, I read Welch's work as an experienced and mature Christian man. I have a fundamentalist conviction of the importance of Biblical principles in living a victorious Christian life. I am not a believer in medications as the primary solution.

Welch's books are too formulaic. He writes like he is writing an academic thesis or dissertation. Welch has more information than understanding. He tells the reader what he knows with theoretical solutions to the problems he addresses. He rarely takes the information to a realistic and practical solution. He acts like he is trying to convince himself that the psychological approaches that he has studied extensively are deficient and he is still discovering the Biblical truths. Yet, he does this from a mainly psychological approach. It is like he is trying to show how to be a believer in psychology but still hold to Christian beliefs.

He starts with too much secular discussion of mind-body philosophy. All this does is show how academic Welch is. This is a research project, not an expose' of understanding.

Welch treats each affliction from a theoretical standpoint. His approach to ADD is obviously without experience with ADD patients. Otherwise, he would explain how difficult it is to force feed spiritual growth to a young person, let alone a young person with ADD or even a mature adult.
Except for the 'miracle' cases that he has found to relate, I doubt that his therapies have had much long term success with patients with serious afflictions.

He does not have a sound understanding of brain physiology. His references to medications are poor and without any substantive support. He speaks against drugs but then says they are acceptable. What he misses is the fact that drugs are grossly over-prescribed because they are prescribed by pediatricians, general practitioners, internists, and OB-Gyn's. If he wants to be true to his anti-drug stance, he should be strongly advising the reader to seek medical help from a psychiatrist before taking any psycho-active drugs. He mentions imaging the tangles of Alzheimer's but fails to note that his previous comment was about a post mortem electron microscope analysis. He neglects to mention the value of VEP, AEP, qEEG in diagnosing many brain issues. He overlooks the fact that most mild traumatic brain injuries are not imaginable with any technology. These MTBI's may be highly symptomatic in the memory and cognitive areas. Maybe his idea is that these injuries are spiritual only.

His chapters on Alzheimer's and brain injury are strongly lacking. Again most likely because he has limited experience with both and is writing from a research perspective. He understanding of cognitive impairment is again academic, not experiential or realistic. He imputes abilities into the mind of the afflicted that go beyond Biblical or scientific basis. His basic mind set is seriously similar to a secularly trained psychology practitioner.

He states on page 53, "If you can communicate the love of Jesus in language that a young child can understand, then you will be able to communicate the Gospel meaningfully to severely brain injured people." He misses the Biblical truth that unless the Holy Spirit is doing a miraculous work in the brain injured person, no level of communication will impact the patient with the Gospel message.

Brain injury does not necessarily limit the brain injured to juvenile communication levels. It may cause a variety of auditory and visual processing dysfunctions. Many brain injured have very high intellects that are still intact. They may be unable to receive and process verbal or visual information or process sentences that are complex with a variety of ideas.

For example, with my injured brain, you can try to give me multiple bits of information and I will be unable to understand it. But, if I have access to the information at my pace, I can arrange the information to my brain's needs and eventually arrive at a very complex understanding.

My visual and auditory memory is extremely dysfunctional (bottom 5 to 12 percentile) but yet, my very high intellect is fully functional (top 2 percentile). Information has to be provided to me in a way that I can process it, not how the average person or even young person may process it.

I need to avoid sin by being disciplined to take proper care of my injured brain with nutrition and sleep, etc. and avoid situations where my injured brain might 'misbehave.' The sin is exposing my brain to environments where it might misbehave, not necessarily the specific act of 'misbehaving' It is no different than someone who struggles with alcohol having to stay away from situations where he might fail and become drunk. Becoming drunk may be a sin but so too is the failure to protect himself from the environment where the failure is likely. God's grace is great but we are not to challenge His grace by exposing ourselves to risks of sin.

Welch states it as if proper spiritual maturity protects us from the future failures (sin.) He does not offer a sound scriptural support for this claim. Paul was continually challenged by his 'affliction.' He was not protected from it. He had to continually make proper choices regarding this affliction.

Welch states on page 95, "There are, however, many individuals who never have any kind of job. Sometimes this is a result of severe cognitive deficits, but usually it is the result of cognitive deficits that are overlaid with past spiritual issues, denial, unrealistic appraisal of handicaps, fear of failure, unwillingness to take a lower position, and simply laziness." Again, Welch has imputed to the injured person psychological and spiritual weaknesses without any foundation.

He would probably call me lazy or unrealistic. I can still do magnificent work but do not know when I might have a lapse of cognitive awareness and cut off a finger (done that), miss an important step (done that in a life critical situation), or drift across the centerline into oncoming traffic (done that many times, fortunately with God's grace, I have never caused an accident). I no longer drive on busy public roads. It can be acceptable for me to take these risks when it is only my body or property at risk, if I take the proper precautions. I believe it is reckless to the point of sinful to take these risks when others can be at risk.

A serious issue that he neglects to mention except for a single off-hand sentence is nutrition and physical health. It is widely known that treatable hormonal imbalances, blood sugar irregularities, toxic food substances (aspartame, MSG, sucralose, food dyes), allergic substances can all play an important part in mental health. His over emphasis on spiritual causation sounds eerily like a Christian Scientist's doctrine. God has ordained medical doctors and other physicians to help us. God has instructed us to seek a multitude of counsel.

This book may be acceptable for someone who is entering into a position where these issues may arise. It would be wrong for that person to not continue to seek more complete understanding of these issues. I believe this book and the counseling training that utilizes these ideas is just a start to understanding. The many hypothetical comments need serious further investigation. It should not be a license to practice these concepts, as I am certain it can put the client as serious risk of misapplication. To me, it is more like this book is written to fill a niche in the publishing markets, not to properly and fully address such needs.

A thought-provoking, thoughtful & educated look at brain influences on behavior.

Welch's experience in neuropsychology and theology make this book useful to one interested in the challenge of making sense of recent research on brain influences. His easy to read and personal style make what could be ponderous and stuffy into an enjoyable, challenging experience.

Dr. Welch has provided the reader with a clear yet informed book on real and possible influences of the brain on behavior. He also takes a realistic look at behavior which is not caused by the brain. His expertise in neuropsychology is clearly an asset to this work.

The heartbeat of this book seems to be on pg. 23 when Dr. Welch says that "we do not use God's Word to control the interpretation of neuroscientific data." The rest of the book is a sad illustration of trying to fit a square peg into a round hole.

As a born again, Biblical Christian, I have come to understand that no one is immune from the conditions of the Fall. I know other Christians who have acquired PTSD upon returning home from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, ex-members of destructive cults and mind control groups who have acquired Post Cult Trauma, and pre-adolescent children of divorced parents who suffer from depression, anxiety, and anxiety attacks. Again, I am referring to growing Christians who love the Lord and obey His Word. As such, no one can say that they brought about their own mental sufferings because of sin or disobedience. Thus, you would think that a book like this would clarify and remove any doubt when a Christian seeks a fellow Christian psychologist or psychiatrist who highly recommends Biblical counseling in addition to psychotropic medication. It does not.

First of all, Christians must accept the fact that psychology and psychiatry are sciences ordained by the Lord which He also uses to glorify Himself. Period. That some things wrought forth through these sciences are erroneous and absolutely irrelevant to a Christian walk is a fact as old as the Fallen state of Man. That calls for us to exercise biblical discernment and wisdom. Furthermore, Man has corrupted everything he has gotten his hands on and the psychological sciences are definitely no exception. Saddly, even the pulpit has been corrupted so no one can weep in it's defense. However, the brain is still an organ that gets sick and requires medicine. There is no basis for the hysteria and false promise raised by this book and others like it.

That the brain is the seat of the soul is a mysterious and Biblical fact that even Dr. Welch fails to differentiate on pgs. 28-31 behind the theories of neither, Dualism's dual animistic hypothesis and interactionism conclusions, nor Monoism's dualistic and unclearly defined conclusions. If you got more confused by all that intellectual jargon like I was, that's normal. He is forced to quench the unnecessary panic he originally raised by saying, "Given these facts, is there anything left for the soul? It seems not." (pg. 31).

Moreover, Dr. Welch suggests that psychotic episodes of Alzheimer's Disease, Schizophrenia, and Bipolar Disorder are the "purging" effect of exposing previously planted and unconfessed sin in a Christian's heart. That is just plain stupid. These mental illnesses are among the many others that CAUSE uncontrollable delusions, hallucinations, and many other evil manifestations, not REVEAL them. These unfortunate mental diseases EXACERBATE Man's sinful disposition, not CREATE it. Dr. Welch fails to realize that Satan walks about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour, and that would make the mentally weak especially vulnerable and unable to resist him (1 Peter 5:8-9). Observe Paul's CONTINUOS struggle between his righteous spirit and his evil flesh (Romans 7:13-25).

Two of the most theologically disturbing and hermeneutically questionable statements in this book are are found on pages 52 and 137. First, Dr. Welch describes a man with an advanced state of Kosakov's Syndrome, a severe brain impairment that leaves its victims with no ongoing memory, apparently conscious enough to kneel and take the Roman Catholic Sacrament of Communion in his mouth during Mass. Roman Catholicism is as much an anti-Christ, anti-Bible, and evil religion as Mormonism or Jehovah's Witnesses. To proclaim that God would empower a born again child of His to consciously accept a pagan sacrifice is contrary to the Holy nature of God and His Scriptures, the "lens" Dr. Welch is using as the plumb line of Truth. Second, Dr. Welch states that a child hitting another child because the other child is playing with his toy "is clearly a spiritual problem." What!? Children cannot comprehend the desires of our fallen nature until they've arrived at the age of reason, typically age 7. It is unbiblical to accuse a child of conscious spiritual disobedience while he is learning to establish healthy boundaries.

In conclusion, this book goes full circle into suggesting that there is a Biblical interpretation to the neuroscientific data produced by the multi-faceted science of psychology, and then not. I can't remember too many books with a question mark in the title. And when they have one, they not only set out to answer the question, they actually answer it. Dr. Welch confesses that only homosexuality CAN be blamed on the brain under certain conditions. Without ANY objective support to the contrary, every other psychological problem on the cover CAN also be blamed on the brain.

God transcends His Word and we must never forget that Job's hopeless defense of his righteousness preceedes the promising book of Psalms. That is why we must step out in faith by prayer, according to the promptings of the Holy Spirit on our hearts, and the direction contained in His Word, to upkeep our bodies, the living temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 3:16-17) and if the Lord wills it to heal and recover His temple through psychiatric medication so be it. God works His purposes through talking donkeys (Numbers 22), ignorant counsel (Job's friends), and even faithful obedience (Job himself). It is impossible for any human to contain the crystal clear exercise of God's sovereingty over all creation, including the mysterious unity of the brain and the spirit, and the way in which He works through this fallen world to accomplish His will for that unity. This book ultimately proves it.

Edward T Welch's book, Blame it on the Brain (P&R Publishers, 1998), is written in laymen's terms as a guide to understanding, differentiating, and addressing a wide variety of human behaviors and conditions. While popular anthropological psychology has lumped these diverse issues--everything from Alzheimer's disease to brain injuries, depression, homosexuality, and even chemical addictions--into the singular category of physical "brain conditions;" Welch attempts to lay out basic scientific evidence concerning these diverse conditions and offer a systematic approach to addressing their implications, not just understanding their scope.

Most helpful was his oft employed diagram that first distinguishes between spiritual and physical symptoms and then offers suggestions for addressing each respectively. Particularly, I appreciated his emphasis on "maximizing the strengths" of individuals struggling with the various conditions.

On the surface, Welch's model appears to offer a variety of endorsed treatment options, whether the condition is a brain injury, severe depression, or ADD. And yet, in practice--if his case studies are any indication--Welch finds the singular solution to everything in "basic biblical principles" (99), including scripture reading (82, 146) and prayer (81, 127), together with some form of one-on-one interaction (81, 99).

For example, in his case study about ADD, a highly distracted (debilitatingly so) father is helped--one might say "cured" based on the description by Welch--of his inability to focus, first, by providing him structure in reading the Bible; second, by enlisting help from a contractor (to help with the incomplete house projects); and third, establishing goals for his marriage, family, life, etc. (146-147). In the case of the extremely depressed Susan, the root of her issue was sin. Only after a season of prayer and confession did she find relief (127-129). Welch concludes, "Sometimes during that search [for a cause], spiritual problems will emerge that actually have caused the depression (129).

By comparison, Welch gives lip service to the idea that depression may have a cause other than behavioral choice or disobedience. He writes, "Of course, not all depression has a spiritual cause. My own observation is that a large percentage of it does, but don't let that cause you to think that all depression is caused by spiritual problems" (129). Sadly, Welch doesn't off any advice for such cases, short of our continuing "to encourage the person in faith and hope" (129).

While Welch also seems willing to grant that physical issues may affect body and mind, he is largely suspect of using medicine to treat these conditions. In fact, the extent of his positive comments concerning medication is summed up in this remark: "Yes, medicine can alleviate some symptoms in some people." But then he is quick to point out, in rather extreme language, this "doesn't mean that you should immediately refer half the people in your church to the neighborhood psychiatrist for Prozac" (108). This is because, a) medication is not effective with everyone; b) many people will have adverse side effects; c) there are potential long-term side effects associated with many drugs; d) multiple medication increases risks of side effects; and d) there is a growing census that we are being overmedicated (108-109).

And as if to conclusively dismiss medicine as a reasonable treatment, Welch asks, "What exactly does medication help?" (109) His answer is to show what it doesn't help. He then goes on to write, "The brain is simply too complex and is sustained by too many chemicals for us to be able to pinpoint chemical imbalances with our current level of knowledge. The most we can reliably say is that psychiatric medication may minimize some symptoms, but it is not necessarily treating a chemical deficiency" (110).

The absence of full understanding never discounts the validity of partial truth. Imagine a physics teacher instructing his class, "Don't worry about the effects of gravity because the field of quantum mechanics is simply too complex to be able to pinpoint the singular natural phenomenon of objective mass attraction." Welch's logic is faulty at best, and misleading at the worst.

Welch often discounts--and usually dismisses--the great benefit medication can have in many, many situations. For individuals with the recurrent propensity for extreme procrastination (a form of ADHD), medication can help offset a low uptake of normal adrenaline. Other causes of ADHD have been linked to breakdown in the myelin sheath that insulates neurons--a condition often addressed by medication. Tenex, a antihypertensive, is effect in the case of "ADHD with impulsivity" as it regulates levels of the neurotransmitter norepinephrine.

And in the case of depression, the debilitating abuse or neglect that some people have suffered deeply augments their sensory or intuitive processes, driving them into recurrent, patterns of being cyclically overwhelmed and/or withdrawn. In cases where Welch's basic treatments have proven insufficient, the introduction of antidepressants has often been extremely beneficial to the recipient.

In summary, Blame it on the Brain offers a basic introduction to a model of relational engagement, for understanding and assisting with various medical, mental, and spiritual conditions. As the subtitle says, the book is a primer on "distinguishing chemical imbalances, brain disorders, and disobedience." However, this introduction comes from a very one-sided approach--a fact that readers should not readily dismiss, at the risk of assuming too much, and causing more harm than help.

This is a relatively concise look from a Christian perspective on how much of psychology's disorders/diseases we can blame on the brain. It begins with a look at theology and what the Bible teaches, and then proceeds on to how this affects various issues like homosexuality, alcoholism, ADD, mental illnesses, etc. This is meant as an overview to teach the reader how to assess these things for themselves, rather than as a thorough in-depth look at anything that can be "blamed on the brain."

In short, the author's opinion is that sin is sin. While depression may make it more difficult not to sin in certain areas, it does not *make* one sin. He emphasizes the importance of separating the physical problems from the spiritual problems, and calling for repentance and providing encouragement for the spiritual problems. It is no compassion that excuses someone's sin and doesn't point them to repentance and a better way. But, he does emphasize understanding for other people's weaknesses. He very much emphasizes the importance of distinguishing between sin (things clearly against the Bible's teaching) and weaknesses or traits that we find undesirable. For instance, auditory hallucinations are not a sin, but if one's response to them is to yell profanity, then that behavior is a sin that should be addressed. And if the cause of the hallucinations is an abuse of illegal drugs, that's another sin to address.

He also makes the point that mental/emotional problems can have both physical and spiritual causes. Many are entirely spiritual, some are both, and some are solely physical. Whatever the condition it is never inappropriate to address someone's struggles with what the word of God has to say.

The author's ultimate point is that the basis of all truth is the Word of God. Anything that contradicts God's Word (as much of modern psychology/psychiatry does) is in error. Some who want to say that the Bible is for spiritual things and science for scientific things, and who would consider the Bible a secondary resource (or less) in their counseling, will not care for this book, but I enjoyed it. The style is very easy to read, and the book went by rather quickly. All in all, I thought it a good read, though a bit more depth/length would have been appreciated.

This book is very well written and it gives the reader a lot to digest. I would not call it an easy read but it is very much worth your time as it dispells many of the excuses and just out right lies being fed to us by society with the help of the medical profession. The most outstanding feature was the fact that the book exposes sin as just that and nothing more, something few people are willing to do these days.

Welch deals with this topic biblically and compassionately. He does not simply dismiss the influence of physical health on spiritual problems, but rather gives clear direction on how one can distinguish the two while recommending treatment for both.