Encountering Silence
Sarah Lund: Silence and Mental Health in the Church (Part Two)
July 20, 2020
The conclusion of our interview with Dr. Sarah Lund.
The Reverend Doctor Sarah Griffith Lund is the author of Blessed Are the Crazy: Breaking the Silence about Mental Illness, Family and Church. She is an ordained minister and has served as pastor to churches in Brooklyn, NY, Minneapolis, MN, and New Smyrna Beach, FL. She holds degrees from Trinity University, Princeton Theological Seminary, Rutgers University, and McCormick Theological Seminary. This is part two of a two-part episode. To listen to part one, click here. She is on the leadership team for Bethany Ecumenical Fellows, a mentoring program for young clergy, and serves as the Vice Chair for the United Church of Christ Mental Health Network. Dr. Lund received the Dell Award for Mental Health Education at the 30th General Synod of the UCC. She currently serves as a Vice President for Advancement at Christian Theological Seminary in Indianapolis, IN. You can get to know her better by reading her blog at www.sarahgriffithlund.com. Our society and our church is ableist. We have a preference for people who are able-bodied. And so when we view candidates for ministry who have a physical disability, we are biased, and we automatically think that they are not able. — Sarah Griffith Lund. Here is a video produced to introduce readers to Blessed Are the Crazy. As a pastor I have started a monthly day of prayer where I go to a local retreat center and have a day of silence. I find that that's really crucial for my own sense of grounding and creating space to discern and to listen to the spirit. — Sarah Griffith Lund Some of the resources and authors we mention in this episode: Sarah Griffith Lund, Blessed Are the Crazy: Breaking the Silence about Mental Illness, Family and Church Michel Foucault, Madness and Civilization: A History of Insanity in the Age of Reason Nancy L. Eiesland, The Disabled God: Toward a Liberatory Theology of Disability Martin Luther King Jr., Strength to Love Richard Rohr, The Universal Christ: How a Forgotten Reality Can Change Everything We See, Hope For, and Believe Thomas Merton, New Seeds of Contemplation Silence, in order for it to feel safe for a lot of us, needs to have a host — a person who holds that silence, and who is hosting our visit. — Sarah Griffith Lund Episode 107: Silence, Mental Health, and the Church: A Conversation with Sarah Griffith Lund (Part Two) Hosted by: Cassidy Hall With: Carl McColman and Kevin Johnson Guest: Sarah Griffith Lund Date Recorded: April 14, 2020