Depression—whether circumstantial and fleeting or persistent and long term—impacts most people at some point in their lives. Puritan pastor Richard Baxter spent most of his ministry caring for depressed and discouraged souls, and his timeless counsel still speaks to us today. In this book, psychiatrist Michael S. Lundy and theologian J. I. Packer present Baxter’s writings in order to comfort, instruct, and strengthen all who struggle with depression.

Endorsements

“Richard Baxter was a skilled psychologist as well as a theologian. In this book are some of his writings on depression. J. I. Packer is a modern theologian and lifelong student of Baxter. Michael Lundy is a clinical psychiatrist who has modernized the texts of Baxter. The result is an unusually instructive book of practical wisdom that will be a great help to pastors and others who are called to give counsel to the downcast.”
Paul Helm, Professor of Theology and Religious Studies Emeritus, King’s College, London

“Here you will find two treasures for the price of one: consultations with a practicing psychiatrist (Michael Lundy—who, by definition, is a ‘healer of the soul’) and a distinguished theologian (J. I. Packer—who especially loves authors whose theology engages what used to be called ‘the cure of souls’). But, in fact, it turns out to be three treasures for the price of one, as a doctor of medicine and a doctor of philosophy together highlight the wisdom of the remarkable pastor-theologian Richard Baxter. Depression, Anxiety, and the Christian Life is simultaneously a manual for pastors and counselors, a resource for study groups, and a thesaurus of wise spiritual counsel for those who struggle and for those who care about them. A few consultations with the soul-physician group of Packer, Lundy, and Baxter will be medicine for your soul!”
Sinclair B. Ferguson, Chancellor’s Professor of Systematic Theology, Reformed Theological Seminary; Teaching Fellow, Ligonier Ministries

“A threefold cord is not quickly broken. In this book, J. I. Packer and Michael Lundy team up with the great Puritan Richard Baxter, who was truly a physician of souls, to offer Christians much-needed help on the thorny spiritual realities of depression and anxiety. Few, if any, Christians are unfamiliar with the pain of anxiety and depression. Few, if any, will fail to be immensely helped by the guidance offered in these pages.”
Mark Jones, Teaching Elder, Faith Vancouver Presbyterian Church, Vancouver, British Columbia