It was the perfect irony. To lose God at a missions conference. What's worse, Matt Rogers will tell you, is that it all felt like fate. Years later, even after Matt's depression subsided, the feeling of being forgotten had not left him. So he knew he had to write it down. Recounting his own experience with depression, Matt Rogers explores the question of how, in a world of suffering, we can call God good. This challenging question can manifest itself as a conspiracy of doubt, so that our emotions and our intellect come under attack. Without appealing to easy answers, Rogers offers understanding and a ray of hope for those who suffer from depression, encouraging them never to give up.
Matt Rogers is copastor of New Life Christian Fellowship, a church near the campus of Virginia Tech, and author of When Answers Aren't Enough: Experiencing God as Good When Life Isn't.
Table of Contents
Preface 1. Losing God 2. Rejected by God 3. The Dark Side of Sovereignty 4. Sustaining Graces 5. Isolation 6. Search for a Cause 7. The Wisdom of Mentors 8. Signs of Light 9. Embracing Mystery 10. After the Storm Appendix: Steps Toward Healing Questions for Personal Reflection Questions for Group Discussion Acknowledgments Notes
What People are Saying About This
Gerald L. Sittser
"With unflinching honesty Matt Rogers tells his story of struggle, doubt and depression, which lasted for four long years. He shows us throughout this compelling narrative that we are complex beings—physical and emotional as well as spiritual. As Rogers points out again and again, our theology should line up with this complexity and thus address the whole person. I was strangely comforted by the book, for I saw Jesus reaching out to the lost, including those who live in the darkness of depression. I am grateful to Rogers for reminding me of that comforting truth."
Brian McLaren
"Depression is far more common in our churches than many of us realize, and too often our churches unintentionally make the suffering even worse. In Losing God, Matt Rogers courageously tells the story of his depression with unflinching honesty, theological insight and deep human sensitivity. The book will bring hope to those who carry the weight of depression . . . and it will help the rest of us to share and lift the emotional burden others carry instead of adding to it. A needed book, beautifully written, from a promising new writer."
Tony Jones
"Profound, disturbing and hopeful. Matt Rogers has something to say, and he says it in a way no one has."
