Throughout the twentieth century, American Protestants professed to care for the well-being of the bodies, minds, and souls, but those living with mental illness received minimal attention. Mental illnesses often remained out of sight in congregations, whether purposefully hidden or quietly ignored. Stigma made reaction to mental illness different, and two analytically distinct forces combined to inhibit Protestant’s ability to fulfill their stated mission of caring for the whole person: 1) the persistence of theological notions linking mental illness with sin and 2) the rise of cultural ideals of positive thinking and self-help that linked mental illness with weakness. My dissertation traces the confluence and permutations of these streams as they shaped Protestant responses to mental illness by producing social stigma.

Historians have explored the history of physical healing in American Christianity, with some attention to the history of pastoral care, but have undertaken virtually no investigation of the history of Christian responses to mental illness. In addition, limited theological treatment of mental illness exists. Given the prevalence of mental illness, the paucity of historical treatment, and minimal theological attention, my work fills a void in current scholarship and makes connections between history and theology to inform ongoing Protestant practice.