Do real Christians die by suicide? Yes. Only God knows how many. But most pastors, chaplains and pastoral counselors already know someone they could help choose living instead of dying . . . if only they knew how. If you're in that role, this book is for you. And if you're preparing for ministry this book is also for you, because there is little doubt that you are going to find yourself in this dark trysting place where death meets life more often than any of us would wish.
-David B. Biebel,
coauthor of Finding Your Way After the Suicide of Someone You Love
Mental illness exists inside and outside of the church community. Christians struggle with depression and even suicidal thoughts. It does not make you less of a Christian. Just like heart disease or cancer does not dilute our Christianity, neither does mental illness. Nevertheless, we must stand committed to 'creating space' and providing ministry to those who struggle with depression and other mental illnesses. In partnership with medical professionals, the church of Jesus Christ can bring attention to this silent illness with grace, compassion and love. Karen Mason's book provides such space. For at the end of day, suffering from mental illness is not a sin. Yet not addressing it may very well be.
-Samuel Rodriguez,
president, Hispanic Evangelical Association
Karen Mason has with this book made a monumental contribution to helping us better understand suicide and our ministry responsibilities to those impacted by it. I wish it was available when I, as a young pastor, had to deal pastorally with all the complicated realities of several heart-breaking suicides within six years in my small Florida congregation. This book is a must-read for anyone dealing with persons in deep depression that could be life threatening. She not only brings her profound expertise gained from a lifetime studying this topic but does it with great evangelical pastoral/theological sensitivity combined with exquisite practical application.
-John Huffman Jr.,
author, pastor, Christianity Today board chairman
Unequivocally the best book on suicide prevention I've ever read. This reaches far beyond a typical textbook. It is extremely practical in addressing, with insight and compassion, what I've witnessed as a pastoral practitioner for thirty years. I wish I had this powerful resource my first year as a chaplain. Every Christian chaplain needs a copy.
-Alan T. "Blues" Baker,
rear admiral and chaplain of the Marine Corps, retired
Losing a loved one to suicide is one of the most devastating experiences a family or community can experience. But suicide is preventable, and pastors and caregivers can intervene to help those at risk. This book is a comprehensive, useful and hopeful resource, and readers will become better equipped to save lives because of it.
-Albert Y. Hsu,
author, Grieving a Suicide
I am reluctant to offer superlatives on almost anything, and I tend to be skeptical of those who do. Yet, having said that, without reservation I highly recommend Dr. Karen Mason's book, Preventing Suicide, as a 'must read' for every pastor, missionary, chaplain and pastoral counselor. Plus, I suggest adding to that 'must read' list every psychologist, social worker, school counselor, family member of a suicide victim and seminary student. All of these will benefit from this book's wisdom and practicality. I believe Dr. Mason's book will become one of the classics in its field. It is not a dry, boring read of cold academic studies, statistics and case histories. Instead, Preventing Suicide is upbeat, and loaded with real-life interviews and role playing. It is well-researched, theologically sound, biblically accurate and gives a balanced historical overview of how suicide and its victims were thought of and treated. Above all, it offers practical, hands-on advice for caregivers.
-Jim Stout,
pastor, counselor and author of Bipolar Disorder: Rebuilding Your Life
The book, written by an experienced expert in the field of suicide prevention, intervention and postvention, is thoughtful, even gentle, but grapples head-on with theological issues in offering practical and biblical insights into the world of those contemplating suicide, and provides a plethora of practical help for survivors, caregivers, and the church. It is an engagingly readable book that is high on my recommendation list for students and caregivers.
-Kenneth L. Swetland,
Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary
Karen Mason's Preventing Suicide is a valuable, well-documented resource for pastors, chaplains and pastoral counselors. Mason's lengthy career in the Colorado state government dealing with these issues, and for several years on the faculty of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, has provided her with extensive in-the-trenches experience and academic expertise, which manifest themselves throughout the book. Perhaps her most important point is one she emphasizes frequently - the need to be open about the fact of suicide, both among family and among friends, but more particularly among the clergy and those who serve with them. Mason's book is must reading for those involved in dealing with suicide, its prevention, its completion or its aftermath.
-G. Lloyd Carr,
professor emeritus of biblical and theological studies, Gordon College
Most pastors and almost every chaplain will encounter suicide at some point in their ministry. The complexities involved in seeking to prevent, intervene and follow up can seem overwhelming, but Karen Mason's clear, but not simplistic, exploration offers a helpful guide. She raises questions often asked and provides suggestions of what to say - and what not to say - to provide faithful pastoral care, helping to reflect Christ's light even in this darkest of situations.
-David A. Currie,
Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary
Filling a huge gap in pastoral care, Dr. Mason has provided a remarkable manual and guide for understanding the causes of suicide and how to care for the family and friends who have been shattered in its wake. Mason's work is both practical, as in her dispelling of common myths about suicide, as well as theological, providing a much needed integration between theology and clinical theory. This is the manual the church has been waiting for! I heartily recommend it!
-Timothy C. Tennent,
president, Asbury Theological Seminary
Dr. Karen Masons new book, Preventing Suicide: A Handbook for Pastors, Chaplains and Pastoral Counselors, provides us with an invaluable resource to deal with one of the most difficult challenges anyone can face. If you live in the same complicated and painful world I do, you need all the help you can get. Dr. Mason's wisdom, experience and insight helps avoid the delusion that Christians don't have the same problems as other humans, while at the same time offering practical hope for addressing this most painful reality.
-Frank A. James,
president, Biblical Theological Seminary