@article{ART003364145},
author={Kyunga Song},
title={Richard Baxter’s Understanding of Melancholy and Its Implications for Christian Soul Care},
journal={Journal of Counseling and Gospel },
issn={1739-0745},
year={2026},
volume={34},
number={2},
pages={163-190},
doi={10.17841/jocag.2026.34.2.163}
TY - JOUR
AU - Kyunga Song
TI - Richard Baxter’s Understanding of Melancholy and Its Implications for Christian Soul Care
JO - Journal of Counseling and Gospel
PY - 2026
VL - 34
IS - 2
PB - Korean Evangelical Counseling Society
SP - 163
EP - 190
SN - 1739-0745
AB - This study re-examines the 17th-century Puritan pastor Richard Baxter’s understanding of melancholy through the lens of modern Christian soul care and explores its practical implications for contemporary ministry. Transcending the contemporary prejudice that often reduced depression to mere spiritual failure or sin, Baxter perceived human beings as integrated entities in which the body and soul are intricately interconnected. His pastoral and therapeutic insights are summarized into three key dimensions. First, under the authority of Scripture, he critically embraced and reinterpreted the medical knowledge of his time as a realm of general grace. This provided a foundation for holistic care that prioritized medical treatment and environmental adjustment over immediate spiritual admonition. Second, he presented a cognitive-centered approach, helping believers with depression contrast their distorted thoughts with biblical truths, thereby preventing them from being consumed by negative emotions. Third, rather than demanding excessive internal reflection such as prolonged prayer or meditation, he provided practical guidelines to redirect the patient’s attention toward beneficial external activities, considering their clinical condition. In conclusion, Richard Baxter was a pioneering soul care practitioner who reinterpreted medicine and counseling within a biblical worldview. His balanced perspective offers an essential theological and practical foundation for the contemporary church to understand and holistically embrace those suffering from depression.
KW - Richard Baxter;depression;melancholy;soul care;puritan pastoral counseling
DO - 10.17841/jocag.2026.34.2.163
ER -
Kyunga Song. (2026). Richard Baxter’s Understanding of Melancholy and Its Implications for Christian Soul Care. Journal of Counseling and Gospel , 34(2), 163-190.
Kyunga Song. 2026, "Richard Baxter’s Understanding of Melancholy and Its Implications for Christian Soul Care", Journal of Counseling and Gospel , vol.34, no.2 pp.163-190. Available from: doi:10.17841/jocag.2026.34.2.163
Kyunga Song "Richard Baxter’s Understanding of Melancholy and Its Implications for Christian Soul Care" Journal of Counseling and Gospel 34.2 pp.163-190 (2026) : 163.
Kyunga Song. Richard Baxter’s Understanding of Melancholy and Its Implications for Christian Soul Care. 2026; 34(2), 163-190. Available from: doi:10.17841/jocag.2026.34.2.163
Kyunga Song. "Richard Baxter’s Understanding of Melancholy and Its Implications for Christian Soul Care" Journal of Counseling and Gospel 34, no.2 (2026) : 163-190.doi: 10.17841/jocag.2026.34.2.163
Kyunga Song. Richard Baxter’s Understanding of Melancholy and Its Implications for Christian Soul Care. Journal of Counseling and Gospel , 34(2), 163-190. doi: 10.17841/jocag.2026.34.2.163
Kyunga Song. Richard Baxter’s Understanding of Melancholy and Its Implications for Christian Soul Care. Journal of Counseling and Gospel . 2026; 34(2) 163-190. doi: 10.17841/jocag.2026.34.2.163
Kyunga Song. Richard Baxter’s Understanding of Melancholy and Its Implications for Christian Soul Care. 2026; 34(2), 163-190. Available from: doi:10.17841/jocag.2026.34.2.163
Kyunga Song. "Richard Baxter’s Understanding of Melancholy and Its Implications for Christian Soul Care" Journal of Counseling and Gospel 34, no.2 (2026) : 163-190.doi: 10.17841/jocag.2026.34.2.163
