Why I Wrote Christian Anxiety

Anxiety doesn’t simply visit the mind; it invades the soul. In Christian Medicine and Anxiety, Dr. Christopher Kolker reminds us that anxiety is not just psychological, but also spiritual. Beneath the restless thoughts and racing heartbeat lies something deeper: a disruption in our relationship with God.

When the Soul Forgets Its Source

Kolker writes that we live in a fallen world—one where sin has fractured the human heart and separated it from divine peace. The moment we begin to live as if we control our destiny, anxiety slips in. It starts as worry, but left unchecked, it becomes a spiritual fracture. “When we sin,” he notes, “we lose sight of His glory. We fail to feel His love; we become blind to His compassion.” In that blindness, fear grows.

Anxiety, then, is not just a malfunction of biology or a failure of willpower. It is the symptom of a deeper exile—the soul’s disconnection from its Creator. Without the steadying presence of Christ, the mind seeks control over what it can never command: the future, other people, the unpredictable flow of life itself. And the more it grasps, the more anxious it becomes.

Faith as the Restorative Force

Scripture offers a countercurrent. The Psalms cry out from the depths of distress— “The cords of death entangled me… I was overcome by distress and sorrow” (Psalm 116:3)—yet they always return to one truth: God’s nearness redeems even anguish. Anxiety, viewed through the biblical lens, is a signal, a call to reorient oneself with divine alignment.

Kolker insists that the healing of the anxious soul begins with surrender. Medication and therapy may soothe the body, but only faith can renew the heart. 

Prayer, worship, acts of devotion, and charity are not rituals of relief—they are reorientations of the spirit. According to him, all of these combine to work as a lifeline, anchoring us to God’s peace and loosening the grip of anxiety. 

Renewal, Not Escape

Modern culture often treats anxiety as an enemy to escape. However, the Christian understanding sees it as an invitation to transformation. 

Paul’s words in Romans 12:2 come alive here: “Be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” The renewal Kolker describes is spiritual. It’s a reordering of the heart where faith replaces fear and surrender replaces self-reliance.

When believers center their lives on Christ, anxiety loses its ultimate power. “Anxiety and love cannot coexist in the same brain—or the same soul—at the same time. They occupy different spaces, both physically and spiritually”. Kolker reminds us. Each act of trust, each prayer of release, rewires the heart toward peace.

The Way Back to Wholeness

Understanding anxiety as a spiritual disruption changes everything. It reframes treatment, refocuses prayer, and restores hope. True healing is not about escaping the storm but inviting Christ into it. When the anxious soul turns again toward its Source, peace becomes possible, not as a fleeting feeling but as a permanent posture of faith.

Take the first step toward renewal today, anchor your thoughts in faith, your actions in love, and your hope in Christ’s unshakable peace. Grab your copy of Christian Medicine and Anxiety by Christopher Kolker.