How Church Could (Literally) Save Your Life by Rebecca McLaughlin Book Review

About the Book:

Bestselling Author Rebecca McLaughlin Presents Evidence That Church Could Be the Greatest Life Hack for Your Mental and Physical Well-Being.

People are hungry for the latest wellness secret to improve their physical and mental health and extend their life expectancy. But one of the most evidence-based practices to boost your health and happiness is hidden in plain sight. It’s not a new-age trend, a superfood, or an expensive, recently released pill. It’s the age-old practice of attending church each week.

Harvard School of Public Health and other institutions have discovered that weekly religious service attendance helps guard against depression, increase happiness, improve physical health, and extend life expectancy. In How Church Could (Literally) Save Your Life, Rebecca McLaughlin explores this compelling data from a Christian perspective. Avoiding prosperity-gospel guarantees of health in this life, she shares the significant and science-backed benefits of worshiping God in community and the good news of Jesus, the Great Physician. Written both for skeptics and believers who may have stopped going to church, this brief, accessible guide invites readers to discover the true source of abundant life.

• Brief and Informative: Explains key data about the positive effects of church attendance on a person’s physical and mental well-being
• Accessible Invitation to Church: Written for anyone who is not currently attending, including atheists, skeptics, and believers who don’t have a church community
• Timely: Addresses the negative effects that secularism and declining church attendance have had on modern culture and offers hope
• Practical Next Steps: A QR code leads readers to a webpage where they can find a local, Bible-teaching church
• A Great Outreach Opportunity: This short book is a convenient resource that pastors and ministries can distribute widely (accompanying tract available separately)

My Review:

Who would have thought studies would show that going to church is good for your health, both physical and mental? That is exactly what research from Harvard School of Public Health found. The practice of regular church attendance can elongate your life expectancy by seven years and reduce the likelihood of experiencing depression.

McLaughlin explores the statistics on depression, showing a rise. She also explores the rates of suicide, comparing churched and non-churched people. As some may argue about the harm religion has done, she defends Christianity by noting all the benefits it has produced.

If there was one thing you could do to improve your physical and mental health, McLaughlin writes, attending church on a regular basis would be it.

My rating: 4/5 stars.

About the Author:

Rebecca McLaughlin holds a Ph.D. in Renaissance Literature from Cambridge University and a degree in theological and pastoral studies from Oak Hill Theological College in London. She is the author of "Confronting Christianity: 12 Hard Questions for the World's Largest Religion" (Crossway, 2019)—named Book of the Year 2020 by Christianity Today—"10 Questions Every Teen Should Ask (and Answer) About Christianity" (Crossway, 2021), "The Secular Creed: Engaging 5 Contemporary Claims (TGC, 2021), and "Is Christmas Unbelievable? 4 Questions Everyone Should Ask About the World's Most Famous Story" (TGBC, 2021).

Rebecca grew up in London and she met her husband, Bryan, when they were both in grad school at Cambridge. Bryan comes from Oklahoma and they now live in Cambridge Massachusetts, with their three children. You can find out more at www.rebeccamclaughlin.org.

Crossway, 88 pages.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.

(My star ratings: 5-I love it, 4-I like it, 3-It's OK, 2-I don't like it, 1-I hate it.)