The Psychosis of God

"Jeff Hood is one of the great theological writers of our time. In teaching me what it means to be crazy, Jeff has taught me how to follow God."

--Christian Parks, Queer Anabaptist Pilgrim



"God is nuts! Dr. Hood's theology proves it."

--Rhonda Love, Professor of Public Health, University of Toronto (retired)



"Some of the things you read in this book will make you mad. Keep reading. Some of the things you read will challenge what you have been taught about God. Keep reading. Some of the things you read will make you think and think hard. Start thinking. It is past time to think of God made in our image and begin to explore the reality of who God is."

--Michelle Stafford, Transgender Southern Baptist Minister



"Jeff Hood is crazy as shit. This book is crazy as shit. I have no doubt you'll enjoy every word."

--Dan Kiniry, Prophetic Mover at Pilgrims in the Park



"Shock is Jeff Hood's most formidable tool. In these pages of theological exploration, even God gets shocked."

--Fred Clarkson, Activist Priest, Episcopal Diocese of Texas



"Just when I thought his writing couldn't get any better, Jeff Hood took me on a magical and painful journey to the mind of God. I'm changed."

--Jason Redick, United Methodist Rabble Rouser





"Is the human brain created in the image of God, including the parts impacted by mental illness? Jeff Hood argues for a theology that takes seriously God's intimate knowledge of mental illness, inviting us to see God suffering with us and saving us. At times disturbing and ultimately hopeful, this book is a welcomed addition to the conversation of the intersection of mental health and Christianity. Hood testifies to the expansive reach of God's love, even into the most diseased and disordered parts of the brain." 

--Sarah Griffith Lund, Author of Blessed are the Crazy: Breaking the Silence About Mental Illness, Family and Church



"The Reverend Dr. Jeff Hood has penned yet another uncomfortable book. For some, The Psychosis of God will prove unnerving because of the topic; for others, because of the writing itself, which borders on the manic; and for those of us who are non-theists, because of the unrelentingly theological approach. And yet, this is a worthwhile read, perhaps even a necessary one. Right and wrong, beauty and ugliness, angels and demons --all dualities are mere appearances, conceptual constructs arising, enduring briefly, and subsiding in the empty luminosity of the unborn mind. Dr. Hood invites us to visit this luminous perfection, this emptiness where all is possible, the good and the bad."

--Tashi Nyima, New Jonang Buddhist Community



"Rev. Jeff Hood is the truth. I don't know anyone else better able to explain how intensely spiritual mental illness is. This book is a bridge of hope and understanding for those who are suffering."

--Olinka Green, Ambassador of Soul Justice



"While most of Christianity is stuck in an ableist theology of Platonic ideals, Rev. Hood seeks to provide liberation: liberation from thinking that our minds and bodies must be normalized, by showing us that even God has struggled. This book shows why it is vital to have theologies from marginalized and non-normative voices. May we all be challenged to see God's image in ourselves."

--Ember Kelley, Transgender Faith Activist



"In his newest book, Dr. Jeff Hood continues fulfilling his call to queer prophetic troublemaking. In the true spirit of liberation theology, Dr. Hood reminds us that God is with us, whether we're perceived to be perfect or defective. God joins us in our psychosis because God is one of us."

--Mike Wright-Chapman, Funeral Director



"Dr. Jeff Hood has done it again. He has both challenged and inspired while offering imagery that gives us a rare glimpse of the face of God. This book, as Hood describes it, is an exploration. While I agree that it is an exploration of God in the marginalization of the mentally ill, I also believe it is an exploration of the reader's own soul. This text beckons us within, demands that we question our preconceived notions of the Divine, and takes us on a journey to discover the face of God in ways we have not; namely in those who experience mental illness. It is a telling and intimate look into a life and experience many have never seen. Hood bears his own vulnerability and should be applauded for kicking down the door of stigma. There is indeed a balm in Gilead...and for many, it will be found in this book."

--Ray Jordan, United Church of Christ Pastor



"At once a broken laughing lament and a complex midrash for creation, The Psychosis of God embraces all the thrills and horrors of our craziness. Hood continues to press us into an every-expanding gallery of inclusive images of God and ourselves."

--Imam La Trina Jackson, Islamic Thinker and Activist



"A raw and powerful account of suffering that passionately dismantles a construction of a rational God inherited from Judeo-Christian tradition."

--Terry Barrett, Professor Emeritus, The Ohio State University



"I am most aware of my own spiritual growth in the moments when I realize my personal relationship with God, and that of my neighbor, is far more personal than I could have ever imagined. Rev. Jeff Hood's work to unveil the psychosis of God both illuminated another way in which God walks with us stride for stride, and reflects Rev. Hood's dedication to the holy mission of creating space for heaven on earth."

--Joe Swanson, American Civil Liberties Union



"Jeff Hood dares us to affirm the radical implications of our belief in both the Imago Dei and the Incarnation. If people with mental disorders are made in God's likeness, then what, exactly, is the divine image being reflected? If God in Christ identifies with humanity, does God identify with us all the way down?"

--Matt Johnson, Cooperative Baptist Fellowship Pastor



"This book is of work of courage and honesty and it is an important contribution to the task of re-membering the human family. The stigma, shame, and isolation directed towards so many has also eaten away at our capacity to come nearer to the incomprehensible person of God."

--Lucas Johnson, International Pastor and Thinker



"Dr. Jeff Hood is pushing us to new enlightenment. He detangles what we tangle, and challenges us to be better lovers of one another."  

--Celeste Holbrook, Sex Therapist



"Jeff Hood always finds a way to make the deeply prophetic meet the deeply personal. In The Psychosis of God, his words offer comfort, challenge, and most of all, hope. He calls us to care and to believe that we are all the created, beloved ones of God."

--Leah Grundset Davis, Communications Specialist, Alliance of Baptists 



"The way Jeff Hood uses words will push you. It may anger you. However, if you can get past your anger and discomfort and allow the prophetic beauty of his words to resonate in your soul, you will be changed. Let Jeff take you beyond language to the mind of God."

--Andrew Robinson, Recovering Pastor and Activist



"As the Father of a schizophrenic adult son, I've had many conversations with Jeff Hood on mental illness, and I have never left a conversation with him in which I didn't learn something or question something. The same is true with this book. There are no solutions here. There are lots of questions. Questions that made me think."

--Mike Renquist, President/Owner, OnSite Training and Consultation



"'God is sick.' So begins Jeff Hood's challenging The Psychosis of God. It is a much-needed look at God through the lens of mental illness--both Jeff's and God's. Grounded in liberation theologies, which explore God through the lens of oppression and marginalization, and in queer theology, which maintains that God is found in those who are strange or non-normative, it will be especially helpful for those who are mentally ill. It will also be welcome for those who cherish hope-providing inventiveness in theology. This is an intensely personal volume which no one but Jeff could have written--desperate, off-the-chain, encouraging, and brave. A masterpiece." 

--Ellin Jimmerson, Radical Baptist Prophet



"For anyone who is tired of normative theology, which continues to rehash propositional statements from people in power, this book by Jeff Hood will be an eye-opener. It will challenge you and broaden the way you think about God and faith. At times it will feel like heresy. But at times you will experience liberation. Hood continues to take a risk in the way he thinks about God in order to free the prophetic imagination."

--Danny Cortez, Southern Baptist Exile



"I have come to depend on Jeff Hood to help me think about matters of theology in a fresh, imaginative, and insightful way. I am exceedingly grateful for his passion."

--Lee Ann Bryce, Queer United Church of Christ Pastor



"The Psychosis of God invites us all into the holy discomfort of an imperfectly perfect God through the lens of mental illness. Dr. Hood so vulnerably and candidly gives sight to how ill-equipped the church universal is in getting over its own stigmatization of mental illness. Hood shares with us the good news that no mental instability of any kind can ever separate us from our innate divinity, we always remain God's holy creation, simultaneously imperfect and perfect. This is what it means to be human."

--Kyndra Frazier, Queer Licensed Social Worker



"Once again, Jeff explores a new way of exploring the depths of the Divine. What I enjoy the most about reading Jeff's work is how he pushes boundaries and challenges me to examine my faith in refreshing ways. Because of this book, I'm thinking and rethinking the who, what, when, where, how, and why of God once again."

--Kyle Tubbs, Peace of Christ Church



"Jeff has the unique ability to place God across the kitchen table from us through his writing, which creates the intimacy necessary to discuss such topics. Nothing is off limits while all is still held sacred. I admire his ability to witness to mental illness with honesty, humor and compassion."

--Bojangles Blanchard, Queer Baptist Prophet



"My father, also a pastor, always said that those we labeled 'crazy' among us were actually the closest to God. Jeff Hood breaks down that assertion in The Psychosis of God and takes it one step further, claiming God's self is mentally ill. In a country where over a quarter of the population has a diagnosable mental disorder in any given year, Hood's provocative book will challenge you to wrestle with the reality of mental illness and the Imago Dei, providing a path of liberation for us all."

--Kristin Stoneking, Executive Director, Fellowship of Reconciliation