{"id":6314,"date":"2009-11-25T00:02:53","date_gmt":"2009-11-25T05:02:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/community\/jesuscreed\/2009\/11\/25\/the-therapeutic-gospel\/"},"modified":"2009-11-25T00:02:53","modified_gmt":"2009-11-25T05:02:53","slug":"the-therapeutic-gospel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jesuscreed\/2009\/11\/25\/the-therapeutic-gospel\/","title":{"rendered":"The Therapeutic Gospel"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

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<\/b>\"Fox.jpg\"\n

Why do we have so many thereapeutic specialists? And \u2014 here\u2019s a big one \u2014 why have so many pastors become therapeuts?\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
Perhaps a different angle on this question: <\/span>Why do so many take their \u201cspiritual\u201d or \u201cpsychological\u201d problems to therapists instead of to their pastors or to others in the church community?\u00a0<\/b><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Is the gospel supposed to be therapeutic? Is your life now \u201cas good as it gets\u201d? (Jack Nicholson)
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So, I\u2019m very pleased that, in their new book, Hidden Worldviews: Eight Cultural Stories That Shape Our Lives<\/a>\"\"
\n<\/strong><\/em>, Steve Wilkens and Mark Sanford go after this idea of \u201csalvation by therapy.\u201d<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Here\u2019s the big issue: millions today think therapy is the means to a happy life. Do we all believe we should be happy? That peace of mind is a right? That our life should be better?<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Wilkens and Sanford find three ways Christians conceive of the relationship of psychology and Christian living\/theology:<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
1. All problems are spiritual; forget the psychologist and dig into the Word. Sometimes called \u201cbiblical counseling.\u201d<\/div>\n
2. Salvation comes by discovering your inner self \u2014 therapeutic approach to salvation.<\/div>\n
3. Various degrees of combination.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
I see the second one in folks who want to capture and re-express all theological truths in psychological language, and I hear it most when I hear things about \u201cinner person\u201d or \u201cinner selves.\u201d<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
They then dip into Freud, Rogers, Skinner and Family systems, and they are right to see them as worldviews. So, what are the advantages of the psychological approach?<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
1. Psychology, at some level, is instinctive: treating children as children, empathy with the problematized, etc.. these are all gut-level, common sense psychological patterns.<\/div>\n
2. Salvation is seen as healing and a process.<\/div>\n
3. Reminds us that we emerge from our past.<\/div>\n
4. Both Christianity and psychology are into healing.<\/div>\n
5. Human flourishing requires love, acceptance and respect.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
But there are problems:<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
1. Too much determinism.<\/div>\n
2. Too much reductionism.<\/div>\n
3. Problems are more than psychological often.<\/div>\n
4. Value-free psychology is a myth.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
This completes our series on Wilkens and Sanford, but they have two chps on worldview that we did not cover \u2026 it\u2019s worth your reading!<\/div>\n<\/span><\/p><\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Why do we have so many thereapeutic specialists? And \u2014 here\u2019s a big one \u2014 why have so many pastors become therapeuts?\u00a0 Perhaps a different angle on this question: Why do so many take their \u201cspiritual\u201d or \u201cpsychological\u201d problems to therapists instead of to their pastors or to others in the church community?\u00a0 Is the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":197,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6314","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Therapeutic Gospel<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Why do we have so many thereapeutic specialists? 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