In a culture where everyone seems to be in a hurry, our secular society has hijacked the term spiritual transformation and made it a new buzzword. The author, John Ortberg, was a former teaching pastor for Willow Creek Community Church and is now the pastor at Menlo Park Presbyterian Church. This book has mass market appeal in that it is not distinctively Christian. It can be used by anyone of any faith who is struggling with life’s ongoing struggles.

Ortberg (2002) opens the book by using the “Mighty Morphin Power Rangers” in our struggle for spiritual transformation. Morphoo is defined as “the inward and real formation of the essential nature of a person” (Ortberg, 2002, pg. 23). In our quest to follow Jesus, we don’t just do the things that Jesus would have done; we do them because we want to; because they appeal to us. The goal of spiritual transformation is the search for a deeper and more authentic experience. Ortberg (2002) described how our modern corporate society is full of inauthentic experience marked by boundary-markers. We are attempting to appear spiritual to other people when we really are not.

In the chapter Appropriate Smallness, Ortberg (2002) outlines certain sins that stand in the way of servanthood, such as pride, stubbornness, and vanity. He talks about the “Messiah-Complex” and how we all want to be God since it is human nature since the fall to be competitive. Ortberg (2002) tells us that we need angels to remind us that we are not God and the we need to stay humble and true to ourselves.

Ortberg (2002) reflects on the fact that as Christians we need to allow the Holy Spirit to guide us in our quest for transformation. Being led by the Holy Spirit is necessary if we want to be disciples of Christ. The book starts with several chapters introducing the concept of spiritual discipline. It then moves on into each discipline individually. Things like the practices of celebration, slowing, servanthood, confession, receiving guidance from the Holy Spirit, secrecy, reflection on scripture, developing your own rule of life, and experience of suffering are all covered.

References

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Each individual we encounter in therapy has their own unique story and no matter the methodology, treatment technique or mode of intervention, that story deserves a humane listener.  Whether using EST or other suggested approaches, “it is ultimately God who …? brings wholeness and healing to the hurting people that we minister to through psychotherapy and counseling” (Tan, 2003, p. 66).

References

C. G. Jung Institute.  (2010).  Training. Retrieved August 3, 2010 from http://www.junginstitut.ch/main/Show$Id=1103.html

Tan, S,-Y.  (2001).  Empirically supported treatments.  Journal of Psychology and Christianity, 20, 296-301.

Tan, S,-Y.  (2003).  Empirically supported therapy relationships:  Psychotherapy relationships that work.  Journal of Psychology and Christianity, 22(1), 64-67.

Yalom, I., D.  (2002).  The gift of therapy:  An open letter to a new generation of therapists and their patients. New York, NY:  HarperCollins.

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A brief review of the contents of Yalom’s (2002) Open Letter to a New Generation of Therapists and Their Patients, reveals important characteristics to consider when engaged in therapy; avoid diagnosis (except for insurance companies), therapists and patients are fellow travelers, empathy, letting the patient matter to you, create a new therapy for each patient … and the list continues for some 85 brief insightful chapters.  Yes, there is science (objectivity) involved, and, there is art (subjectivity) as well.  Yalom (2002) in the chapter about being helped by your clients shares the thoughts of Swiss Psychiatrist Carl Jung; “therapy worked best when the patient brought the perfect salve for the therapist’s wound and that if the therapist doesn’t change, then the patient doesn’t either” (p. 107).  Here healing becomes more than descriptions, predictions and explanations … this type of “healing alliance” is where meaningful change can occurs.

The integration of “science” with that of other modes, methods and models makes sense.  Corey (2009) when writing about integrations mentions that “one best way” of doing therapy will eventually be a thing of the past.

References
Corey, G.  (2009).  The art of integrative counseling (2nd ed.).  Belmont, CA:  Thomson/Brooks/Cole.
Jackson, S.  (2009).  Research methods and statistics (3rd ed.).  Belmont, CA:  Wadsworth.
Yalom, I.  (2002).  The gift of therapy:  An open letter to a new generation of therapists and their patients.  New York, NY.  HarperCollins.

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Book Review: Hurt People Hurt People

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What Advice Would You Give to Parents Who Were Deciding the Issue of Childcare for Their Child?

In a counseling situation, a careful examination of the family’s budget could determine the actual salary brought in by the second income and help clarify the best option for the family. In a two career family, careful attention needs to be paid to the actual costs of working. There are expenditures beyond the childcare fees, such as taxes, commuting, and wardrobe purchase and care.  (Rankin, 2002)

As a counselor, this writer would lean toward encouraging mothers to find ways to stay home with their children. Titus 2 and Proverbs 31 list positive attributes of godly women, without making clear statements about whether or not women should work outside the home. In both passages, women are encouraged to place the needs of their husbands and children above their own aspirations. This principle, while not seemingly popular, is still possible to apply today, and a Christian counselor could help families seeking to do so think through all the options creatively.

References

The Bible. New American Standard Version.

Brooks-Gunn, J., Han, W., & Waldfogel, J. (2002, July-August). Maternal employment and child cognitive outcomes in the first three years of life: The NICHD study of early child care [Electronic version]. Child Development, Vol. 73, No.4, 1052-1072.

Feldman, R. S. (2008). Development across the life span. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.

Rankin, N. (2002) Taking parenting public: The case for a new social movement [Electronic version]. Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield. Retrieved June 30, 2009, from http://www.handinhandparenting.org/csArticles/articles/000000/000045.htm

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A counselor who is a Christian has the initial challenge to develop a powerful, personal prayer life.  Such a spiritual and prayer life, or lack thereof, will directly impact the understanding, approach, and use of prayer in counseling.  McMinn (1996) states that the use of prayer in session is not what should be in question, but what forms of prayer with which clients and under what circumstances.  It is important to remember that seeking to help a client find and build a healthy sense of self, need, and healing relationships means that a counselor cannot use prayer as a coercive means to control or as a mask that the client can use to cover deeper issues (McMinn, 1996).  Therefore, it is imperative for a client to be open and willing to take part in prayer and not be forced into participation.

Brewer (n.d.) indicates that possible negative impacts of prayer could be the development of dependency on the counselor rather than God, self-consciousness, putting on a mask, and breach of boundaries.  To caution against these negative outcomes a counselor can use prayer for clients outside of the session, silent prayer in session, meditation outside of session, and imagery in session, to name a few (Brewer, n.d.).  What are important are the comfort level of the client and the appropriate use of prayer suited specifically for the circumstances.

References

Brewer, G. (n.d.). [Prayer and Christian Counseling]. Liberty University.

Brewer, G. (n.d.). [Prayer for Psychological and Spiritual Health]. Liberty University.

McMinn, M.R. (1996). Psychology, theology, and spirituality in Chrisitan counseling. Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House.

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Painful experiences that are a part of life give humanity a longing for healing, for “often it is the dark forest that makes us speak about the open field” (Nouwen, 1975, p. 19).  The counselor is a guide for hurting people to help them come out of painful experiences and find healing.   However, to rememdy the pain to quickly can short circuit the process and may cause dependency.  The client who comes into counseling in despair gives the counselor the opportunity to promote solitude in the counseling session and to “speak about the fertile tree while witnessing the dying of the seed” (Nouwen, 1975, p. 53).  The beauty of true life and transformation is that it comes out of death.  It is the complete message of the gospel.  Nouwen (1975) speaks of creating emptiness in a client in order for them to truly understand themselves, which drives them toward true living.  It would not be wise to state directly to the client that pain must come first in an insensitive manner.  Using professionalism and descretion over blunt verbiage would be best, but the message is still the same.

Reference

Nouwen, H.J.M. (1975). Reaching out: The three movements of the spiritual life. New York: Doubleday.

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Nevertheless, this statement cannot be taken niavely or without recognition that the conflict between the Academy and the Church is apparent when one sees a distinction between allegiance to God and allegiance to man (Entwistle, 2004).  For this reason, I agree with Entwistle (2004) that “secular” knowledge, meaning knowledge obtained from observation and methods outside of reading the Bible, is still knowledge of God’s truth and must be viewed from a larger, Biblical framework.

My personal religious background and my education were influencial in my perspective.  I attended public and Christian schools and colleges.  Specifically, in my Christian educational experiences there was much concern and care taken to teach a Biblical worldview while also teaching secular knowledge through a Biblical lens.  This type of education allowed for integration of God’s “Two Books”: the Bible and the creative order (Brewer, n.d.)

References

Brewer, G. (n.d.). [Lecture 2: Defining integration: Key concepts]. Liberty University.

Entwistle, D.N. (2004). Integrative approaches to psychology and christianity: An introduction to worldview issues, philosophical foundations, and models of integration. Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock.

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Contemplating the given statement begs the question, what does “sinfully thinking” actually mean?  As Entwistle (2004) unpacks in the text, human nature is affected by the Fall and therefore the statement is correct in its declaration that humanity is sinful.  This will always be the true when referring to the nature of humanity.  To say that contemplating the inner workings of humanity, that is, what makes men and women think, act, and make a choice is a sinful act, asks for further definition.

Looking back into the history of the Church in regards to psychology will find that the care and healing of the soul was central to Christianity and the Church, long before our modern view of psychotherapy came into being (Entwistle, 2004).  Viewing psychology, or soul care, as sinful is to make the statement that the Church of antiquity was wrong in its mission to care for human beings.

Entwistle (2004) proposes that the study of psychology is a study of God’s works and is therefore a way to learn about the God who created the universe and its inhabitants.  What should be asked of this original statement is how one interprets psychology based upon worldview perspective.  Defining psychology as a sinful endeavor lies in a Christian combatant perspective from Entwistle’s (2004) Enemies model.  The perspective that theology and psychology must be in opposition with clearly defined territory stems from a fairly recent debate after the Enlightenment and Darwinism (Entwistle, 2004).  Thus, one must recognize that this statement does not stem from a Biblical concept, but from a territorial debate from the very recent nineteenth century.

References

Entwistle, D.N. (2004). Integrative approaches to psychology and Christianity. Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock.

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