Care for the Soul

"This volume explores the intersection of psychology and theology, but it is not a simple intersection. It is an intersection affected by rich theological and ecclesiological traditions, by the ravages and wonders of modern psychology, and by the character and qualities of today's ministers and communities of faith." (from the introduction)For two millennia Christians have been caring for souls. Since the Enlightenment, though, the Christian concept of the soul has been usurped by modern and postmodern notions of the self. "Somehow we misplaced the soul even as we developed a thriving science of the psyche," lament the editors of this volume. Thus there is a clash between Western therapeutic culture and the church's understanding of the soul's nature and its care.As a result, some Christians deride psychology as dangerous. Others believe that it has much to offer Christians interested in caring for the soul. What is the proper relationship between psychology and theology? Is soul care the shared task of these two fields? This collection of essays is a multidisciplinary dialogue on the interface between psychology and theology that takes seriously the long, rich tradition of soul care in the church. In this volume you'll find incisive discussions of

• the current state of theology and psychology
• overcoming the acquiescence to secularism
• theological resources for developing Christian psychology
• taking theology to heart in psychology
• taking psychology to heart in theology and Christian life

Contributors include Jeffry H. Boyd, Ellen T. Charry, Deborah van Deusen Hunsinger, L. Gregory Jones, Stanton L. Jones, Cynthia Neal Kimball, Bryan N. Maier, Michael Mangis, Philip G. Monroe, Stephen K. Moroney, Dennis L. Okholm, David Powlison, Robert C. Roberts, Richard L. Schultz, Myrla Seibold, Brett Webb-Mitchell and David Alan Williams.Providing insight and analysis from nineteen psychologists and theologians, Care for the Soul is essential reading for psychologists and counselors, pastors and theologians, and students or professors of psychology and theology.

Mark R. McMinn (PhD, Vanderbilt University) is professor emeritus at George Fox University. After a thirty-six-year career in academics (Wheaton College, George Fox), he now operates a private practice in psychology and a small fruit farm in rural Oregon. He is the author of numerous books on the integration of psychology and Christianity, including Integrative Psychotherapy; Care for the Soul; and Psychology, Theology, and Spirituality in Christian Counseling.

Until his death in 2000, Phillips (Ph.D., Vanderbilt University) was associate professor of historical and systematic theology at Wheaton College, where he was instrumental in starting and organizing the annual Wheaton College Theology Conference. Besides coediting several scholarly books, he was coauthor (with Dennis L. Okholm) of Welcome to the Family: An Introduction to Evangelical Christianity.