★★★★★ 1
Dangerously deluded ideas about mental health
Format: Paperback
This book wants to convince the reader (presumably a pastor or religious leader of some variation) that as a christian they possess special powers that are the only true way to help people struggling with life, mental health, meaning, etc..
It repeatedly attacks mental health professionals as being incapable of addressing the real problems people face, while reinforcing pastors with the deluded belief that they alone hold the answers that others need in a counseling situation. Never mind that some of these mental health professionals he disparages have spent 4, 8, even 12+ years studying their subjects to become experts capable of giving the best possible, science-based mental health support. It suggests that you, as the reader, with a theology degree (perhaps not even that, maybe you are simply a volunteer in a church youth group or other church program) hold greater qualifications to address the real problems people are facing. Trying to setup a dichotomy of "christian counseling" vs "secular mental health professionals" also neglects the fact that many of these "secular professionals" are believing christians themselves, who know there is a time and place for everything and injecting religion isn't always the appropriate response.
Of course many pastors & religious leaders have genuinely helped people's lives and well being (in addition to many who are doing the opposite..) But to suggest that the real professionals who devote their lives to these subjects have nothing of value to offer people struggling, while simultaneously empowering the reader with the idea that they possess some secret knowledge despite having no expertise, is a dangerous precedent.
A more balanced approach might say that religious leaders of all stripes can have a role to play in counseling & mental health, while also having the humility to realize the limitations of being a non-expert. At the same time there are experts who also have a place in helping people with these issues, and it doesn't need to be some sort of competition as he frames it. People of all religions, cultures, and backgrounds have benefitted from both a scientific approach the author attempts to criticize, and from the christian centered approach he endorses.
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Reviewed in the United States on December 12, 2024
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