PsychoBabble: The Failure of Modern Psychology--and the Biblical Alternative

by Richard Ganz

Why is it many evangelical preachers shout from the pulpit about God's power, but they shuffle their emotionally troubled members off to the closest therapist? Both church leaders and laypersons seem to believe that the psychological "experts" have the answers for the wounded hearts and souls of God's people. And when churches do offer counseling, it often is tinged with the secular psychology and psychotherapy that have infiltrated the church. Psychobabble explains the dichotomy between secular and Biblical counseling and shows the danger of incorporating secular techniques into a Christian approach. This book will arm believers looking for Scriptural answers to the hurts of a broken world. As anti-Christian bias becomes increasingly pervasive in secular psychology, the church must look to the true source of all healing. This book will point the way. "Dr. Ganz threads through all the sticky issues as he confronts the psychological demigods of the Christian integrationists' pantheon and exposes their feet of clay. For those who have wondered whether the integration of secular psychotherapy with the revelation of God in the Bible is possible--here is your answer." --Dr. Jay Adams, professor, Westminster Theological Seminary "Here is a solid Biblical approach to counseling from somebody who has seen it from both the psychological and Biblical sides. Anyone who does Biblical counseling should read this book." --Dr. John F. MacArthur, Jr., pastor, author of Ashamed of the Gospel "A vivid book by a Bible-believing Jewish-Christian ex-psychotherapist, full of precious wisdom as to how God's power transforms troubled lives." --Dr. J. I. Packer, Professor of Theology, Regents College "At a time when much of the modern church seems to have replaced repentance with recovery, sanctification with serenity, and piety with therapy, Psychobabble is especially welcome--and needed. I pray that it will receive a wide reading." --George Grant, author, Executive Director, Legacy Communications

Genres: Counselling, Psychology, Christian, Theology, Christianity, Nonfiction, Christian Living

176 pages, Paperback

First published June 15, 1993

Reviews

[Michaela Wright · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is short but incredibly helpful. I think every Christian should read it. Ganz does a great job emphasizing the sufficiency of God’s word to change lives and explaining what that should look like within the local church for both pastors and members.

[Tara DuBose-Schmitt]

Not sure how to rate this book. I agree that the underpinnings of modern therapy may run counter to Christian beliefs. I agree that a true conversion to Christ is the starting point to wellness and that a supportive church community is healing. However, the vast majority of the psychological issues referenced were stemming from sinful lifestyles—sexual sin, addictions etc. What would the author propose to a schizophrenic who is a danger to himself and others? That is beyond the scope of a Bible study group. Likewise, PTSD, severe depressive and anxiety disorders, and so forth. God is capable of miraculous healings, but many struggle with physical and mental disease for a lifetime. This book implies you shouldn’t seek out more than the Bible, a good church and a good pastor.

[Samuel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book delivers on its subtitle. It carefully addresses the failures and insufficiencies of psychology—and Ganz studied psychology, so he understands it!—and explains the biblical alternative that is biblical counseling. I sped through this book for a class, but it would have been a fast read anyways; it is an accessible, conversational work.

[TE · Rating 3 out of 5]

This, admittedly, is a bit of a departure for me. I've been reading a fair amount of this type of material recently, in essence, to try to educate myself on different approaches taken by counselors of differing stripes whose oft-stated goal is to help people help themselves. I'm reading them more for the methodology than the content, honestly, as "counseling" means different things to different people. According to the psych-os themselves, it's most effective when "therapy" aligns with people's belief systems. Hence, the "biblical" approach to counseling.

Conversely, however, I've been told by several people that this type of counseling is often toxic, as it relies heavily on outdated norms and standards (i.e., women be in subjection to their husbands as opposed to equal partners in a marriage), often proffered by untrained laymen (almost exclusively men) who do more harm than good. At least the latter doesn't seem to apply to the author, who started as a secular psychologist who turned born-again Christian, and who subsequently re-evaluated his methods. I wanted to get an insider's perspective on "Christian" counseling, so I thought this book was a good place to start.

Even if you're not Christian, this book's greatest contribution is to make accessible and comprehensible to the average reader the foibles of so-called modern "psychology" and "psychiatry," the latter of which is far more nefarious, and has been used the world over to jail political dissidents and other undesirables, discredit critics and ruin lives, as it is utterly pseudo-science. What follows will entail some serious psycho-hate, so be forewarned. I am a serious psycho-skeptic, for all of the reasons described below, and infinitely more.

Seeing as this was written from the "evangelical" perspective, that itself a heavily-laden and nebulous term, there are some obviously unexpressed sentiments deeply embedded within that particular belief system. That is, there are many things in this book which remain unexpressed and often undefined, as this theoretical construct utilizes a jargon all its own. In one breath, the author of the introduction states that the book author eschews hyperbole and emotionally-laden rhetoric, while in the next paragraph employing some of it himself. Example: the introduction, wherein the author states, "We who know the Lord, who have His Word, and who are indwelt by His Spirit are entrusted with too many heavenly resources to be mucking about with the utterly bankrupt wisdom that is the best this world has to offer. We err seriously if we ignore the Scriptures or the power of God... We sin grievously if we neglect divine truth in favor of the foolish wisdom of this world..." Sounds a lot like rhetoric to me.

And it's rhetoric throughout, believe me. I can't count the number of times I read therein something to the effect, "a rebellious teen's destructive behavior is rooted in sin;" "a homosexual can come to accept his homosexuality, but he will never receive counsel that declares that homosexuality is a sin - the Biblical way out," and other typical conservative christian tropes. However, if you weed that out, it still offers a valuable critique of modern psychology/psychiatry from this decidedly unique, albeit not rare, perspective.

On a related topic, in fact, Gerhard Masur hit the nail on the head in noting that "psychoanalysis became one of the substitute religions for the disillusioned middle class... analysis accompanied by ceremonies and rituals that resemble a religious rite. Its concepts, at best debatable, are repeated as articles of the faith." (Prophets of Yesteryear, 1961, p. 311) Jung goes even above and beyond in terms of a religious connotation, in essence, expressing the idea that the pseudo-science of psychobabble is simply a "secular" religion. Example: Jung believed that Christ served as nothing more than a "savior" archetype, along with many other figures from history (fine so far), but he also promoted the idea of the collective unconscious, which could be revealed vis-a-vis psycho-religious ritual involving "active imagination," or "receptive visualization," which has roots in Eastern religious traditions such as Tantric yoga, and, as such, is found in both Buddhist and Hindu practices - in Jung's terminology, "individuation," a process which brings the conscious mind into communion with the unconscious one.

Everyone with me so far? As I said: pseudo-psycho religion. And professionals agree with me. "That which began as a true science of behavior [we'll agree to disagree on this part, i.e., "true science"] has degenerated into a Neo-religious cult." Amen.

B.F. Skinner disavowed religion and the soul in any form, instead opting for a wholly secular pseudo-religious-psycho construct he referred to as "positive reinforcement," which differs somewhat from the manner in which this term is frequently employed. Along with positive reinforcement is "behavior modification," which Skinner believed derived from the capacity to alter the self. I'm fairly in line with this one, actually; it's at least preferable to the others which seemingly unknowingly rely on prior religious traditions cloaked in modern psycho-jargon.

In the opposite direction was Carl Rogers, whose pseudo-religious-psycho construct derived from the occult (!), in the use of psychics, mediums and the occasional Ouija board session, during which he claimed to be in contact with his dead wife. How many of these people are in need of some serious therapy of their own just boggles the mind. According to this method, if you can call it that, the "client" (victim?) essentially uses the "therapist" as a "conduit" to come to a state of wholeness after experiencing the "therapist's" (snake-oil salesman?) empathy, in the form of essentially just repeating the client's statements back to them, until they're "healed" ... at a couple hundred bucks an hour. How much do "Rogerian" therapists get paid for that, again? Sounds like a pretty cushy job, if all you have to do is sit there and parrot your clients' words back at them. Hell, you don't even have to expend the effort to offer advice! Just wait for them to heal themselves!

Shaking my head...

The best example cited by the author of the failure of the psycho-religion, because it's certainly not science, is this: in 1973, a Stanford professor of both psychology and law, and a dozen of his friends and colleagues, most elite professionals themselves, presented to local mental hospitals for evaluation. All repeated the same phrase, which, at least, was some attempt at scientific objectivity: "I feel empty," or "I feel hollow." All were admitted - which you could never get away with today, because the insurance company would never pay for it - after which they behaved normally (because they weren't even feigning mental illness; they just presented and made the aforementioned statements).

What did the psycho-priests do? Admissions ranged from between seven to FIFTY TWO DAYS; requests for release were considered a manifest symptom of serious mental illness. Professionals who wrote to document their experiences were medically-gaslighted and labeled obsessive-compulsive - on account of their meticulous documentation for use in the study. Upon eventual release, all ... EVERY ONE... were diagnosed as SCHIZOPHRENIC. Not just depressed, or with some other low-level Axis I condition, but SCHIZOPHRENIC. PROFESSIONALS, INCLUDING A STANFORD LAW PROFESSOR, were diagnosed with schizophrenia, simply for presenting to a nut house and telling the psycho-clergy that they felt unfulfilled, which, itself, was actually untrue; it was simply performed for research purposes. How anyone can still attempt to claim that the psycho-religion is legitimate after this debacle is beyond me.

As a result, Rosenhan, the principal researcher, concluded that "we continue to label patients as schizophrenics, manic-depressives and insane, as if those words had captured the essence of understanding... We have known for a long time that our diagnoses are not reliable or useful, but we nevertheless continue to use them." ("On Being Sane in Insane Places," Science, 1973: 250-258). I've read this study before, actually, and I'm glad to see it included here. Every man, woman and child who is considering going to psycho-clergy for help should read it carefully, as it's a great example of what you're getting yourself into by exposing yourself to medical gaslighting in the form of thoroughly debunked, discredited junk science.

People often just don't realize how ad-hoc many of these so-called "therapies" are, and they certainly don't know their origins. The second-best example in my opinion: the origins of ECT - electro-convulsive therapy. According to legend, at least, one happy day, Italian psychiatrist Ugo Cerletti was walking past his local SLAUGHTERHOUSE. He noticed that the animals had electrodes attached to their heads, and were being essentially electrically stunned prior to slaughter, itself a noble endeavor, to render them insensible to pain. What was Ugo's response: VOILA! A treatment for the mentally ill! That's right, folks. The origins of ECT lie in a psycho-priest walking past a slaughterhouse and seeing animals killed for slaughter... and his response is to engage in human experimentation to see if he could essentially electrically lobotomize his patients.

To conclude: more is coming to light on a daily basis about the failures of the psycho-religion. Even the psycho-clergy have to admit: they have no idea what causes chronic depression... but they have known that the so-called "chemical imbalance" theory (i.e., low serotonin levels) is unsupportable, and has been for nearly a third of a century now. Yet "treatment" has continued to rely heavily on psycho-dope, especially the devastating SSRI medications - on which mass-murderers agree work great - because it is so lucrative.

It goes without saying that psycho-dope precipitated the immense growth in the incidence of "mental illness," with nearly one in five US adults (but far more women than men, as studies have likewise demonstrated that women are subjected to medical gaslighting far more frequently than men) being on some kind of "anti-depressant," which, it turns out, don't treat depression, a fact which has been known for decades. NUMEROUS studies have determined that psycho-dope is no better than placebos and rarely if ever leads to improved quality of life in the long-run for the vast number of people who take it. According to a newly released (2022) "umbrella review" study by researchers at University College at London, it is now undeniable that there is NO EVIDENCE of any link between serotonin and depression, or that depression has any biochemical cause at all. In contrast, it seems that there was a strong link between adverse life events, so it appears that environmental factors play a more significant role... which has been known for decades.

I'm all for people trying to get help with their problems, especially if they are suffering from depression and mental anguish, which undeniably affects people's quality of life. What I have an issue with are the psycho-charlatans, both those who peddle psycho-dope and dole them out like M&Ms with the full knowledge that they don't work, and those who engage in questionable "therapy" practices which do little good and often harm, Christian-based or otherwise. It's important to just use your common sense and instinct: if something doesn't feel right, it's probably not, and people should seek help elsewhere, but that's often difficult when they have been told by so-called professionals that their judgment is not to be trusted because they are mentally ill.

[Charles Smardo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great explanation of Biblical counseling. Could have been twice as long.

[Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely fantastic read.

[Joshua · Rating 3 out of 5]

A brief, useful, and sound piece of work on biblical counseling.

In counseling, there are methodological topics like how to organize and plan a session, and there are practical topics like how to help someone with anxiety or depression. Furthermore, there are other discussions that go about a more apologetic work in order to establish biblical counseling as its own distinct practice, markedly different from the dozens of secular therapies on the shelves today. Ganz’s book mostly falls into this third category. I think these distinctions are helpful to think about before picking up a counseling book so as to gain maximal profit and understand what’s in view and to be gained from reading. Specifically in this book, Ganz contrasts the dominant modern psychological movement with a biblical alternative.

It was published in 1993 and since then there have been, in my opinion, a few better and more recent books and essays on this topic. Though it should be noted there is nothing off base in Ganz’s work. He is refreshingly biblical throughout. The heavy lifting apologetic task of demarcating biblical counseling boundaries has, for the most part, been accomplished by earlier (and some later) works, but nonetheless this work is always ongoing.

Ganz does a good job in a couple of specific areas worth noting: 1) He clearly sets out the basic tenets of the major psychological thinkers of the last century, going all the way back to Freud and Jung. For a very short introduction to their work with a brief biblical critique, Ganz delivers. Different answers abound for critical questions like who/what is man, what is the definition of normal, where should people go for help, and what does that help consist of. It is a therapy roulette with such a diversity of opinions! Each proponent has his own spin on these questions. Counseling is derived from a worldview; one with distinct views about man, truth, God, and redemption. Help in the counseling room proposes a truth, a truth that can either be in accordance with what God has revealed or out of step. 2) Ganz does a good job incorporating the role of the church in the discussion. Biblical counseling ought to be nestled inside a larger vibrant local church life. Believers practicing the one anothers, confronting, encouraging, gently probing, and always being patient towards each other is part and parcel to the process. Every church member has not only the ability, but also the responsibility to minister to one another, he says (86).

Ganz himself was a former practicing psychotherapist and rightly notes how many of the so called best practices in psychotherapy are fundamentally opposed to the word of God. In his day, self-esteem was in its heyday, but even close to thirty years later it has by no means gone completely away. Modern therapies are still awash with feel good, do what makes you happy rhetoric. Counseling is heavily anchored in a person centered approach, whereas biblical counseling is truth centered, scripture aligned, with the glory of God at the center. Persons are not neglected, but if someone is passionate and desirous to sin, that simply cannot be affirmed. Ganz says, “the sinful nature of man is far more ready to be coddled than confronted” (69).

I appreciated Ganz’s clarity and experience in counseling and the unique voice he brings coming from the psychotherapeutic background.

[Justin Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some time ago, I received and read the Master’s Seminary manual for counseling. This led me to reading Jay Adam’s “Competent to Counsel” which the Master’s book is based off of.

The view these two books espouse is often a contentious debate in modern Evangelicalism. Both books intend to look at counseling from a biblical perspective. What does the Bible say we should do about counseling people? What are the answers that the Bible gives us to answer some of the questions we might have on people’s problems? The opposite side of the spectrum utilizes research and what could be considered “secular” methods of psychology and psychoanalysis to aid in counseling. The Bible itself is not enough they might say; the ingenuity and advances in psychology in the last 100 years have given us great insight into the human condition that is really useful alongside the Bible.

There probably won’t be an end to this debate. But that is what this book is all about. Richard Ganz was a psychologist who was not a Christian. After his conversion, he continued to work in psychology until he was fired from his job because he told a patient they needed to repent of their sin and become a Christian. From that point on, he quit the business entirely and went to seminary where he was trained in the Bible.

This book talks about his experiences as a Biblical counselor where he practiced the kind of counseling Jay Adams advocates. It’s called nouthetic counseling and it only uses the Bible to counsel people. The point he makes is this: psychology is the study of the soul, and there is no better book that tells you the condition of a man’s soul than the Bible. You start from the presuppositions about man that the Bible tells us about. That is, that we are sinful and we need a savior. Having this right anthropology, one is able to counsel more effectively. He cites that psychology will try to shift the blame and utilizes an anthropology where man is essentially good. Psychology also borrows heavily from an Freudian worldview, one that is antithetical to the Christian worldview.

There’s lots more to the debate, but I’ll let you pick up the book. But honestly, if you want a right treatment of these issues, I’d recommend the Master’s Seminary Counseling book. It is really interesting. This book was more of a brief, brief overview instead of a detailed look. Something to whet your palate.

[Sheri Ingersoll · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the therapeutic age in which we are living, it is imperative that Christians are not taken captive by worldly thinking which has made its way into the Church. We have lost our confidence in the ultimate living power and sufficiency of the Scriptures for all of life, and godliness.

Christian psychotherapists implement methodologies and perspectives that have at their root a denial of God (ie. positive reinforcement, behavior modification). “They take an essentially secular approach and sprinkle a few Christian insights on top, redefining Biblical terms…and blurring the irreconcilable distinctions between the theories of Freud et al., and the teachings of the Bible.”

Biblical Counseling (as in ACBC) recognizes we live in a fallen world, we are broken people, and that the Bible addresses our deepest problems; anxiety, depression, grief, and more. God uses all of our experiences for our benefit and the benefit of others. Biblical counseling points us to Christ, grows us in faith and sanctification, which builds the Church. For 1900 years, it was pastors that counseled their members with the Word of God. But in recent decades, many pastors began to turn this over to the “professionals” who were not theologically trained nor do they have high regard for the Bible.

Essentially, Christian Psychotherapy is more man-centered, where Biblical Counseling is God-centered. Though the secular methods may help for a while, they eventually lead away from looking to Christ, and lead to more self-gratification.

This book, written by someone who began in secular psychotherapy, goes much deeper into these observations. It is excellent information for our time.

[Pawel Jaczewski · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book consists of 40 psychological myths – each myth = chapter ends with several one-sentence conclusions.

The entry threshold is basic psychological knowledge and familiarity with fundamental concepts. You don't need to know psychology inside out to read, understand and have arguments for discussion.

Some myths are quite basic:
1. Everyone needs therapy
2. People gaslight you when they disagree with you.
3. Your ex was definitely a narcissist
4. Everyone has trauma
5. Trauma is the same as grief.
6. Disciplining your child will traumatise them.

And sometimes it gets to the nitty-gritty:
There are no bad people, only mentally ill people.

The author stirs up a hornet's nest:

Just a few decades ago, admitting to struggling with depression, anxiety, OCD or any other mental disorder would have been a serious social liability. People who sought therapy risked being labelled crazy, psychos, sick in the head, and often considered dangerous. Today, however, talking openly about mental health struggles is considered a sign of authenticity and personal strength.

[Reid · Rating 5 out of 5]

Subtitled "The Failure of Modern Psychology and the Biblical Alternative"
"We err seriously if we ignore the Scriptures or the power of God" - J. MacArthur (cf. Matt 22:29)

Ganz helps readers understand that the counseling concepts woven into psychoanalysis are inherently opposed to the Word of God p23

Psychological views of man:
Sigmund Freud:
-people are ruled by their unconscious minds
-man is essentially instinct-ruled dominated by drives of sex and aggression
-psychoanalysis is a technique that is driven by free-associating (whatever comes to mind) to uncover the unconscious motivations
-then the patient's defenses and transferences are to be decoded to reveal motives, attitudes, behaviors
-this approach (more fully developed) has led to blame others (parents, environment, childhood trauma, the unconscious?) for behaviors thus encouraging the patient to assume a victim mentality p26,27
- NO accountability to God for behaviors, as Freud hated God p28

[Blake · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dr. Ganz, in this excellent book, gives to the reader a biblical alternative to the psychology that has been embraced by the culture and the church. In a gripping testimonial, Ganz explains how God worked in his life and in giving such an explanation, demonstrates the bankruptcy of psychology. He gives a chapter to the basic psychological schools of thought by introducing several of the father’s of modern psychology and the beliefs that came from their teachings. He then points to the sufficiency of Christ and His Word, and challenges the church to return to Christ and His Word and to minister His word as Christ intended. An Excellent book indeed!

[Timothy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Helpful book that outlines the basic failures of secular psychology, namely that it is neutral. Every theory of psychology will necessarily teach on who God is and, unless it is biblical counseling, assume or directly teach that the Bible is not sufficient to handle our problems. Ganz argues that this godless form of help is not really help. Instead it is misleading and merely helping people feel better (although often not even doing that) while also deadening them to their conviction of sin and their need of redemption in Christ.

Throughout he has helpful points that must be communicated in counseling and an appendix that leads through key communication issues in counseling

[Tanner Baumgart · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book!

I was somewhat familiar with the debate between biblical(nouthetic) counseling and Christian Integrated Counseling, but I was pretty ignorant about roots and the worldviews pushing modern psychologies and psychoanalysis.

This book is extremely well written and very helpfully shows the dangerous worldviews that have made their ways into certain counseling circles.

This is an incredible read for people interested in counseling but is extremely practical for discipling others as well. There is a lot of gold in this short read.

[Starley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Helpful introduction to the argument for Biblical Counseling and against modern psychology. Conversational tone makes it an easy and enjoyable read. I didn’t agree with everything said, nor was I totally convinced by the hermeneutics of every passage discussed, but overall pretty pleased with the book.

[Devyn Miles · Rating 4 out of 5]

I personally don't like that psychologists write the first half of their books telling you what everyone else thinks and laying ground work. I understand that you want people to be on the same page as you but if something is already high level most people have the foundation and don't need half a book wasted.

[Blake Patterson · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first half of this book is very good and intriguing. A very good and short introduction to biblical counseling. The second half was more discipleship principles more or less. Still, a very good intro to the field.

[Darian · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's dated, but a good read. This book helped me reframe my view of Psychology and the importance of basing it in Christianity first.

[Jordan Howe · Rating 4 out of 5]

More of a intro to the nouthetic counseling model, instead of a description of the failures of psychology. Still worth the read.

[Arthur Kettelhut · Rating 2 out of 5]

Could have summed up the premise in an article. Very ham-fisted and Calvinistic. The methods prescribed take a slightly hostile slant, and Christians must use gentleness and understanding.

[Heidi Leatherland · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good

[Megan Collins · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. Had to read it for class but it covers every topic well and really makes you think about why one practices counseling the way they do.

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

The subtitle of this book, "The Failure of Modern Psychology - And the Biblical Alternative," says it all. The intriguing perspective of Psychobabble is derived from a man who began his career in secular psychology and ended up as a pastor practicing nouthetic biblical counseling. Ganz uses his personal experience to offer a look at both sides of the counseling coin.

As someone who comes from a similar background (although I never went past a Bachelor's degree in secular psychology), I found it interesting to read Ganz's analysis of the field and his instruction about the more effective, honest and God-honoring method of biblical counseling. Ganz writes, "Without a biblical view of man, I was unable to understand the significance and value of man, his desperate condition, and the way out."

This book has some really good instruction for evaluating some methods and presuppositions of secular psychology and re-framing them to be consistent with the truth of God's word. It cautions against introspective self-analysis (and the pursuit of self-knowledge), blame-shifting psychoanalysis, faulty communication and merely "putting off" sinful behavior (without also "putting on" the opposite righteous behavior). Ganz holds the Bible up as "uncompromising and unbending in its moral boundaries" and "an entirely trustworthy, sure, and solid standard for behavior." Human problems should be measured against this standard and the provisions that the Bible details regarding our nature and the grace and mercy of the cross should be employed.

I liked this book but found it to be fairly basic. I was impacted by some of the insight and especially learned from the chapter about the Will. This book is easy to read and nicely divided. Some chapters were more elementary than others, but, overall, I appreciated the way he tied biblical theology to practical instruction and everyday life experiences. I would especially recommend this book to someone struggling with the differences between secular psychology and biblical counseling. It would probably be helpful for someone already trained in biblical counseling to see how the world is handling these problems, although a strong theological background would naturally be a antidote to faulty secular reasoning even without the comparisons laid out in this book.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

I saw the book on a friend's shelf and was intrigued by the title. I wasn't disappointed. Ganz's thesis is that the majority of professional counseling out there is not based on scripture, but based on secular philosophical assumptions. And when counselors are working to help people yet do not have a proper understanding of the reality of the human heart, the are bound to fail.

It boils down to having the proper view of reality. Man is made by God in the image of God, yet has a sinful nature. We are naturally rebellious against God. We are moral creatures with a will and a responsibility for our own actions. These truths must be recognized in order to help other people.

Ganz also had a helpful challenge; often times, professional counseling isn't needed as much as a strong community of believers who are willing to love, confront, care and work with one another. The body of Christ, the church, is the best context to work through our struggles, pain and sin. May I be open to that from others and be willing to provide it to others.

[Lori · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ganz, a successful psychologist converts to Chritianity and a few months later he teaches a patient about Christ who gets saved and is healed of his "mental illness." The man didn't speak for years and is suddenly talking and sharing Christ with others. Was his boss happy that this man was healed? No, he was upset that Ganz shared his faith. Ganz soon realizes there is a conflict between Psychology and Christianity. Today he is a Christian counselor who teaches courses on Biblical psychology and counseling. He does a great job in this book explaining the failures of Psychology and shares the true Biblical alternative that really works. Another must read for any Christian.

[L. R. Bouligny Bouligny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good review of the confusion of the modern psychotherapy movement. When you begin with an unbiblical diagnosis of something, you end with an unbiblical (and incorrect) solution. These men have a misguided anthropology, and from that, attempt to help the tormented soul with all sorts of ridiculous behavioral counseling. The real answer in our day of course, is, fill the person with a panoply of pills until something makes them feel better. If only the person would recognize his state of confusion as an evidence of living with self as the main focus in life instead of the God that he was created to enjoy.

[Fups · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I first read this book I was a bit defensive, having been a psych major myself. But Ganz was a psychologist for many years before he became a pastor. What he says makes a lot of sense. Now I'm a fan.

[Larry Taylor · Rating 1 out of 5]

the author has little or no understanding of what real psychology is and is cashing in on fundamentalist fears. much of the book is simply wrong

[Heidi]

"This book will arm believers looking for Scriptural answers to the hurts of a broken world."

[Melodie-joy Desjardins · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book.