God and Soul Care: The Therapeutic Resources of the Christian Faith

by Eric L. Johnson

Christianity, at its heart, is a therapeutic faith―a theocentric form of soul care. God's therapeutic agenda begins in the perfect triune communion of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit who created human beings to flourish by participating in his glory. But they are now alienated from God and subject to different forms of psychopathology―sin, suffering, and biopsychosocial damage. So God intervened in Jesus Christ to manifest even greater glory. Through union with his incarnation, life, death, resurrection, and exaltation, Jesus has overcome the soul-disordering consequences of sin and now is bringing about a new creation by the Holy Spirit and faith. The church as the body of Christ is where God's therapy is put into action―where people can learn to flourish in communion with God and each other as God originally intended. Told in this way, the deep connection between Christianity and psychology becomes evident. In  God and Soul Care ―a companion to his  Foundations for Soul Care ―Eric L. Johnson explores the riches of Christian theology from the heights of the Trinity to the mysteries of eschatology, uncovering ample resources for engaging in dialogue with modern psychology. Each chapter not only serves as an overview of a key doctrine but also highlights its therapeutic implications for Christian counseling and psychology. A groundbreaking achievement in the synthesis of theology and psychology,  God and Soul Care  is an indispensable resource for students, scholars, pastors, and clinicians.

Genres: Counselling, Psychology, Christianity, Faith, Mental Health, Christian, Spirituality

592 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2017

Reviews

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Truly a magnificent book! Probably my favorite of all the books I read this year. Update 7/2024: we have worked through most of this book in our staff meetings this year and I've benefited in reading/skimming a second time. There are a few places where I disagree with the author (especially in his move away from classical theism on the doctrine of God's impassibility), but as a whole, this book is a helpful guide to the therapeutic application of evangelical theology. Highly recommended.

[Lauri Hogle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thankful for this book

This book was God’s gift to help me rightly view the Biblical worldview I espouse and cherish as a reformed Christian, through comparison and contrast with the secular psychological learning mandated for me in my academic and professional work as a music therapist and music educator. Many of my stirrings and concerns are now settled and better understood as I aim to glorify God in all. Thank you to the author for the hard work it took to produce this well-articulated, thoughtfully organized, and extraordinary resource.

[Matthew A LaPine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a rare book. It's a must read for Christians wanting to care for those suffering mental and emotional distress from a thoroughly Christian perspective.

[Katya Belous · Rating 3 out of 5]

textbook for my theology integration class. i don't always agree with the author's perspective on integration, but it was a helpful resource!

[David · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found it odd that a book on counseling should be a rehearsal of systematic theology followed by a discussion of how to apply those truths to the practice of counseling. I do think that Christians who are professional counselors need to understand the Christian narrative and consider how that plays out in how we do all of life, including our work. However, I thought the length of this book was excessive, the jargon cumbersome, and the style too elevated. Johnson is a learned man, steeped in the history of theology and philosophy, and he is writing in that style. But I think that most professional counselors who are Christians will find this book a bit more than they might be bargaining for. Plus, the actual application of Christian truths is more focused on broad strokes and scant on specifics. That said, there are very valuable sections in this book; I particularly liked the chapter on the session of Jesus Christ and what that means for believers living before the Lord's second coming.

I think that pastors who are counseling their congregations will receive much more benefit from this book than Christians who are professional counselors. Steeped in theology, Johnson nevertheless offers the helpful balance of caveats from psychological science and research. In other words, it is well established on biblical truth but not naively simplistic in how it applies that truth.

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the kind of book that I cannot read through quickly. The depth of insight demands me to read and reread slowly, prayerfully, and with self-inspection. Johnson describes the care of the soul based in the context of God's purpose for creating us and recreating us in Christ Jesus; for the glory of God and our enjoyment and delight in His glory. Rewriting our stories based on the backdrop of God's redemptive story is the work of biblical counseling. Exceptional book from beginning to end.

[Jason Kanz · Rating 5 out of 5]

God and Soul Care, by Eric Johnson, is sure to be a foundational text in the world of Christian psychology. Arguably, it is as important as his exceptional Foundations of Soul care (2007). Massive in scope, comprehensive in vision, and deeply practical in application, every person who considers her or himself a Christian psychologist (or biblical counselor) will want to absorb this book. Similar to Foundations, this book contains a vocabulary not for the faint of heart, yet reading with a dictionary at hand is worth the effort.

In my familiarity with Dr. Johnson and his works, a few things are evident. First and foremost, he prizes the glory of God above all things. He holds a high view of scripture, which will be quickly evident to any reader. However, scripture is not a mere afterthought here with prooftexts added to secular thinking; Johnson has a rich Trinitarian theology. The influences of John Piper, to whom this book is dedicated, are evident throughout this book. Together with this rich theology, Dr. Johnson also develops a broad anthropology that carefully considers spiritual, psychosocial, and biological variables. He not only gives considerable weight to each person bearing the image of God, but the ways in which psychopathology may present – sin, suffering, and biopsychosocial damage.

I particularly appreciated his focus in the following areas: Trinitarian relating, the importance of Union with Christ, and the grounding of a therapeutic system in a comprehensive biblical worldview.

To say that there is nothing like this on the market is not a stretch. A text that is both theologically and anthropologically rich honors God and offers considerable promise for the healing of souls.

[Barry Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dr. Eric Johnson says that Christianity is at its core “a therapeutic religion” (page 1). The subtitle of the book, The Therapeutic Resources of the Christian Faith, shows the clear intent to show the affinity between faith and therapy. This perspective makes the case that “Christianity is a psychotherapeutic enterprise established by God himself” (2). 2 Timothy 3:16-17 emphasizes the application of Scripture to enhance personal growth. The word for “perfect” in verse 17 can be translated “complete,” a final destination that speaks to human flourishing. God and Soul Care demonstrates the critical contribution of Christianity to psychotherapy and counseling.

Traditional therapy can successfully address the needs of individuals in biopsychosocial areas, but only biblically faithful Christian counseling and psychotherapy speak to the deeper ethicospiritual issues of the human condition.

The book is comprised of 20 Chapters built on Five Axioms for Christian Counseling and Ten Strategic Principles of Christian Psychotherapy and Counseling. Chapters provide theological background for each theme, comparison with modern therapy and therapeutic implications for the Christian professional.

Johnson closes this extraordinary resource with these powerful words: “Christian psychotherapy and counseling gets (sic.) to participate directly in the triune God’s agenda of manifesting his glory. God personally invested himself in the redemption and healing of broken sinners so that they would come to participate and flourish, individually and communally in the trinitarian communion as fully as possible. To counsel another well, therefore, is to be like our God” (570).

[Adam Marquez · Rating 3 out of 5]

On the outset, I appreciate this book. I appreciate the author's effort in being thorough and presenting something that is well thought out. Much of what Christian authors produce lacks intellectual content. The presuppositions on which the premise rests are off, and it is immediately evident. For this project to ultimately be successful, the theologians of old need to be put in their rightful place, and that place should not be Johnson's pedestal. For Johnson to be successful, he is going to have to cowboy up and become his own savage hermeneut, rather than letting what came before him go unchallenged as authoritative.

[Kenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a remarkable integrative effort and a great resource for pastors and counselors. The author is at his best when he is dealing with the intersection of psychology and theology. His systematic theology sections where the least appealing to me. They were abstract and perfunctory. The book is encyclopedic in nature and difficult to read through cover to cover. I didn't finish it....

[Marina Tavares · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting...

However is a psychological book with Christian's principles. The author focus more on the psychological rather than theological. Good source to understand Christian Psychology.

[AddyF · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is basically a systematic theology and how it relates to counseling. There were lots of gold nuggets in this book, but it was not an easy read. A good editor could help make this an amazing and practical resource for Christian counselors.

[Jakob Siegel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super in-depth look at pastoral counseling while still remaining very practical