Care for the Soul: Exploring the Intersection of Psychology & Theology

"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 (WTS faculty), 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 of psychology at George Fox University, where he serves as the director of faith integration in the Graduate Department of Clinical Psychology. His books include Integrative Psychotherapy, Sin and Grace in Christian Counseling, Care for the Soul, and Psychology, Theology, and Spirituality in Christian Counseling.

McMinn is a licensed clinical psychologist in Oregon, board certified with the American Board of Professional Psychology. He is a fellow of the American Psychological Association (APA) and a past president of the APA’s Psychology of Religion division. He has received teacher-of-the-year awards both at George Fox and at Wheaton College, where he taught from 1993 to 2006. Much of his recent research and clinical work has focused on clergy health and finding effective ways for mental health professionals and clergy to work together well.

Mark is married to Lisa Graham McMinn, a sociologist, speaker, and writer. Together they run a small Community Supported Agriculture farm in Oregon where they use sustainable farming practices to grow fruit and vegetables, tend chickens, and keep honeybees.

Until his death in 2000, Timothy 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.