This author who is in his sixties and a board-certified psychiatrist began to discover the incompatibility of God’s word with secular psychologies assessment and solution to the human condition. He is currently associate professor of clinical psychology at the Loyola University School of Medicine. This thought provoking book provides an in depth critique of psychiatry and does so by examining its historical and philosophical roots and contrasting it with the Biblical doctrine of man. The argument is pursued relentlessly, definition of the six main pillars of psychiatry are compared with the teaching of the Bible. Can there be a marriage of these two that come from such contrasting sources? Can it be truly said that ‘all truth is God’s truth’. The chapters examine roots of modern psychiatric practice, from Plato to Freud and the author is helpful in that these chapters are not beyond the layman in the way they handle the subject matter. In fact that which is presented is an eye opener and extremely persuasive. This is an in depth book and makes the reader examine the theories which lie at back of modern counseling methods and the results lead us to ask why it is that the Christian churches of the western world have taken on board so much of these questionable theories and endeavored to incorporate them into the counseling currently undertaken in the church scene. The plethora of literature in the Christian bookstores and the number of specialist para-church organizations that claim to help church members suffering various problems seem to testify to a serious situation which requires careful examination in the light of the origins of much of the methodology which this book brings to light. Several findings of the book lead to disappointment that the church has turned from the ministry of the true care of souls which is scripturally based to a hotch-potch which is more victim based and the result of secular therapeutic ideas than the issues of sin and need for forgiveness cleansing and regeneration through Christ alone. There are numbers of footnotes and a list of recommended reading at the end of the book. A few case studies are included but these are minimized in favor of the sheer weight of the evidence that is present throughout. I am sure that there are many pastors and leaders who have wondered what is happening in their churches. Why are many souls under their care unable to face issues square on? Why so much of the ‘blame game’ is practiced when issues are brought up which require repentance and faith toward God? Why families are fields of conflict between husband and wife and parents and children? A reading of this book will convincingly bring some understanding of some of the underlying causes of these issues and hopefully lead to a re=evaluation of those weapons of our warfare which God has given to His church that they might help people to a life which pleases God.
