Modern Psychotherapies: A Comprehensive Christian Appraisal

Christian Association for Psychological Studies Books

by Stanton L. Jones, Richard E. Butman

First Christians feared and avoided the modern practice of psychotherapy. Then many uncritically embraced it. This book represents an emerging third stage in the complicated relationship between faith and psychology. That stage is the critical, theologically informed appropriation of psychotherapy. Stanton Jones and Richard Butman, respected Christian scholars and experienced clinical psychologists, survey the thirteen most significant psychotherapies now in use. They fair-mindedly introduce each therapy and evaluate its compatibility with orthodox Christianity. Opening and closing chapters discuss foundational concerns on the intergration of psychology and theology, and present the author's justification of "responsible eclecticism." Among the first of its kind, this comprehensive volume will be of invaluable assistance to teachers, students of psychology, and Christian psychologists and counselors.

Genres: Counselling, Psychology, Christian, School, Christianity, Textbooks, Grad School

425 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 1991

About the author

STAN JONES, PHD, who recently retired from his posts as provost and professor of psychology at Wheaton College, is a nationally recognized Christian expert on sexuality. He has written books on psychology and Christianity and on homosexuality and has contributed numerous articles to such professional journals as American Psychologist.

Stan and his wife, Brenna, are active in teaching about parenting and marriage in their church. They wrote the original versions of the God's Design for Sex series while their three children were young; now, they enjoy their three kids as adults as well as the early stages of grandparenting.

Reviews

[Anthony Cleveland · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read the 1991 edition by Jones and Butman ... loved it in graduate school and still refer back to it today. It is truly a balanced and equitable analysis of modern psychotherapy from a Christian perspective. A noble and successful attempt at integrating psychotherapy with Christian theology. A must read for practicing clinicians who consider themselves followers of Jesus of Nazareth.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not a bad assessment of how modern psychotherapies relate to fundamental Christian truths. No theory is dismissed or accepted outright but is systematically considered against how the authors understand God, man, disease (sin), and how change happens. The last two chapters, 11 and 12, are great resources for Christian therapists as they consider how to practice their faith as they counsel.

My one critique is that Jones and Butman's summaries of each theory often does not give a good sense of what that theory entails. (Some chapters are better than others.) For a more thorough treatment of the theories themselves, see Corey.

[Joe Nealis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Had to read this for a class. Great work here. This book surgically takes a part several counseling therapies (including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Psychoanalytic Theory, etc.) and examines their philosophical assumptions, model of personality, model of healing, etc. and ends with a charitable Christian critique of each. Very helpful. Dense but worth it.

[Zoie]

I don't rate books for school!! Text me or talk to me if you want to know what I thought!
(I only read about 2/3 of this book as that was all that was assigned, but I wrote detailed analyses of that 2/3, so this will be counted towards my reading goal).

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read for my Masters. The style makes it hard to read but this is an informative book not a pleasure book. Enjoyed the knowledge and research that went into writing this book.

[Jackson Ramus · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved Stanton L. Jones and Richard E. Butman’s study. Very interesting and easy to understand.

[Gregory K. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book does an excellent job of exploring the spectrum of psychotherapies out there. If you have a little knowledge of this stuff already or if you are just starting out this will give you a great introduction to several of the most popular psychological therapy techniques, including a brief history of each and thoughtful consideration of the efficacy of each approach.

As the title suggests this book is written from a Christian perspective (the authors noting that they are steeped in the Reformed tradition). Their Christian perspective is useful in several ways. They explore how Christianity can get along with psychology and how psychology can learn from the Christian perspective. The main goal is to give intellectual tools to Christians interested in psychology so that we can figure out for ourselves how to fit Christianity and psychology together in our own lives.

The only problem with this book and this approach though is that very little time is spent considering how Christianity can learn from psychology. Though the book casually mentions how some Christians can end up hurting people the authors seem to suggest that this is rare and usually due to an innocent mistake in scriptural interpretation. Personally I know of many people (including myself) who have been often hurt by Christians and churches. All these 'Christian horror stories' cannot be easily dismissed as an unfortunate mistake in understanding the Bible. I personally believe the trouble has to do with Christian culture (a more modern structure in comparison to Christianity as a belief system). I would like to see a Christian psychologist take this rend seriously and spend some real time reflecting on how Christianity itself can value from the perspectives of the various psychotherapies.

[Jeffrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very helpful book. Often times when I'm learning about a new topic I want to learn how to think well about the topic (the talking points, how one reasons in this area, types of evidence, different views, etc.). In this book, the authors develop the assumptions and definitions of what constitutes for mental health, pathology, methods of change, views of the person, and philosophical assumptions behind several major psychological interventions (e.g. behavioral, cognitive, relational, etc.). The book also has a good introductionary chapter on a Christian anthropology in comparison. Weakness of the book is that it does not develop a Christian view of psychology in depth, nor does it speak in depth on intergration (no fault of the book, this was not the major premise behind it). Recommended.

[Heath · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book provides a decent overview of current counseling theories from a Christian perspective. At times, the outline used makes the analysis verbose and obscures the points being made, thus the four star review. At the end of the day, books like these are helpful to have all the big-name players in one place analyzed under the same framework and worldview.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good, simple overview of the different theories of psychology and how they fit (or don't) into a Christian framework. I recommend it to anyone interested in the integration of Christianity and psychology.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good Christian critique of the main psychological theories, but sometimes a confusing presentation of the main points of each theory. Great once you have a handle of the basics.

[Chuck · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good review of psychotherapeutic systems from a Christian perspective. I use it as a text in my teaching.

[Bill Larson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book covers a wealth of information which is invaluable. The problem is that it could not be more mundane; it is drier than the Sahara Desert.

[April]

for spring '09 Counseling Theories & Techniques

[Daniel Bates · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good book and resource for christian therapists and pastors.

[Cris · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was required reading a course I took in counseling theory and practice. It was an excellent read. A person reading this book should know that it is mixed with a good understanding of theological truth found in Scripture as well as a profound knowledge and current of each psychotherapeutic theory. Jones et al presents the advantages and disadvantages of each theoretical construct from a Christian perspective as promised and recommends the values and empirical evidence available that demonstrates the effectiveness of each approach. This volume is not intended in my opinion to be one size fits all approach to evaluating the value of a therapeutic approach in any given situation. Dr. Jones and his fellows scholars are smart to understand that these educated perspectives are limited in their effectiveness in deconstructing, evaluating and healing the human heart because they are birthed out of a limited understanding of the human condition. Christians rightly believe that the human heart is innately evil and bent towards its own self-destruction. It is the duty of therapists and counselors to successfully unravel, understand, and recommend treatments that repair, replace and renew the mind, behaviors and lifestyles so that the client and society benefit from the resolution of their self-conflict. When people heal all of us as a culture are better because of it. When we are whole, we function, live, enjoy and know ourselves and our world better and this is the view that Jones et al encourages us to embrace in our journey towards helping others find hope (prayerfully in Christ) and in the world around us.
Bartley Cris Willis