Could It Be This Simple?: A Biblical Model for Healing the Mind

by Timothy R. Jennings

Feelings of worthlessness. Low self-esteem. Illegitimate guilt. The inability to forgive. Bitterness and resentment. Dependency. Unhealthy relationship patterns. These battles rage within the minds of millions of people, including Christians. Although these may be mistaken as private battles, they are part of a much larger battle--the battle between Christ and Satan, the battle for our hearts and minds. Fortunately the battle is not lost. In Could It Be This Simple? A Biblical Model for Healing the Mind you'll learn about God's original ideal for the mind and His beautiful plan to restore His children back into His image. Psychiatrist Timothy R. Jennings also exposes many of Satan's subtle tactics that interfere with God's plan to heal the mind. Armed with the tools provided in this book, you can cooperate better with God to achieve emotional and mental well-being and gain real spiritual victory.

Genres: Nonfiction, Psychology, Health, Christian Living, Mental Health, Religion, Christian

162 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

Timothy R. Jennings, MD has been in private practice as a Christian psychiatrist and certified master psychopharmacologist since 1997. Board certified in psychiatry by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, he is a specialist in transcranial magnetic stimulation, a drug-free treatment for depression. Dr. Jennings is a Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association, Fellow of the Southern Psychiatric Association, and past president of both the Tennessee and Southern Psychiatric Associations. He has spent more than two decades researching the interface between biblical principles and modern brain science and is a highly sought after lecturer and international speaker and the author of The God-Shaped Brain and The God-Shaped Heart. He is in private practice in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Reviews

[Jason Kanz · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received a free copy of Could it Be This Simple? A Biblical Model for Healing the Mind (2012) by Timothy Jennings MD at last year's world conference for the American Association of Christian Counseling. As a Christian and a neuropsychologist, I was eager to read what he had to say.

Replete with examples from everyday life and from his clinical experience, Jennings describes a model of "healing the mind." In the early chapters, he laid out the link between our spiritual natures, conscience, will, reason, feelings, thoughts, and physical functioning in influencing our mind. He then set out to show how our minds functioned before sin entered the picture and then subsequently, how sin affected us.

There is much to commend about this book. Jennings is a clear and engaging communicator. This was an simple, though not simplistic, book to read. I appreciated his recognition of the multiple elements of how the mind functions. Too often, it seems that we focus on one area (e.g., thoughts, relationships) to the exclusion of others. Dr Jennings seems to find that balance reasonably well. He recognizes that God created us as thinking, feeling, volitional, relational beings and that each of those areas--as well as others-- were affected by the fall.

Near the center of the book, he took time to develop his thoughts about the laws of liberty and of love as well as their counterfeits. I think that, for the most part, he is right especially as he talked about what right, biblical love looks like. In chapter 12, his discussion of forgiveness and its associated myths are worth reading.

Despite much to commend about this book early on, the book took a decided turn for me on page 129. Prior to that, I had some concerns that he was developing a model of healing based upon the law of linearity that Larry Crabb talks about. In others words, if I have problem A, and I apply treatment B, good things will happen. If-then Christianity. Because there was much that was good, I was happy to set that aside. However, then came page 129. Under the heading "a false gospel", he essentially dismisses penal substitutionary atonement as a "wolf in sheep's clothing". He argues that Christ did not come to appease God's wrath toward sin and that we need to be cautious with phrases such as "being clothed in Christ's righteousness." He wrote, "far from what it professes, this false view is actually a candy-coated, rotten-apple theory." At best, his description is incomplete; at worst, it is heretical. It may be that I am misreading what he wrote in this section, though I don't think I am. Having read it several times, he seems to reject the biblical notion of propitiation. He appears to favor a semi-pelagian view of salvation rather than salvation based purely upon the free gift of grace offered through Christ, the sacrificial lamb, which is well-described in Hebrews.

Finally, at the end of the book, it was hard for me to determine his views of eternal life. On page 136, he wrote, "if we utilize our reason, we would realize that God cannot be the loving Father and the threatening destroyer at the same time...If God is not threatening to destroy the unrepentant, then what will he do to those who reject Him? It is very simple, really. He takes the only loving action He can: He lets them go, and when the Life-giver lets go, they die." This section, and those following make Jennings sound like an annihilationist (like the late John Stott), though I was never entirely sure.

In the end, there are many good elements to this book and some that are strikingly concerning. I believe a discerning reader could wade through the concerns, but unfortunately, this book is not targeted to the theologically sophisticated. Having said that, I humbly acknowledge that I hope it is my own limited understanding and not false theology that raises concerns for me. I would be eager to hear any corrections from Dr Jennings if I am misrepresenting his work.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not a self-help book in the strict sense but it is a book that will help you understand your mind the way it is in this sinful world. It also paints a picture of the way God designed the mind to actually be in a perfect world. The discrepancy is where many people get confused and begin looking in the wrong places for a fix. I believe this book can help people not go down the wrong path and think themselves into deeper mental problems.

Full of stories and a nice quick read.

[Sophia Yang · Rating 5 out of 5]

An incredibly wise book! Jennings had a very clear breakdown of topics surrounding suffering, and it was really helpful when he addressed misconceptions of God throughout. The patient examples he used were relatable and easy to understand. The illustrations of God and the unseen spiritual war was a topic I was glad he explored. I find it easier to think Satan is out of the picture for most things, but now I see that isn't the case— there are so many subtle ways he works that we don't realize.

The law of liberty provided a groundbreaking understanding of God's love. It is a profound idea to realize that love cannot be true without complete freedom. This new perspective of God's love shapes the way I see earthly love in the relationships around me. I can now say confidently that some things I thought to be love in the past are unhealthy, and I am given the words to explain why some relationships in the past and present were/are extremely unhealthy. I am thankful that the Lord has allowed me to come across this book during my medical education at LU. I would recommend this book to anyone who has come face-to-face with a moment in which you find yourself questioning the nature of God or God's character.

I hope you get the chance to read it for yourself, and I hope I get to read more of Jennings' works soon.

[Staci · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really appreciated Timothy Jennings insights as a psychiatrist on how Biblical truth is needed in the healing of our minds. When the Law of Love or the Law of Freedom are violated, our minds are detrimentally affected, but when we start to discern truth - Who God is, who we are, etc, we can find healing. He particularly unpacks the misconceptions of God being an angry, distant, judgemental Being, and the effect that has had on his clients. I think in some instances, he extrapolates a bit too far in his scripture usage, but the main points still hold. Helping people to live by facts, not feelings (even when the feelings remain) will help them to live in greater freedom. “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:31-32

[Paul Owusu · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really like the book because it brings the true Gospel of Jesus to light. We have perceived God as arbitrary, unloving and wicked. But He is not. He is love. He wants to restore man back to Himself. God is healing the mind by ennobling the reason, cleansing the conscience, strengthening the will, purifying the thoughts, and regaining control of the feelings.

His methods of openness, truth, love, and freedom result in the restoration of His image within us, the strengthening of reason, the cleansing of the conscience, the development of self-governance, and an increase in liberty and autonomy.

Indeed, it is this simple because He does it all! We only have to avail ourselves and allow Him because He obeys the law of liberty. God would not use coercion, but love. Accept His love today and be restored!
I am grateful to Harry, a friend who recommended this book. I also recommend it to everyone.

[Amy Humphries · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book put into words a lot of concepts I'd always believed in or known to be true, but maybe didn't have the most complete grasp on--at least not enough to form into words on my own. I dog-eared so many pages in this book, I already know I'll read it again. I specifically loved the simplification (hence the title) of the way the gospel/truth was presented in this book, but do see how some could interpret Jennings' explanations as maybe a little too over-simplified (more-so if you were reading this without a fairly strong Christian foundation). Regardless, I highly recommend this book. Not just for evidence of God (which this book explains in the most wide lens view), but how to *apply* that evidence in your life (mentally/physically/spiritually). I also found myself constantly applying this book to parenting concepts, and think it's an excellent resource in that regard specifically too.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

I know I will be reading this book again. It is very spiritual, and points out that our minds are damaged because of sin, and we have many false ideas about God, forgiveness, love, etc. And God wants to heal our mind, free us from the lies that bind us, and enable us to have healthier relationships. The points in there were illustrated with true stories, and were very helpful in understanding why we do certain things, or behave in certain ways. Basically, this book just makes sense, and I really appreciated how many different topics it covers, and how it links everything back to our view of God, and who we were created to be.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you're the kind of person who needs to reconcile the sorts of problems that therapy usually tackles in our culture with traditional views of the Bible, this is a very useful book. Jennings provides a traditional theodicy with references to his counseling sessions and the kinds of problems that people often have in facing the difficulties of life and wondering where God is and how those awful elements of life reconcile with a good God.

[Kimberly Berneti · Rating 5 out of 5]

Here is a book that is written simply and concisely for those trying to learn more about the connection of God and our mental processes. Reasoning and trusting in God do not need to be mutually exclusive. This book proves that. If you’re searching for a book that outlines how we reason and what part God plays in that (spoiler alert: everything) this is the book for you. Unlike most books like this, it isn’t redundant and it doesn’t state the obvious. I learned so much from this book and it verbalized for me how our minds reason and how that works in conjunction to God’s nature and His love for us.

[Irina Dura · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a wonderful book full of hope!!
Love Love Love this book full of real life cases of people who have lost hope, have been through abuse and have been captive to fear, depression and anxiety for so long, but through Dr. Timothy and the beautiful promises in God's word, their lives were transformed!
A must read !

[Marta Lyaskova · Rating 5 out of 5]

Най-смислената книга, която съм чела, разглеждаща работата на ума - как е устроен и как можем да го възстановим, ако вече има нанесени щети в начина ни на мислене, и гледната ни точка към света като цяло.

[Samuel Amirtharaj · Rating 2 out of 5]

I agree with the methods that the author uses for healing the mind but this book is based on the false premise that God doesn't destroy.

[elaine harkreader · Rating 5 out of 5]

I will read more of this author

This book explains many aspect of my faith journey that I had wondered about. I found it gratifying. And rewarding.

[C. Aamold · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great for those that want to know the truth of Gods character especially after church hurt and going through deconstruction.

[lawanda bailey · Rating 5 out of 5]

So amazing

[Samantha Hill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some interesting ideas that I found compelling. I found it frustrating sometimes when he presented his theories about something, but did stipulate that they were just theories, not facts.

[Beth Williams]

Decent read, I enjoyed his other books more but appreciated the perspective again.

[Betty Jacobs]

Dr. Jennings, a Christian Psychiatrist, has dedicated his personal and professional life to seeking an understanding of Christian faith and reasoning/scientific proof. He explores topics such as false guilt, cheap grace, perfection, myths of forgiveness. He discusses the roles of God and Satan: [excerpt from B/N review] God supplies evidence, Jennings asserts, whereas Satan has no evidence and so relies on slogans, claims, and deceptions. Interestingly, he uses the example of Bill Clinton in this regard: Clinton was free to lie about his relationship with Monica Lewinsky, but "when she brought forth her dress, the evidence exposed his deception." I recommend this book for those who are looking for a simple set of answers for effective intelligent Christians.

[Jay Brand · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dr. Jennings provides a tour de force, developing a Biblical model for a healthy mind. His hierarchy of the mind, governed by reason, conscience and judgment, outlines a very useful model for healing broken lives, broken relationships, and ultimately, our estrangement from God, our Creator. Rather than trust our feelings, which can be inconsistent, unstable, and unreliable, we should pursue truth by careful evaluation of the evidence. You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free. Alternatives to the truth about God arise from the deceiver, but God answers his lies through the cross of Jesus Christ, reconciling all who are willing to a restored relationship with God.

[Gigi Murfitt · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a highly technical book but also very interesting. I learned a lot about the brain and healing of mental illness. It took me a while to read but I'm glad I finished it. I recommend it if you have anyone in your life dealing with mental illness. It helps you understand it better and looks at what the Bible has to say about healing the mind.

[Gordon]

Short but very deep book

[David Dildy · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent book that paints an accurate picture of both our condition and God's plan for us. Highly recommended.

[Brenda]

Very insightful...

[Keri]

10.00