Jesus, the Greatest Therapist Who Ever Lived Paperback – October 9, 2007

This book allows one to look at their true self. In many different ways. I really learned a lot from reading it.

I really enjoyed reading this book and considering the information that was presented. I found myself taking a lot of notes and having to pause to reflect on what was being said. I loved the emphasis on our relationships with God and other to reflect our spiritual and emotional health

During a conversation about a Bible study group that I’m in, I said to a co-worker that the Bible is an interesting form of applied psychology. I decided to follow that thought by reading Dr. Baker’s book.Dr. Baker is a theologian and clinical psychologist. He authoritatively describes the compatibility of modern psychology with biblical passages. Since religion is a kind of government, government guides human nature, basic human nature probably hasn’t changed much in thousands of years, and human nature is studied by psychologists, the practicality of religion endures and Dr. Baker shows how.A major theme in the book is that psychopathologies are often associated with people’s disconnection from God and other people. We are social beings that become whole through our relationships with others. Dr. Baker distinguishes healthy from unhealthy relationships by applying biblical and psychological concepts to anecdotes of patients from his clinical practice.As someone who is neither a theologian nor clinical psychologist, I have a naive side thought. The old covenant was about laws, an attempt to use external coercion to prevent harmful human actions. The new covenant was about love, an attempt to develop the internal mental attitude that promotes positive relationships with other people. To me, these covenants complement and balance each other. Also, this change over time is a form of human evolution. Are there or will there be only two covenants?2019 UpdateIn my Amazon review of the Great Courses video on Natural Law and Human Nature I wrote that positive law refers to laws that we create and impose on ourselves for social order. Natural law may be an innate sense of fairness or equity. Is natural law related to the new covenant or the Holy Spirit?In my Amazon review of the Great Courses lectures on the U.S. Constitution I referred to Stephen Covey’s Seven Habits of Highly Effective People in which growth progresses from dependence to independence to interdependence. Is the old covenant about a relationship of dependence through laws, whereas the new covenant is a state of interdependence mediated by love?

I have read this at least four times now. It has greatly impacted my personal and professional life. Dr. Baker has made himself a vessel for the greatest therapist that ever lived.

As a therapist myself, I found this book very interesting and well written. Christian psychology is missing, unfortunately from many therapist practices in this country. Thanks to the author, you can clearly see how important it is and how can you apply Chris teaching in therapy and beyond.

This has been an appetizing journey into human relationships based upon a concrete understanding of psychological perspectives and the ministry of Jesus. Being a clinically trained chaplain with over 30 years of experience this has been a substantive, practical, thought provoking addition to my grasp of the compatibility of the Gospel, human relationships and healing!

We opted to begin this as a book study when our congregation experienced some major changes in ministry and administration. Because it focuses so much on the importance of relationships in the Christian life, it has been an outstanding resource and offered us some great food for thought. It is an excellent eye opener in realizing how very much Jesus was in touch with the psychological and emotional aspects of our being. It should be a pre-requisite for anyone interested in spiritual growth and Christian service.

Only a couple of sections into book but seems promising