Publisher's Synopsis
This book is about psychology and how Christ the Son of God used psychology on a daily basis to help him in dealing with people. Remember, Jesus was all man and all God. He did not need anyone to tell him what people were like. Dr. Jesus knew the principles and psychology of human relationships and human nature and was indeed a serious student of human behavior. His practical insight and personal experience in dealing with people helped to fashion His human relationships with others. It helped Him to identify the psychological and behavior issues with mankind. The Gospels tell us of many encounters that Christ had with people. Even though Jesus was and is the greatest Counselor and Psychologist of all ages, He never had a business card, an office, web site, cell phone, computer, diploma, degree, or any written credentials; yet he knew his patients inside and out. People who met Jesus were changed in one way or the other. Many times their minds were completely renewed...their souls comforted...and their bodies healed. As you read this book, you will find out how Jesus used psychology in His daily life and that Dr. Jesus loved all people regardless of color, gender, creed, or nationality. He continues to love unconditionally. Question? Is Jesus Lord over everything? Yes. Let me reiterate. This includes psychology and psychiatry. Since He invented and created the psyche of the mind, He certainly understands the fundamental concepts of human nature and behavior from a scientific point of view and from God's point of view. Christ was and still is the greatest Therapist and Counselor that the world has ever known. Many well intentioned Christians believe that the root of psychology is bad and has no acceptance in Christianity or the church. Others believe that Christianity and psychology do not mix and that psychology takes the opposite approach of Scripture. This is NOT true even though research shows that some pastors do feel uncomfortable or unequipped to address mental illness because mental illness is still "taboo" in many ways. The belief and use of Scripture are perhaps the most prevalent differences between the secular and Christian psychology worlds. For the Christian psychologist, the worldview must be determined by Scripture. As Christians, we see our clients as individuals in need of Jesus Christ. Furthermore, our understanding of mental illness and disorder is also based upon a Scripture-oriented global view. In recent years, psychologists have begun recognizing that we are a tri-part being...soul, spirit, and body...and that our spirituality impacts our lives; however, some traditional psychological theories and models are still based upon naturalism and are insufficient from a Christian worldview. Secular psychology is not wrong. It just needs to be integrated into the Christian model as determined by Scripture. The successful integration of psychology and Christianity has long been a passion of many Christian leaders and believers. Can the integration of theology and psychology complement each other? Absolutely! As humans, we develop and operate according to biological, psychological, and social influences as well as spiritual influence. As adults we use psychology (sometimes reverse psychology) to get what we want. Men do this all the time as well as women. Hence, we all use psychology in our daily lives quite often without even thinking about it. Was Jesus the Messiah the first psychiatrist? Yes. Let me elaborate on the word "Messiah": It means "the anointed one..".and has come to be understood "as a savior or liberator of a group of people." In the Hebrew (Old Testament), messiah means king or High Priest. The Jewish Messiah was and is a leader anointed by God and He physically descended from the Davidic line...who will rule the tribes of Israel...and herald in the Messianic Age of global peace also known as the new World to Come.
