Faith Therapy: A Biblical Program for Salvation-Based Counseling in the Church - Paperback

by Troy D. Reiner (Author)

The number of dysfunctional and emotionally hurting people in our society and in our churches is rapidly increasing. Even though God has called His church to "heal the brokenhearted and set the captive free," the large majority of our pastors and churches are failing to effectively meet this need. The Christian counseling community itself continues to be embroiled in controversy as to what Christian counseling should be and to what extent it should be based on the Bible. The Greek word for salvation in the Bible means more than God's gift of eternal life: it also includes healing and complete wholeness; mind, emotions, will, and spirit in this lifetime. If, as the Bible clearly states, we are saved or made whole by faith, then it only makes sense that salvation by faith should be the foundation of any wholly Christian therapy. "Faith Therapy" provides a new narrative Biblical approach for helping these hurting people that can be easily applied by pastors and implemented in the church, integrates Christian counseling within the context of salvation by faith, applies faith to bring deep psychological healing, and develops methods for using faith to resolve many common, yet deeply-rooted problems. This book provides a psychological understanding of the process of salvation by faith, winning the trial of your faith, how to increase faith, how to assess faith, and how to apply it to meet our deepest needs for self-worth, significance, security, and love. It includes models for conquering the common problems of low self-image, pride, selfish desires, strife, fear, spiritual oppression, lust, and for developing healthy attachment. It is easily taught and applied in churches because it is completely based on the Bible.