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The Greatest Psychologist Who Ever Lived: Jesus and the Wisdom of the Soul is Mark W. Baker's attempt to reconcile Christianity and modern psychology. Baker's qualifications for the job are sound: he is executive director of the respected La Vie Counseling Center in Pasadena and a much-sought-after conference speaker. The book is divided into two sections, "Understanding People" and "Knowing Yours... More

The Greatest Psychologist Who Ever Lived: Jesus and the Wisdom of the Soul is Mark W. Baker's attempt to reconcile Christianity and modern psychology. Baker's qualifications for the job are sound: he is executive director of the respected La Vie Counseling Center in Pasadena and a much-sought-after conference speaker. The book is divided into two sections, "Understanding People" and "Knowing Yourself," each of which is further organized into dozens of concise lessons. Some lessons are historical (such as "Why Freud Hated Religious Fundamentalism" and "Why Jesus Hated Religious Fundamentalism"); others are more practical (such as "Addiction and Idolatry" and "The Centered Self Is Not Self-Centered"). Each lesson is conveyed through personal and clinical anecdotes and Gospel stories, which Baker integrates smoothly. And each lesson explores a key psychoanalytic concept (such as transference or the unconscious), which Baker defines with clarity and integrity. "Freud ... considered religion a crutch people used to deal with their feelings of helplessness. This started a war between psychology and religion that continues to this day," Baker writes. I have found the animosity existing on both sides of this conflict to be rooted in fear. Fear inhibits understanding. It is only when people stop being threatened long enough to listen to each other that they can begin to truly comprehend each other. With The Greatest Psychologist, Baker gives Christian readers a resource for bridging a significant cultural and spiritual gap. --Paul Power

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