Evangelical Christians and Professional Counseling: A Conflict of Values?

The experiences and opinions of evangelical Christians concerning professional counseling for alleviating emotional dysfunction were investigated. Evangelical Christians have experienced emotional (psychological) disorder, to the extent that it noticeably impaired their functioning, at approximately...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: King, Robert R. (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: Sage Publishing 1978
In: Journal of psychology and theology
Year: 1978, Volume: 6, Issue: 4, Pages: 276-282
Online Access: Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)
Parallel Edition:Non-electronic
Description
Summary:The experiences and opinions of evangelical Christians concerning professional counseling for alleviating emotional dysfunction were investigated. Evangelical Christians have experienced emotional (psychological) disorder, to the extent that it noticeably impaired their functioning, at approximately the same incidence as the general population of the U.S.A. Most of those who sought help outside of family or friends first saw their pastor. Of those evangelical Christians who were dissatisfied with professional counseling services available in the community 89% expressed concern that their Christian faith would be misunderstood or unappreciated, perhaps even ridiculed. Other major dissatisfactions were the expense of counseling and skepticism about the efficacy of secular psychological theories. The research also revealed that evangelical churches may be ready to expand their hitherto limited involvement in providing (or supporting) professional counseling services as an outreach ministry of the church.
ISSN:2328-1162
Contains:Enthalten in: Journal of psychology and theology
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1177/009164717800600404