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Radical Grace How Belief in a Benevolent God Benefits Our Health
J. Harold Ellens
Book Code: C34816
ISBN: 0-313-34816-2
ISBN-13: 978-0-313-34816-7
248 pages
Praeger Publishers
Publication: 10/30/2007
List Price: $49.95 (UK Sterling Price: £27.95)
Discount Price: $39.96 APA 20% Conference Discount. Use code C08APA. Save 20%. Ends 9/17/2008.
Availability: In Stock
Media Type: Hardcover
Trim Size: 6 1/8 x 9 1/4
Subjects: Reviews:
  • Trained as a Bible scholar, having served as a Protestant military chaplain until retirement, and by now widely published, Ellens writes as a well-seasoned Christian theologian. His specialty is pastoral psychology and particularly the examination of its source material as found in religious and psychological theories about the nature of the person. From the point of view that he espouses and that he terms "psychotheology," one's belief in a benevolent God rather than just any kind of God is likely to be a significant factor in maintaining a person's physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual health. Therefore, assumptions about the nature of God, along with appropriate models of human nature, go far toward determining one's ability to develop a healthy outlook and a healthful life. This book is the result of many years of service and reflection. Written in a clear and accessible style, it recalls earlier books by influential pioneers in the field such as James Dittes, Seward Hiltner, and Wayne Oates. It would be an ideal textbook or supplemental resource on faith and health for courses in church-affiliated colleges and Christian theological seminaries. Recommended. Lower-level undergraduates through graduate students, general readers, and practitioners.
    —Choice     May 2008
  • In this impressive volume, J.H. Ellens gives us the culmination of his insights regarding "the interface and mutual illumination of psychology and spirituality." This book is intended for a wide audience: undergraduate, and graduate students in psychology, theology, and spirituality; professors of psychology, religious studies, theology, and pastoral care; clergy and lay counselors; and simply the interested reader....Ellen's book has a different flavor in that it does not flinch from the destructive power of religion that is deeply ingrained in the structures of religious traditions....This book is recommended for all of Ellen's intended audience previously mentioned.
    —Religious Studies Review     June 2008
  • Endorsement From Everett L. Worthington Jr.
    Professor of Psychology
    Virginia Commonwealth University:     Hal Ellens has, throughout his career, participated enthusiastically in the conversation between psychology and religion. In Radical Grace, he looks at health from a balanced perspective that values both the grace of God in healing and the combination of holistic health factors from psychology and medicine. God's grace is central to complete health and well-being. The highest quality of life arises out of full actualization of physical, spiritual, psychological, and mental possibilities God has given to humans. Ellens urges rational and empirical investigation of health and wellbeing within the context of humanness and God's grace. This is a thoughtful book that helps each of us reflect on health and the magnificence of God's grace in bringing it about.
  • Endorsement From Wayne G. Rollins,
    Professor Emeritus of Biblical Studies, Assumption College
    Adjunct Professor of Scripture, Hartford Seminary:     This book offers the rare opportunity of a fireside chat with J. Harold Ellens, an eminence in the field of psychology, spirituality, and religion. Ellens shares what he has learned over the past fifty years as university professor, pastor, psychologist, counselor, author, and editor. With autobiographical anecdotes and seasoned analyses, he gets us to rethink human health, revisiting the virtues and vices of the human psyche, the perversities and the sublimities of religion, and the suffering and grace that faithfully accompany the human condition.
  • Endorsement From Dr. Anthony R. De Orio,
    Presbyterian Minister and psychologist:     A healthy God and a healthy human soul are inseparable. You cannot have one without the other. Dr. Ellens does a profound job of highlighting the mutual intersection and illumination of various systems of thought--psychological, theological, and philosophical--around the axis of grace. The book itself will bring the reader to a place of healing and, for good measure,lend some great wisdom!
Description: The esteemed editor who brought us the acclaimed four-volume set The Destructive Power of Religion, turns his attention here to a similarly powerful, yet positive side of religion: how our concept of God can fuel healthy body and mind. This book contends that all health--mental and physical--is shaped, for good or ill, by our spiritual, theological, and psychological notions about the nature of God, and by the way we form an outlook on life as a result of these notions. Across history, a large percentage of people have believed that God is a threat, an attitude Ellens describes as "sick gods created through pathological beliefs," or "sick gods that make sick people." But Ellens grounds his brighter perspective in this text on God as a source of unconditional grace and goodwill, then illuminates the effect this perspective has on people who have incorporated it into their minds and lives. Ellens shows that people with firm faith in God's "radical grace" are psychologically strong and healthy. His offering of psychology interfacing with theology is reminiscent of Carl Rogers' teaching on unconditional positive regard and its ability to heal suffering persons. All readers, he explains, can benefit by this understanding that can inspire spiritual and psychological healing whether for ourselves, family, friends, or clients in counseling or therapy.
LC Card Number: 2007026341
LCC Class: BT732
Dewey Class: 261
PDF Catalogs:
Academic Library Fall 2008.pdf
Praeger Health and Wellness Spring 2008.pdf
Praeger Religion Catalog 2008.pdf
Praeger Public Library Spring 2008.pdf
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