J. Harold Ellens is Philosophy and Psychology Professor Emeritus, Presbyterian Pastor and Theologian Emeritus, Founding Editor and Editor-in-Chief Emeritus of The Journal of Psychology and Christianity, Executive Director Emeritus of the Christian Association for Psychological Studies, and a retired US Army Colonel. He is Series Editor for the Praeger series in Psychology, Religion, and Spirituality. Among his 164 authored or edited volumes published are The Destructive Power of Religion, 4 volumes (Praeger, 2004 and condensed edition, 2007), Sex in the Bible (Praeger, 2006), and Psychology and the Bible, 4 volumes (Praeger, 2004).

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.

J. Harold Ellens is Philosophy and Psychology Professor Emeritus, Presbyterian Pastor and Theologian Emeritus, Founding Editor and Editor-in-Chief Emeritus of The Journal of Psychology and Christianity, Executive Director Emeritus of the Christian Association for Psychological Studies, and a retired US Army Colonel. He is Series Editor for the Praeger series in Psychology, Religion, and Spirituality. Among his 164 authored or edited volumes published are The Destructive Power of Religion, 4 volumes (Praeger, 2004 and condensed edition, 2007), Sex in the Bible (Praeger, 2006), and Psychology and the Bible, 4 volumes (Praeger, 2004).

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.

J. Harold Ellens is Philosophy and Psychology Professor Emeritus, Presbyterian Pastor and Theologian Emeritus, Founding Editor and Editor-in-Chief Emeritus of The Journal of Psychology and Christianity, Executive Director Emeritus of the Christian Association for Psychological Studies, and a retired US Army Colonel. He is Series Editor for the Praeger series in Psychology, Religion, and Spirituality. Among his 164 authored or edited volumes published are The Destructive Power of Religion, 4 volumes (Praeger, 2004 and condensed edition, 2007), Sex in the Bible (Praeger, 2006), and Psychology and the Bible, 4 volumes (Praeger, 2004).

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.