Garbi, Samuel

English

Andrews University

Journal of Applied Christian LeadershipVolume 5 | Number 2 Article 132011The Living God and Our Living Psyche: WhatChristians can Learn from Carl Jung [review] /Belford, Ann and Alvin DueckSamuel GarbiFollow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/jaclPart of the Leadership Studies CommonsThis Book Review is brought to you for free and open access by Digital Commons @ Andrews University. It has been accepted for inclusion in Journalof Applied Christian Leadership by an authorized editor of Digital Commons @ Andrews University. For more information, please contactrepository@andrews.edu.Recommended CitationGarbi, Samuel (2011) "The Living God and Our Living Psyche: What Christians can Learn from Carl Jung [review] / Belford, Annand Alvin Dueck," Journal of Applied Christian Leadership: Vol. 5: No. 2, 114-115.Available at: https://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/jacl/vol5/iss2/13mation. But key questions and listen-ing allow for effective clarification,self-discovery, and a self-motivatedaction plan to occur in a coachingrelationship. The authors include awhole series of helpful questions. Ogne and Roehl’s significant contri-bution to coaching, however, is linkingcoaching to young leaders in the post-modern setting. They suggest that theyoung postmodern mindset is lookingfor relationships, proximity, and affini-ty. Authenticity, story, and experiencesmatter to a millennial living in amedia-saturated society. The genius ofcoaching is that it is not a program;rather, it is a coming alongside anotherperson to facilitate the release of God-given potential. This personal coach-ing offers a key to personal leadershiptransformation that institutional pro-grams cannot replicate. The authorssuccessfully argue that coaching fitsexceptionally well with the youngpostmodern worldview. TransforMissional Coaching wouldlikely most benefit people above theage of 40 in understanding how torelate and link to the millennial gen-eration. Leaders serving in urbanand/or highly educated settings withconcentrations of millennials wouldspecifically resonate with Ogne andRoehl’s ideas. The book’s bibliogra-phy includes a number of coachingclassics as well as 11 coaching web-sites. TransforMissional Coachingforms an excellent primer on coach-ing and deserves my highest recom-mendation.GREG SCHALLER, D.Min., is pastor of the KentSeventh-day Adventist Church in Kent, Washington,and leads Schaller and Associates, a leadership consulting and coaching service.THE LIVING GOD AND OURLIVING PSYCHE: WHATCHRISTIANS CAN LEARNFROM CARL JUNGBy Ann Belford Ulanov & Alvin DueckGrand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans (2008)Paperback, 111 pagesReviewed by SAMUEL GARBIAs suggested by the title of thisbook by Ann Belford Ulanov andAlvin Dueck, Christians not only can,but should learn from Jung (pp. 3, 19,& 23): “Evangelicals need Jung” (p.107, reviewer’s emphasis). Accordingto Ulanov and Dueck, this is becauseJung’s work functions as a neededcorrective to an over-spiritualized(and therefore ineffective or danger-ous) faith (p. 25). As such, Jung’swork is presented as useful for lead-ing towards genuine spiritual growthand making Christian leaders moreeffective. The authors see the fearsome Christians have of Jung as pre-cisely the most telling reason theywould benefit from his ideas. Theysay Jung can [help] us to acknowl-edge some of the blind spots thatoften keep us from living out morefully our core convictions” (p. 25). Iagree with the authors’ views, basednot only on personal experience andobservation, but also on abundantbiblical material that points out thespecial difficulty we who claim to bereligious have in acknowledging ourblind spots (e.g., Revelation 3:17;Jeremiah 17:9; John 1:5, 10, 11).The body of this book is comprisedof three essays that are critical toChristian growth and leadership. Thesecond essay (pp. 51-68) contains amost helpful section on the Shadowarchetype—that part of themselveswhich many “advanced” Christiansare least aware of in themselves andwhich therefore most easily tripsB O O K  R E V I E W S A M U E L  G A R B IPAGE  114 Vol. 5, No. 2 FALL 20111Garbi: The Living God and Our Living Psyche: What Christians can Learn fPublished by Digital Commons @ Andrews University, 2011them and their witness. The thirdessay (pp. 69-89) proposes wholenessas spiritual growth’s goal, throughcomprehensive pacific inclusivity (pp.77-82). By linking faith to intimately personal experience, this book haspotential to bring a renewal of faith toChristians who are disillusioned in, oreven by, the church. Christian leaderswill be guided in conceptualizing thecauses of deficiencies in life and reli-gious organizations. They will alsosee the nature of genuine spiritualgrowth, which will motivate them topromote such genuine growth ratherthan a mere surface Christianity thatdoesn’t fool many anymore.The book links outward Christianbehavior with in-depth factors thateither foil or enable it; any efforttowards Christian behavior that does not acknowledge this link onlyaddresses surface activity that is easi-ly counterproductive to Christianity’sstated goals. Ulanov describes prob-lems commonly stemming from reli-gious sectarianism: “theological bullying” (pp. 52) and threats to life(p. 51). Shadow awareness and pacificintegration (p. 58) are proposed asneeded alternate solutions (pp. 52-53,55), because the end result of a “con-scious dialogue” with shadow contentis that things are clearer, “good ismore possible and evil more avoid-able” (pp. 53-54), and the world issafer.Aptly illustrating the issues of thethesis from a treasure trove of biblicalmaterial, Ulanov uses pressing termsto warn of the dangers to Christiansand to the church of refusing Jung’spacifically inclusive growth. Suchrefusal “always leads to catastrophe”(p. 48):[This is] dangerous [because itleads to a] religion of words thatdo not incarnate . . . [and] emptyexhortations . . . [and to ourbecoming] windbags . . . [and]theological know-it-alls, full ofwhat should be, [but] rejectingwhat is . . .[all the while] trying to force others to agree[with us] . . . on pain of death.(p. 79) In refusing the work proposed,Ulanov sees us as failing our call andbecoming moralistic, projecting ourflaws unto others, and having illness-es which we either carry ourselves orpass on to our children (p. 83). “Thereis no future for the church withoutincluding the psyche, especially theunconscious” (p. 32). If such proposi-tions do not catch the attention ofChristian leaders whose responsibilityit is to deal with the hemorrhage ofthe postmodern church, what will?Based on history, even biblical history, one can be doubtful that thechallenging call of this book will beresponded to adequately and in atimely manner by more than a minori-ty; instead, it will likely be opposedby many. But this should not deterreaders who are determined tobecome part of the safe, life-givingminority who are answering the callto reclaim this eminently Christianwork for the church.SAMUEL GARBI, D.Min., is a pastor, writer, and violinist in southwestern Wisconsin.B O O K  R E V I E W S A M U E L  G A R B ITHE JOURNAL OF APPLIED CHRISTIAN LEADERSHIP PAGE  1152Journal of Applied Christian Leadership, Vol. 5 [2011], No. 2, Art. 13https://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/jacl/vol5/iss2/13

The Living God and Our Living Psyche: What Christians can Learn from Carl Jung [review] / Belford, Ann and Alvin Dueck

https://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1125&amp;context=jacl

The Living God and Our Living Psyche: What Christians can Learn from Carl Jung [review] / Belford, Ann and Alvin Dueck

Abstract

Similar works

Full text

Available Versions

Andrews University