Journal of Psychology & Christianity, Vol. 25(2), Sum 2006, pp. 127-136
Psychologists by definition are people concerned with how to help others live well. As such, they are purveyors of wisdom. In the days of Hellenistic philosophy, the psychologists were all philosophers. No one should think that psychology or psychotherapy is a recent phenomenon. Christianity came into a world well-populated with psychotherapies. This paper reviews Paul’s approach to wisdom as described in his first letter to the Corinthians. When the distinctiveness of this Christian wisdom is ignored, lost, or sidelined, the wisdom psychotherapists pass along to hurting people will not nurture or produce Christian character, but some other kind. The article concludes with an example of the process regarding forgiveness in the work of Lewis Smedes.