Radical Grace

"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." -- Everett L. Worthington Jr., Professor of Psychology, Virginia Commonwealth University "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." -- Wayne G. Rollins, Professor Emeritus of Biblical Studies, Assumption College, Adjunct Professor of Scripture, Hartford Seminary "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!" -- Dr. Anthony R. De Orio, Presbyterian Minister and psychologist

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.The esteemed editor who brought us the acclaimed 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.