As always, your article elicited many thoughts and memories for me. It’s interesting that so many Christian counselors are single. Does seeing the level of dysfunction out there up close cause one to shy away from intimacy? Does the counseling profession attract people who who have concerns about their own relationships? I had a psychology professor once say to our class, “Probably many of you are here because you think you might have a problem.” Regarding men and intimacy, I have read that many men are turned off to Christianity by attending worship where there are so-called “Jesus is my boyfriend “ type hymns. Modern ideas about masculinity make it hard for men to say Jesus is beautiful or that he is the “lover of my soul.” Those raised in the church understand what that means, but such language could be an impediment to evangelism. Thanks for another stimulating message.
As always, love your reflections, Eric. Yep, the counseling profession does draw a lot of people trying to find healing for their souls. But it is also true that God uses wounded healers! As for the turnoffs for men, I think that was the big draw for the Promise Keepers movement of the 90's. I know of some men for whom that experience changed their lives forever. But so true that some of the hymns are very feminine. I thought immediately of one in the Methodist hymnal: "In the Garden". Even the tune sounds romantic . . .
As always, your article elicited many thoughts and memories for me. It’s interesting that so many Christian counselors are single. Does seeing the level of dysfunction out there up close cause one to shy away from intimacy? Does the counseling profession attract people who who have concerns about their own relationships? I had a psychology professor once say to our class, “Probably many of you are here because you think you might have a problem.” Regarding men and intimacy, I have read that many men are turned off to Christianity by attending worship where there are so-called “Jesus is my boyfriend “ type hymns. Modern ideas about masculinity make it hard for men to say Jesus is beautiful or that he is the “lover of my soul.” Those raised in the church understand what that means, but such language could be an impediment to evangelism. Thanks for another stimulating message.
As always, love your reflections, Eric. Yep, the counseling profession does draw a lot of people trying to find healing for their souls. But it is also true that God uses wounded healers! As for the turnoffs for men, I think that was the big draw for the Promise Keepers movement of the 90's. I know of some men for whom that experience changed their lives forever. But so true that some of the hymns are very feminine. I thought immediately of one in the Methodist hymnal: "In the Garden". Even the tune sounds romantic . . .