The Therapeutic Gospel Revisited

What passes for Christianity these days is therapeutic nonsense with a gloss of Christian terminology.

For example, It is interesting to see how David Powlison's 2010 summary of the therapeutic mindset has already mutated into something worse.

The five tenets he listed are:

1. I want to feel loved for who I am, to be pitied for what I’ve gone through, to feel intimately understood, to be accepted unconditionally;

2. I want to experience a sense of personal significance and meaningfulness, to be successful in my career, to know my life matters, to have an impact;

3. I want to gain self-esteem, to affirm that I am okay, to be able to assert my opinions and desires;

4. I want to be entertained, to feel pleasure in the endless stream of performances that delight my eyes and tickle my ears;

5. I want a sense of adventure, excitement, action, and passion to experience life as thrilling and moving.

You'd need to rewrite them today. Here’s a quick attempt at an update:

1. I expect to feel loved for who I believe I am, to be pitied for what I imagine I've gone through, to automatically feel intimately understood, to be accepted unconditionally;

2. I expect to be treated and affirmed as a person of significance, to be successful in my career, to know my life matters, and to have an impact irrespective of my real-world skills or competencies;

3. I expect to have my self-esteem protected, to affirm that I am everything I should be, to be able to have my opinions and desires affirmed as good;

4. I expect to be entertained, to feel pleasure in the endless stream of performances designed to delight my eyes, tickle my ears, and affirm my self-concept;

5. I expect to feel safe and shielded from real-world risk and danger while experiencing life through the avatars of video games and influencers.