What is therapeutic Christianity?

It blends biblical language with secular self-help, making personal happiness the goal rather than God’s glory and our holiness.

Is mental health concern the same as therapeutic Christianity?

No. Christians should care about mental health, but the Bible defines our deepest problem as sin and our hope as Christ— not self-esteem.

How does self-help language differ from the gospel?

Self-help centers the self and feelings; the gospel centers Christ, calls for repentance and faith, and transforms by God’s Word and Spirit.

What dangers does therapeutic Christianity pose?

It undermines Scripture’s sufficiency, recenters the self, redefines sin, and mutes repentance, turning the gospel into therapy.

How should Christians respond?

Return to Scripture’s sufficiency, test all teaching (Acts 17:11), and anchor identity in Christ (Col. 3:1–4).

The Rise of Therapeutic Christianity: How Self-Help Language is Reshaping the Church

Name: Therapeutic Christianity: Self-Help vs. Scripture | Contending for the Word
Channel: Dave Jenkins
Description: Dave Jenkins exposes therapeutic Christianity—self-help wrapped in church language—and shows why only Scripture and Christ truly transform.

⏱️ Estimated Reading Time: 1 min read

The Rise of Therapeutic Christianity: How Self-Help Language Is Reshaping the Church

Series: Discerning the Times – Answering Today’s Most Urgent Questions •
Host: Dave Jenkins •
Date: August 19, 2025

Show Summary

Therapeutic Christianity takes biblical words like grace and peace but empties them of gospel meaning—replacing God-centered truth with self-centered affirmation.
In this episode of Contending for the Word, Dave Jenkins defines what Therapeutic Christianity is, traces its 100-year drift, explains why it’s spreading, warns about its dangers, and equips believers with a biblical response rooted in the sufficiency of Scripture and our identity in Christ.

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Key Scriptures

John 14:6; 1 Thessalonians 4:3; Jeremiah 17:9; 2 Timothy 4:3–4; 2 Peter 1:3; Luke 9:23; 1 John 3:4; Acts 17:30; Romans 12:2; 2 Timothy 3:16–17; Acts 17:11; Colossians 3:1–4.

Resources & Links

Dave Jenkins( Executive Director )

Dave Jenkins is happily married to his wife, Sarah, and lives in beautiful Southern Oregon. He is a writer, editor, and speaker who loves Christ, His people, the Church, and sound theology.

Dave serves as the Executive Director of Servants of Grace Ministries and the Executive Editor of Theology for Life Magazine. He is the Host and Producer of the Equipping You in Grace Podcast and a contributor to and producer of Contending for the Word.

He is the author of The War of Worldviews: Truth, Lies, and the Battle for the Christian Mind (Theology for Life, 2026), Contentment: The Journey of a Lifetime (Theology for Life, 2024), The Word Matters: Defending Biblical Authority Against the Spirit of the Age (G3 Press, 2022), and The Word Explored: The Problem of Biblical Illiteracy and What To Do About It (House to House, 2021).

You can connect with Dave on Facebook, X (Twitter), Instagram, YouTube, or subscribe to his newsletter.

When he is not engaged in ministry work, Dave enjoys spending time with his wife, going to movies, sharing a meal at a favorite restaurant, or playing a round of golf with friends. He is also a voracious reader, particularly of Reformed theology and the Puritans, and is often found working through a stack of new books from a wide range of Christian publishers.

Dave earned his M.A.R. and M.Div. from Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary.

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