Bøger af James R Beck

Feisty African-American Mai DeKonza (1870-1959) faced discrimination, poverty, and disability with an indomitable spirit. When locals shunned her, she initiated correspondence with her Episcopal bishop, W.E.B. DuBois, and any other powerful person she could think of. She enlisted the help of Henry Ford by sending him samples of her essays, books, poetry. The music she composed was performed at events where she felt unwelcome. As a public speaker at political rallies, she decried the shackles of Jim Crow laws in free-state Kansas. She organized concerts and public events to educate the white public about black issues in the years before the modern Civil Rights era. She accomplished these achievements by wise use of her fifth-grade education. The most painful discrimination came from her church home where she was the only black member. Her ability to articulate and reflect upon the shunning provides us with insight into the black experience in post-Civil War America. Mai's strong spirit mirrored that of her mother, Elizabeth Lawton (1847-1910). When the Civil War began, Elizabeth was a slave in western Missouri. She marched out of enslavement as a teenager with the help of General Jim Lane and settled in Kansas. In less than two years, she found herself in the violence of Quantrill's raid on Lawrence; she sustained a gunshot wound in the raid that left her disabled and unable to support herself for the balance of her life. The perseverance of these two women to find ways of improving their lot in life gives readers a powerful portrait of the human spirit.

What does it mean to be human? Both the Bible and psychology have unique perspectives on the question, and when understood together they can enrich our perspective on people while improving our ministry to those in need. Written by experts in their respective fields, this book explores four aspects of the human person: origin and destiny, substance and identity, function and behavior, relationships and community. After examining the underpinnings of anthropology from a biblical and theological position, it then analyzes what it means to be human from a psychological perspective. Finally, it integrates the two disciplines, creating a comprehensive textbook for courses in theological anthropology, clinical psychology, and counseling, as well as providing a resource for pastoral and professional counselors. "This is a great organizational scheme and a great conversation, regardless of [whether theology or psychology] is the reader's primary language." --Everett L. Worthington Jr. Professor and Chair of Psychology, Virginia Commonwealth University "This book is a remarkable achievement, bringing together theological anthropology, systematic theology, and contemporary psychology into a comprehensive text. Although I do not agree with all their conclusions, I applaud Demarest and Beck for their thorough scholarship and commend this book as a thoughtful and sometimes provocative look at the human person." --Mark R. McMinn Professor of Psychology, Wheaton College Bruce Demarest (Ph.D., University of Manchester) is director of the program in formation and soul care at Denver Seminary. A former missionary educator and professor of Christian formation, he is also the author of several books including Soul Guide, Satisfy Your Soul, and Integrative Theology. James R. Beck (Ph.D., Rosemead Graduate School of Psychology) is professor of counseling at Denver Seminary. He is the author or coauthor of several books, including Healing the Hurting: Giving Hope and Help to Abused Women and The Psychology of Paul.

In recent years researchers in human personality have come to a rarely achieved near unanimous conclusion: human personality is structured around a very few major traits, probably five in number. These factors, sometimes called the Big Five and represented by the acronym OCEAN, are Openness to experience Conscientiousness Extroversion Agreeableness NeuroticismHow does this Five-Factor Model fit with a Christian understanding of human nature? How does it compare or contrast with the way Jesus lived, taught and counseled? James Beck looks at prominent themes in the teaching and ministry of Jesus and how they relate to the five personality factors. Here is a study of the Christian implications of the new model--a study that will offer fresh insights for students, pastors and therapists alike.