Written by Jessie Evans, M.Ed., LPC
I keep hearing this refrain—“Therapy Culture.” As a therapist, I know what is going on. People are “naming” something in order to work with it. We use this technique in trauma therapy all the time. I have heard this phrase come up several times over the last couple of months on Christian podcasts and also in articles in Christian publications. Today, I read The Gospel Coalition’s review of Jen Hatmaker’s memoir and found myself pausing as I saw the phrase again—“therapy culture.” As I read, even though I love Jesus and serve Him with my life, I could not help, as a counselor, but feel like a villain. Is Christian culture trying to cancel the therapists?
What is going on?!
There is a familiar theme that comes up in these conversations over and over: therapy and faith are presented as if they are at odds. It is so puzzling to me—why is it that when someone begins to grow in self-awareness, it’s so often met with suspicion? Why is there such a tendency to frame “self-awareness” and “Christ-centeredness” as if they cancel each other out?
From my perspective as both a therapist and a Christian, I don’t believe they are enemies at all. In fact, I believe they are meant to go hand-in-hand. And if I am being completely honest, it hurts me.
The Greatest Commandment Holds Them Together
When Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment was, He replied (Matt. 22:36–40; Mark 12:28–31; Luke 10:25–28):
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. And love your neighbor as yourself.”
Built into that commandment is the assumption that we know how to love ourselves. In my years of working in this field, I have always felt a leeriness of self-care from believers. People are very afraid of self-kindness. However, without that foundation, how can we extend real love to others? I also believe that if we become so dissociated from our own perspective, how can God ever teach us anything? Whose vantage point are we supposed to travel the world viewing through?
It worries me that many church voices insist that looking inward is dangerous, that self-awareness will lead us astray. While I understand the concern about pride and self-reliance, what comes out of this teaching more often is people believing that they cannot trust their own inner lives, and this can leave them vulnerable to harm, manipulation, and even abuse. This is what we see all the time in “Church Culture.” Sorry, reader—I could not resist that.
The Church We Could Be
These messages make me sad. They don’t do anything but divide the Church. As I read the article today, I felt bad for Jen Hatmaker. I have not followed her closely, but I have followed her journey, and I have never heard her say that she has walked away from the faith. However, I get the sense from the article I read today that because of her stance on issues that are not primary to the faith, the assumption is that she is no longer a Christian. I wonder if the person who wrote this has ever met her or had a conversation with her and heard her story face-to-face.
Imagine a church that truly lived out the greatest commandment—to love God, others, and ourselves. What if we were kind? A church where we weren’t set against one another, but seen as partners.
That’s the vision I long for: a global church unafraid of self-examination, unafraid of healing, and unafraid of the truth that knowing ourselves well actually helps us know and love God more deeply.
