Therapeutism as Theology

We Christians always want to be helpful. Or, to be more precise, we want to show people how helpful God can be. I've been wondering lately about our needs-based approach to Scripture, to theology, and to God. I've been wondering about it, mind you. Not thinking it through. And now I find that novelist Lisa Samson has been thinking about it too. She's talking about the craft of writing Christian fiction, but in the course of doing so she says this:

For years we have been fed the notion that our spiritual life is about our own peace and fulfillment, our own "personal relationship" with God. Perhaps the most broken aspect of our theology, however, what may seize up our creativity and hinder us from deep spiritual insight, is the therapeutism touted as theology these days: that God only wants us to be wealthy, healthy and happy, that Christ died so we could be free from any pain and discomfort and if we're not, we're not being blessed or we don't have enough faith.

"Therapeutism touted as theology." I like that. I think she's onto something there!

[HT: Mark Bertrand]