Review: The Emotionally Healthy Church: A Strategy for Discipleship that Actually Changes Lives

The Emotionally Healthy Church: A Strategy for Discipleship that Actually Changes Lives by Peter Scazzero
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

I first attempted to read this book in 2015 and now (in 2016) I read it again for the purposes of a school assignment.

While the content is not overly complex, I am quite puzzled as to where Scazzero plants the foundation of his thesis from. My polytechnic diploma in psychology better prepared me to read the book critically and yet I came away quite disappointed. I do understand where he is coming from, basically to embrace the brokenness in you (and your family) and not to work yourself until you have nothing left. I do hope to see some proper citations from the experts in field of psychology to add some credibility to the "emotionally healthy" schema.

The Scripture references were often proof-texts of a point he was trying to make, and after a while I had to force myself to finish the book. Basically if you are looking for a (as the subheading goes) strategy, a work-based step-by-step formula, this is the book for you. But if you are interested in meaty ecclesiology, look up Timothy Keller's Center Church or Edmund Clowney's The Church. See also Carlson and Lueken's Renovation of the Church for an account of how two co-pastors moved away from formulaic style approach to running a church.

To top off my discomfort with this book, Chapter 12 was basically advertisements to Scazzero's other books and programs. I cannot recommend this book because of its questionable psychology, allegorical use of Scripture and outrageous self-publicity.

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