Larry Crabb's Gospel

Dr. Crabb is well-known for his books on counseling and Christian growth. While he refers to his counseling model and methods as "biblical," his psychological theories affect his teachings about the human condition, how people change and grow, and how they can find God.

Crabb interprets the message of the cross according to his psychological ideas about the nature of man and how he changes. The gospel becomes the good news that Jesus meets the needs/longings/passions which motivate behavior from the unconscious. Sin becomes wrong strategies for meeting the needs/longings/passions. Confession is telling our stories and gaining insight into those wrong strategies. Full repentance comes through getting in touch with the pain of the past. Hence, the gospel message itself is directly tied to a psychological construct. Not only is the doctrine of man psychologized, but the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are made subservient to Crabb’s psychospiritual theories.

Through the years people have argued, "But Larry Crabb has changed." Has he? This book examines his writings from 1975 through 1997 to answer that question and determine the status of his approach to counseling and ministering the gospel of salvation and sanctification.