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Is Therapy Culture Creating A Spiritually Dead Church?

Is Therapy Culture Creating A Spiritually Dead Church?

Last updated on: June 30, 2026 at 6:20 pm by Kathy King

Is Therapy Culture Creating A Spiritually Dead Church? 2026-06-30T18:20:22-04:00 Kathy King

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When I spent copious time in therapy, I felt like it was one big grievance fest. I never felt better at the end of the sessions, in fact, I felt defeated. | Image Courtesy of Canva Pro

“Therapy was invented about 120 years ago. As the years have passed, everyone is more anxious, neurotic and depressed than ever before.” Josh Howerton

Has therapy culture produced a spiritually dead church? More importantly, has it decreased the power and prominence of the Word of God in Christian life? Before we delve into this subject, I’d like to say upfront, therapy has helped many people. I am not anti-therapy by any means, but it must be discussed that we live in a culture of identity crisis, peak unhappiness, ugliness and a fragile hold on the truth. Gone are the days of objective truth. Today it is my truth. I’ve got news for you dear ones, your truth leads you one direction, to delusion apart from Christ. In that delusional and personal truth, spiritual death inevitably ensues.

Let’s talk about the rise of therapy culture

Many forms of therapy have existed for quite some time. I want to focus on the rise of “talk therapy” that was brought forth by Sigmund Freud. He is often seen as the pioneer of this method. He put forth the following ideas:

The id: The most primitive and unconscious part of the mind. In that realm, your most base instincts lie. Sexual impulses, selfishness, immediate gratification, and hunger. In other words, our base needs that don’t really take into account moral structure or code.
Ego: This is the rational decision-making portion of yourself. It tamps down the id and introduces morality into the equation.
Superego: This is the portion of the mind that understands moral constraints. It tells you, “It’s not okay to do that in polite society.”
Talk therapy: This is sometimes referred to as the “talking cure.” In this setting, you talk about any and everything that comes to mind. Even thoughts that are a bit embarrassing in polite company. Grievances are aired, sometimes ad nauseum, in an attempt to heal the patient of any perceived and sometimes unperceived trauma.

In each of these areas, the goal is to reduce depression and anxiety and promote healing in the patient’s life.

The goal is to reduce depression and anxiety and promote healing in the patient’s life. | Image Courtesy of Canva Pro

Where is God in all of this?

Yesterday I read an unknown quote that said, “We’ve become experts on ourselves and strangers to God.” Is that the goal of therapy? Is constant navel gazing the end goal to healing trauma? Or, does it produce a spiritually dead Christian and subsequently a spiritually dead church? Let’s examine what the Bible tells us about healing, our thoughts and morality.

We are a triune being; we have a spirit, soul, and body.

The body is the temple of the Holy Spirit (our physical body). For the believer, when they accept Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior, His Holy Spirit makes its home in you. The Apostle Paul told us in I Corinthians 6:19-20: “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own. You were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.” Without the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, we would be subject to every wind of doctrine that blows our way. Morality would not be present, we would live for ourselves and not in service to God.
The soul is the place where our mind, will and emotions dwell. In the Hebrew language, the soul is referred to as the nephesh. In the Greek language, the word used is psyche. This is the essence of life, this portion is greatly valued by God. The psalmist David composed the song: “My soul follows hard after thee, early in the morning will I rise up and seek thee.” Others call this the God-shaped hole in our souls that can only be filled by Him. In the world we will encounter so many options to fix that longing for our creator, God’s Word and Spirit fill those spaces with the peace that passes all understanding. Also, the scripture tells us to love the Lord our God with all of our heart, mind, soul and strength. The word used for all in the Greek is pas which means the whole of yourself.
The spirit is the immaterial, God-Breathed life force that animates humanity. In the believer, that is the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit. The Greeks call it pneuma and in Hebrew it is called ruach. The spirit is the very part of the Ruach Elohim רוּחַ אֱלֹהִים, the very breath of God Himself. God’s Spirit gives us the unique ability to understand and comprehend life. When humanity fell in the garden, the spirit of man was damaged and condemned to hell. Immorality, vile passions, murder and every kind of sin entered in. In other words, the enemy who steals, kills and destroys made his place in the hearts and spirits of men. It was only through Jesus’ sacrifice on the Cross that we were given access to the Holy Spirit’s indwelling in our lives.

Kids are questioning their gender identity at alarming rates, murder abounds, and ugly comments are a social media click away. With all of our methods for healing, why is that the case? | Image Courtesy of Canva Pro

How has therapy culture created a spiritually dead church?

Yesterday I read that anger, stress, sadness, physical pain and worry have reached a global high. Kids are questioning their gender identity at alarming rates, murder abounds, and ugly comments are a social media click away. With all of our methods for healing, why is that the case? Well, church, it is because we have decreased and the ways of the world have increased mightily. You might say, “Kathy, we are living in the end times! Things are going to get exponentially worse as the second coming draws near! No one could really be happy!” I’m going to respectfully disagree with you. God’s Word is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He has not changed; our dependence on God has, however, dwindled to nothing.

Was Freud trying to understand the nature of man?

Did you see in our comparison above that Freud had an explanation for spirit, soul and body? We are a triune being; perhaps Freud was trying to understand what God had brought forth when He breathed life into His creation. What God creates, Satan counterfeits. You can count on it. He wants to do all that he can to draw you away from God’s design to seek Him. The church used to quote Scripture to fill up our Spiritual cup of affirmation. We spoke of who we are in Christ Jesus- saved, filled with His Spirit, and full of the peace that passes all understanding. Now we have positive affirmations, empty words that do not have the power of God’s Word behind them. In our upside-down culture, we think comfort means validation, and conviction of sin is unnecessary; “I am perfect just as I am” is the phrase that is used. Dear ones, only Jesus is perfect just as He is.

When you walk into a therapist’s office, are you asking them to disciple you into walking in better, more Godly pathways? | Image Courtesy of Canva Pro

My personal therapy experience

When I spent copious time in therapy, I felt like it was one big grievance fest. I never felt better at the end of the sessions; in fact, I felt defeated. I had constant reminders of pain and sin that had taken place long ago; it was beaten into me over and over in the name of healing. Do you know what was missing? Prayer, Scripture, and peace. I do have a current therapist who is a believer in Christ; she incorporates God’s Word into the sessions and understands that healing ultimately lies with God.

Have therapists replaced pastors?

Have therapists replaced pastors? When you walk into a therapist’s office, are you asking them to disciple you into walking in better, more Godly pathways? Are you opening up the most vulnerable parts of your life, heart and decisions without looking outward to Jesus the Author and Finisher of the Faith? Navel gazing erodes important life skills. If you walk into every situation wondering how it affects your emotions, you are crippling your life. Has the church become spiritually dead? These questions need to be asked in a world swirling towards peak unhappiness in all aspects of life. After all, ultimate healing and transformation can only come from God.

I do have a current therapist who is a believer in Christ; she incorporates God’s Word into the sessions and understands that healing ultimately lies with God. | Image Courtesy of Canva Pro

Not all therapy is bad

Finally, all therapy is not bad. There are some wonderful godly therapists who understand the role of God’s Word in healing the lives of others. Also, there are those with a true need for expert help in certain situations. But church, we need to start realizing that without God and His Word, which created the universe, we are indeed nothing. Stand up, church! Start preaching the whole counsel of God’s Word. I want to leave you with a story about my great aunt Alma. She was born in 1899; she lived until 1998. She lived through the sinking of the Titanic, WWI, the stock market crash of 1929, WWII (her son served as a navigator in the European theater), the Korean War, Vietnam, Desert Storm, the tragic violent death of her husband and many other world events. She was one of the happiest people I have ever met to this day. When I asked her the secret to her joy, she told me without hesitation that it was her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. The good, powerful book and the promise of life eternal. She was on to something. It’s time to ask questions in our world that is teeming with unhappiness. Wake up, church, and preach the Word! Selah.

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