Manuel J. Costa M.a. Lmft

A Path to Life's Fullness: a New Perspective on the Teachings of Jesus Manuel J. Costa M.a. Lmft

Named a finalist in the Spirituality category of the 2013 Next Generation Indie Book Awards,this book aims to rescue Jesus and his teachings from Christianity. Unfortunately, Christian doctrine often misses and sometimes even subverts the penetrating insights about life articulated by Jesus. These insights touch on every important aspect of human life. They have something relevant to say about commitment, relationship, love, forgiveness, projection, anger, anxiety, self-esteem, sexuality, suffering, and death. Jesus' teachings stand on their own because they are psychologically true. They are rooted in reality, and can therefore be tested experientially. They appeal to anyone who wants to live a full and satisfying life. One does not even have to believe in God to find in these teachings a way to become fully human. The depth psychology of Carl G. Jung is used as a tool to mine the wisdom in Jesus' sayings and parables. And sound principles of biblical criticism help the reader to sift through the gospel texts and to discern between those teachings which are more likely traceable to Jesus himself and those which have their source in the "Christian overlay" i.e., beliefs about Jesus that arose in the early Christian communities. The authentic teachings of Jesus have the power to illumine and transform our lives right here and right now.