Narrative Therapy, Theology, and Relational Openness: Reconstructing the Connection between Postmodern Therapy and Traditional Theology

Abstract

Narrative therapy, as a postmodernist psychotherapy, is queried by some pastoral care workers. In addition, traditional theology is often rejected by Christian counseling as being outmoded in the postmodern world. This paper is an attempt to find the convergence of narrative therapy and traditional Christian theology. The paper's proposition is that narrative therapy's postmodernist view of counseling practice rediscovers the importance of pastoral care, which modernist counseling professionalism has ignored. The paper also discusses the idea that narrative therapy is not a deconstruction or a hyper-individualism. Rather, it is a relational recovery that is apposite to Christian faith. Then, the paper uses Martin Luther's theology of Law and Gospel to demonstrate theology has power to “deconstruct” and “externalize” human problems, and achieve relational recovery. Finally, Christology and the doctrine of the Trinity will be used to further explore a possible direction for reconciling postmodern psychotherapy and traditional theology.