Evangelical psychologists publish a ‘survival manual’: 132 tips based on the Bible

Professionals in the field of psychology have published a free guide to help navigate these times of Covid-19 crisis.

The initiative started in Spain in the first weeks of the expansion of the epidemic in Southern Europe. In only a little over one week, over 50 psychologists who share a common evangelical Christian faith produced this material to respond to the needs they saw around them – in society and in the church.

“Information overload and misinformation are not helping (…) and we seem to be lacking in discernment to know how to walk with others during this time”, the Spanish Evangelical Psychologists Group (GPE) said.

This association has been working for over a decade bringing together professionals of the field through conferences, workshops, etc., to think about how psychology and the Bible relate to each other.

The authors believe that the coronavirus crisis “is a time to take a step back, to think, to remember, to meditate, to understand and strengthen our faith in the God who rules the times. It’s time to appropriately use each and every one of the resources that God Himself has put within our reach: from the fields of medicine, engineering, education, journalism, or politics, even the study of human behaviour implied by psychology—all of it linked with and subject to the Word that brings light to our lives and shows us the path to follow in the darkest moments”.

The 60-page guide offers 132 practical tips, all of them linked to a Bible passage.

The contents are distributed into 10 sections. Among the themes addressed are “Understanding the crisis, growing in it”, “Using your time wisely”, “Taking care of the Young and the Elderly”, and “If you are grieving”.

THE EXAMPLE OF CHRIST

In the introduction to the document, published on the website of the Spanish evangelical graduate movement, the example of Christ in the midst of suffering is underlined.

“As human beings, we Christians are not exempt from experiencing all these things as well as a certain level of frustration, doubt, or fear. The shadow of death has become more tangible and closer than ever, and it scares us. Jesus Himself experienced many of these terrible feelings during His time on earth”.

FREE DOWNLOAD

The guide was first published one month ago in Spanish. The English version has now been made available for free as well.

Download the “Survival manual in times of crisis” in English here.