"My burden in this book is to lay a foundation for accepting the simple (but rather radical) idea that Jesus Christ is the way the truth, and the life without falling into shallowness or irrelevance. To reach that goal, it is necessary to see how psychological disorder is really the product of the sinful pursuit of life apart from God."
"Let me try to reduce this profound longing for relationship to a simple definition: Each of us fervently wants someone to see us exactly as we are, warts and all, and still accept us. Because no other human being can ever see all of us, a nagging doubt clouds even the best relationship: what would they think of me if they knew that...?"
"We must relieve ourselves of the pressure to 'feel good' when something legitimately painful happens. Hurting Christians must embrace their pain, not deny it out of guilt. Bereaved people should sorrow. Parents whose children rebel should ache. Wives whose husbands are weak should feel disappointed and angry. Children whose parents provide authority without involvement should feel betrayed.... every emotion can be used to push us on to a deeper awareness of our dependency on God."
"People who were designed to know the joy of relationship feel only the pain of separation and loneliness."
Larry Crabb has the most biblical and practical theory of counselling of any author I know. Understanding People, however, is not only for those who call themselves counsellors. It is for anyone who wants to understand and relate biblical concepts to everyday life.
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Dr. Howard G. Hendricks, professor, Dallas Theological Seminary
This carefully reasoned book is thought-provoking, challenging, probing, realistic, and clearly biblical. I recommend it highly.
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Dr. Gary R. Collins, professor, Liberty University
Lawrence J. Crabb's stated purpose in Understanding People is to present some of the fruits of (his) efforts to understand biblical counselling. His efforts are to be applauded.
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Jill P. Briscoe, author and teacher, Waukesha, Wisconsin
I highly recommend this book as essential reading for anyone interested in a Christ-cantered, biblical approach to understanding and helping people with their deep longings for true relationship, and therefore for anyone interested in the integration of psychology and Christian faith.
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Dr. Slang-Yang Tan, professor, Fuller Graduate School of Psychology
Understanding People is a prophetic book in a priestly style that deserves careful reading by every pastor, counsellor, and counselee... .A landmark book that consistently points to God's sovereignty, wisdom, and love, its message has the power to revolutionize Christian counselling.
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Dr. Richard P. Walters, author and counsellor, Cincinnati, Ohio
Larry Crabb's book, Understanding People, brings a breath of fresh air to the debate on what it means to counsel biblically.. .His exposure of the age-old lie that a person's independence is the path to happiness and freedom is matched by his unfolding of the way to true humanity through a deep dependence on Christ.
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Dr. Roger F. Hurtling, teacher and counsellor, Bristol, England
Dr. Larry Crabb is the Director of the Institute of Biblical Counselling in Morrison, Colorado. He received his Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of Illinois where he was also an assistant professor of psychology. He was Director of the Psychological Counselling Centre at Florida Atlantic University, has spent ten years in private practice, and has taught counselling on the seminary level for many years. He currently serves as chairman of the counselling program at Colorado Christian University in Denver. He is the author of many books including Marriage Builder, Encouragement (with Dan Allender), Inside Out, Effective Biblical Counselling, and Understanding People.
