Dissecting the Heart: Secular Psychology, Spiritual Warfare, and True Theology

David Powlison (1949–2019) was one of the most insightful biblical counselors of the last 100 years. Training in psychology at Harvard and at Penn in the history of science, Powlison immersed himself in Reformed theology and went on to help define the biblical counseling movement until his passing in 2019. In this ground-breaking book, author and theologian Pierce Taylor Hibbs presents thirteen of Powlison's most penetrating lectures given between the 1980s and early 2000s. The result is a one-stop introduction to Powlison's thought and theology, with all of the psychological and theological background filled in for readers with content footnotes. Dissecting the Heart brings some of Powlison's best insights to a new generation that is struggling to deal with its relationship to secular psychology and spiritual formation. For the first time on the printed page, readers get a front-row seat to Powlison's personal thoughts on secular psychology, the role of counseling in the church, the nature of spiritual warfare, and the function of true theology. Patently biblical, pastorally sensitive, and wonderfully engaging, this is David Powlison at his best, talking to his students, and to the church, with a heart for biblical wisdom and Christ-centered hope.