ABSTRACT
Mainstream Protestant denominations have always reserved a prominent place for the supernatural model of spiritual experience. In The Theology of Pastoral Care Edward Thurneysen, the most prominent Barthian spokesman among the counselors, wrote that what makes the pastoral conversation “pastoral” is a “breach” that occurs in it. This “breach” happens when the pastoral counselor proclaims the Word of God, in the form of judgment and forgiveness, to this particular person in his or her unique life situation. On the right wing are those conservative believers who would introduce the spiritual dimension into Dorothy’s psychotherapy through specific verbal acts of prayer, reading the Bible, and engaging in spiritual direction through direct conversation about beliefs, morality, and guidance. The left wing of the supernatural model is represented in the rapidly growing set of “spiritual therapies” often associated with new age thought.
