The perception of God in pastoral counseling

Many people who go to pastoral counselors for help have a perception of God that is psychospiritually unhelpful, if not damaging. Four examples of unhelpful God-perceptions are discussed: God is vengeful; God is needy; God is our caretaker; and God is our tutor. Pastoral examples of the negative consequences of each of these God-perceptions is given. The article ends with a section which describes the pastoral implications of unhelpful God-perceptions.