What is the Creation story in the book of Genesis really trying to tell us? Is it truly a divinely-inspired description of God creating the world in just six days? With the ongoing evolution of modern scientific discoveries, these questions can be a challenge for Bible-readers like humanitarian and psychotherapist E. Kent Rogers–which is why he believes the story of Creation is actually a timeless guide for our own transition from darkness to light.
In Seven Days of Spiritual Evolution: The Genesis of Personal Transformation, Rogers responds to a growing movement of biblical literalism by turning to eighteenth-century spiritual teacher Emanuel Swedenborg, who wrote prolifically about how the deeper symbolic meanings of Bible text can provide spiritual guidance. Using Swedenborg’s language of correspondences, Rogers shows us how Genesis 1 describes our psychological landscape as it unfolds along the horizons of our inner journey toward God. He draws insightful parallels between the different stages of our spiritual growth and contemporary psychotherapeutic treatment–from person-centered to cognitive to behavioral therapies. To make the intangible tangible, Rogers accesses what he has learned as both a mental health counselor and spiritual practitioner to offer workable methods for improving how we think and behave on a daily basis.
Intended as a tool for anyone who is interested in personal and spiritual development, Seven Days of Spiritual Evolution weaves psychology, spirituality, and everyday experience into a practical approach to growth. Faith isn’t about drawing lines in the sand or judging others, Rogers says, it’s about learning how to love others and to love God. Ultimately, it’s about opening our hearts to the Bible as a useful and never-ending guidebook for God’s all-loving, redeeming, and merciful work in the world.
