Explore Jung's psychological interpretation of Christianity as a living symbolic system. Trace the evolution of the God-image and discover how Christian doctrine reflects archetypal patterns of the collective unconscious.
Explore Jung's revolutionary psychological interpretation of the Christian myth and the transformation of the God-image
For Jung, Christianity represented not merely religious doctrine, but a living psychological system that documented humanity's evolving relationship with the archetype of the Self – a dialogue between consciousness and the unconscious that continues to shape Western culture
This course offers an essential exploration of C. G. Jung's psychological approach to Christianity and its central symbols. Jung's engagement with Christianity spanned decades, producing some of his most provocative and misunderstood work. Unlike theologians or philosophers, Jung approached Christian doctrine, ritual, and imagery as a psychologist – treating them as products of the psyche that reveal profound patterns of human consciousness. – This course examines Jung's major writings including 'A Psychological Approach to the Dogma of the Trinity', 'Transformation Symbolism in the Mass', 'Aion', and 'Answer to Job', exploring how Jung applied his psychotherapeutic method to Christianity itself. We'll investigate the concept of the God-image – the psychological representation of the Self – and trace its evolution from the paradoxical Yahweh through the Christian Trinity to the emerging quaternity that includes the feminine, matter, and shadow integration. This work addresses not merely historical religion, but the urgent psychological challenges facing contemporary individuals seeking symbolic meaning in a post-religious age.
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Your instructor for this course:
Senior Instructor
James R. Newell, Ph.D.
James Newell is an educator, counselor, personal coach, professional musician, and the director of the Depth Psychology Alliance. James earned his master’s degree in Pastoral Counseling and Theology from Vanderbilt University Divinity School, with a focus on Jungian psychology. He earned his doctorate in History of Religions from the Vanderbilt University Graduate School of Religion. James has taught online and face to face courses for Central Michigan University, Western Kentucky University, Excelsior College, Thomas Edison State University, and other institutions.
Bonnie Bright, PhD, founder of the Depth Psychology Alliance
Dr. James Newell is a gifted teacher and scholar who has effectively organized an impressive amount of detailed research and information into a series of powerful classes and courses on Jung and Jung’s psychology, now available on Depth Psychology Academy. Students at all levels can gain a depth of understanding about how Jung’s ideas can change our lives and our world as Dr. Newell explains each topic very clearly and at exactly the right pace for students of all levels to take it in.
Dr. James Newell is highly knowledgeable in Jungian Psychology
Monica Flores, Ed.D
Dr. James Newell is highly knowledgeable in Jungian Psychology. I learned so much from him about Jung and Jungian psychology when I began taking courses in depth psychology from the Depth Psychology Alliance online courses. Dr. Newell is open-minded and consistent. He has a smooth voice that can hold anyone’s attention. I enthusiastically recommend taking these courses through the Depth Psychology Academy.
James is a knowledgeable and caring instructor with an engaging teaching style
Ann Amberg, MCS, Transpersonal Leadership Consultant
I highly recommend Dr. James Newell’s courses. Upon completion of my certificate in Depth Psychology I had gained the confidence, focus and knowledge to support my success in my current PhD program in Jungian and Archetypal Studies at Pacifica Graduate Institute. James is a knowledgeable and caring instructor with an engaging teaching style. All of the Depth Psychology Alliance courses I took: Introduction to Jungian Psychology, Active Imagination, Fairy Tales, Dreams, and many more, were phenomenal and I am most grateful for the opportunity to study with James.
The courses I have taken with Dr. Newell have perfectly prepped me for my graduate studies in psychoanalysis
Nirlap Bettenhauser, student
This is an outstanding educational program where one can learn multiple areas of Jungian Psychology. These courses are very well structured with an appropriate course load and high quality texts. Plus the price is incredibly reasonable. The courses I have taken with Dr. Newell have been intellectually engaging and have perfectly prepped me for my graduate studies in psychoanalysis. Not something I expected to receive from the academy, but very grateful I did.
Learn college-level material at a fraction of the cost!
This course provides the historical, theoretical, and symbolic context necessary to understand Jung's complex relationship with Christianity. We'll examine his methodological approach – anamnesis, reconstruction, and the transference/countertransference dynamics – that shaped his therapeutic vision for Western religion. The course also explores repressed elements of Christian culture, including Gnosticism and alchemy, which Jung saw as compensatory movements attempting to integrate what orthodox Christianity excluded. Don't miss this opportunity to engage with one of Jung's most challenging and culturally significant bodies of work – a project that speaks not only to those interested in Christianity, but to anyone seeking to understand the psychological underpinnings of Western consciousness and the search for meaning in modernity.
Module 1: Controversies Around Jung’s Understanding of the Christian Myth
M1/1: Learning and Assessment Activities
M1/2: Course Syllabus
M1/3: Video Lesson: Controversies Around Jung’s Understanding of the Christian Myth
M1/4: Video Lesson Quiz
M1/5: Readings Quiz - (All questions are based on the assigned readings, pages 1 - 19; Chapter 1 in the textbook, Jung's Treatment of Christianity)
M1/6: Module Assignments and Additional Resources
M1/7: An Additional, Optional Resource for Study
M1/8: An Additional, Optional Resource for Study
M1/9: An Additional, Optional Resource for Study
M1/10: An Additional, Optional Video Resources
3
Module 2: Jung’s Method of Psychotherapy.
M2/1: Learning and Assessment Activities
M2/2: Video Lesson: Jung’s Method of Psychotherapy.
M2/3: Video Lesson Quiz
M2/4: Readings Quiz - (All questions are based on the assigned readings, pages 21 - 45; in the textbook, Jung's Treatment of Christianity)
M2/5: Module Assignments and Additional Resources
M2/6: An Additional, Optional Resource for Study
M2/7: An Additional, Optional Resource for Study
M2/8: Additional, Optional Video Resources
4
Module 3: Jung’s Method of Understanding the Christian Myth
M3/1: Learning and Assessment Activities
M3/2: Video Lesson: Jung’s Method of Understanding the Christian Myth
M3/3: Video Lesson Quiz
M3/4: Readings Quiz - (All questions are based on the assigned readings, pages 45 - 68; in the textbook, Jung's Treatment of Christianity)
M3/5: Module Assignments and Additional Resources
M3/6: An Additional, Optional Resource for Study
M3/7: An Additional, Optional Resource for Study
M3/8: An Additional, Optional Video Resource
5
Module 4: The Repressed Contents of Christian Culture
M4/1: Learning and Assessment Activities
M4/2: Video Lesson: The Repressed Contents of Christian Culture
M4/3: Video Lesson Quiz
M4/4: Readings Quiz - (All questions are based on the assigned readings, pages 69 - 109; in the textbook, Jung's Treatment of Christianity)
M4/5: Module Assignments and Additional Resources
M4/6: An Additional, Optional Resource for Study
M4/7: An Additional, Optional Resource for Study
M4/8: An Additional, Optional Resource for Study
M4/9: An Additional, Optional Resource for Study
M4/10 An Additional, Optional Video Resource
6
Module 5: Jung’s Answer to Job: Jung’s Personal Response to the Christian Myth.
M5/1: Learning and Assessment Activities
M5/2 Module 5: Jung’s Answer to Job: Jung’s Personal Response to the Christian Myth
M5/3: Module 5 Video Quiz
M5/4: Readings Quiz - (All questions are based on the assigned readings, pages 111 - 146; in the textbook, Jung's Treatment of Christianity)
M5/6: Module Assignments and Additional Resources
M5/7: Additional, Optional Resource for Study
M5/8: Additional, Optional Resource for Study
M5/9: Additional, Optional Resource for Study
M5/10: Additional, Optional Resource for Study
M5/11: Additional, Optional Video Resource
7
Module 6: Jung’s Understanding of the New God-Image.
M6/1: Learning and Assessment Activities
M6/2: Video Lesson: Jung’s Understanding of the New God-Image.
M6/3: Video Lesson Quiz
M6/4: Readings Quiz - (All questions are based on the assigned readings, pages 146 - 178; in the textbook, Jung's Treatment of Christianity).
M6/5: Module Assignments and Additional Resources
M6/6: An Additional, Optional Reading.
M6/7: An Additional, Optional Reading.
M6/8: An Additional, Optional Reading.
M6/9: An Additional, Optional Video Resource
8
Module 7: Jung’s Prescription for the Ailing Christian Myth
M7/1: Learning and Assessment Activities
M7/2: Video Lesson: Jung’s Prescription for the Ailing Christian Myth
M7/3: Video Lesson Quiz
M7/4: Readings Quiz - (All questions are based on the assigned readings, pages 179 - 194; in the textbook, Jung's Treatment of Christianity).
M7/5: Module Assignments and Additional Resources
M7/6: An Additional, Optional Resource for Study
M7/7: An Additional, Optional Resource for Study
M7/8: An Additional, Optional Resource for Study
M7/9: An Additional, Optional Video Resources
9
Module 8: Jung’s New Myth, Culture, and the World’s Other Religions
M8/1: Learning and Assessment Activities
M8/2: Video Lesson: Jung’s New Myth, Culture, and the World’s Other Religions
M8/3: Video Lesson Quiz
M8/4: Readings Quiz - (All questions are based the reading: The New Myth. An essay by Edward Edinger (see resources).
M8/5: Module Assignments and Additional Resources
M8/6: Additional, Optional Resource for Study
M8/7: Additional, Optional Resource for Study
M8/8: Additional, Optional Resource for Study
M8/9: Additional, Optional Video Resource
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Learn at your own pace
This course is an essential resource for anyone seeking to understand Jung's psychological interpretation of religious phenomena and the evolution of symbolic consciousness in Western culture. Jung's approach offers neither apologetics nor atheism, but rather a third way—examining Christianity as a living psychological system that both reflects and shapes human consciousness across millennia.
Through careful study of Jung's major works on Christianity, we'll explore how archetypal patterns manifest in religious doctrine, how the loss of living myth creates cultural pathology, and how the integration of opposites—including the shadow side of the God-image—becomes essential for psychological wholeness. This work has implications far beyond Christianity itself, illuminating the psychological dynamics that operate in all religious traditions and the universal human need for connection with the numinous depths of the psyche.
Enroll now and discover how Jung's diagnostic and therapeutic approach to Christianity addresses not merely historical religion, but the urgent psychological and cultural challenges facing contemporary humanity.
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