Dennis Lines: Writer - Teacher - Therapist

I began my career as an engineer before moving into teaching religious education in a large secondary school in south Birmingham. Finally, after having had a tragic accident and broke my neck (leaving me tetraplegic), I moved into full-time the profession of counselling and psychotherapy for teenage clients in the school I formerly taught. I served the community in this role until enforced retirement at the age of 64. This was due to educational reforms which put a higher premium on league table performance over mental health. This resulted in a storm of controversy and protest from frustrated school students:

The Story of Dennis

I am interested in the role that ancient wisdom and religious mythology plays in exploring eternal truths of human existence. I believe it is essential to rediscover and preserve a collective narrative to bind communities together and help cultivate positive social relationships amongst people of various ethnicities and identities. I am also passionate about the environment and have a pressing need to safeguard the natural world.

Northfield Pupils - Protest Loss of Counsellor

“DEVASTATED” pupils staged a last-ditch demonstration in protest at the loss of a popular school counsellor.

Around 40 banner-waving students gathered outside the school gates at Shenley Academy in Northfield on the last day of term yesterday to show their support.

“He is so passionate about helping the pupils and the kids absolutely love him, they are devastated.

Summaries of my writings

You Say That I Am: The Historical Jesus becomes the Messiah

Recent scholarship has shown that the foundations of western society were founded on Christianity, and some scholars (Tom Holland and Bart Ehrman) have shown that even the scientific revolution and philosophical enlightenment may not have occurred without the advance of the Christian movement overturning the political power of the Roman Empire. Although the roots of the early Christian following go back to the figure of the historical Jesus of Nazareth, we know so little about his life and mission, because—as far as we know—he never wrote anything down, and because the only evidence we have has been filtered through the portrayals of his early followers, many of whom were neither Galilean Jews nor from Palestine but from other provinces of the Roman Empire.

How was it possible for a small group of Galilean peasants following this Jewish prophet from a tiny fishing village to overturn the world and establish the movement that would through the centuries shape the cultural, social and political consciousness of the modern world? But then:

How do we know Jesus even existed?
Are the records we have reliable?
If Jesus of Nazareth did exist, how did he fit into the cultural setting of the day?

The Son of God

Barely nothing is known of his personality and self identity, and yet he was claimed to be the Son of God and the long-awaited Jewish Messiah, who was expected to bring deliverance for the Jewish nation from the shackles of Rome. The early Jesus followers made significant claims of his special relationship with God, that he was the long-awaited Jewish Messiah, and that he rose from the dead after brutally being tortured through execution as a threat to the Roman province of Judea.

Jesus of Nazareth was not a significant figure on the world stage, he was barely known by historians of the period and probably would never have made such an impact if it hadn’t have been for Saul of Tarsus, a Greek Jewish convert and one time persecutor of the early Jesus movement. After conversion, Saul became known as ‘the apostle Paul’, whose seven authentic letters (of the 13 bearing his name) form the earliest evidence of Jesus’ existence.

Four Canonical Gospels

The most detailed records of the existence of Jesus, however, remain the four canonical Gospels which open the Christian New Testament. But these accounts were written between 30 and 70 years after the period of Jesus‘ life, they were written in Greek, not in Aramaic, the native tongue of upper Galilee, they were not personally present as eyewitnesses. They have many minor contradictions, having been copied by scribes throughout the first three centuries to the Codex Sinaiticus and Codex Valentinus—the most substantial early complete copies of the New Testament.

You Say That I Am examines the tangible historical evidence of the life and mission of Jesus, his central message as a rural Jewish Rabbi, and his credentials as a faith healer, against the claims of him as having performed miracles and personally appeared alive again after being crucified and buried in a tomb. The book summarises the critical scholarship to date of the evidence from archaeology and textual criticism for the central and reliable core of historicity underlying the early oral source traditions.

The Radical Gospel of Paul and Christian Scripture

A few German scholars over the previous two centuries claimed that Paul of Tarsus, and not Jesus of Nazareth, was the real founder of Christianity. He was an early convert to the Jesus movement and was a passionate and driven missionary preacher throughout the Roman provinces of modern-day Syria, Turkey, Greece and Macedonia. But he had considerable opposition during the 50s from three powerful sources: the Roman authorities, pious Jewish leaders in the synagogues of the northern Mediterranean, and ironically the earliest Jewish followers in Jerusalem, led by James the actual brother of the historical Jesus. Possibly, the greatest opposition was from the central core group of twelve Jewish leaders (known as the twelve apostles), the actual twelve Galileans who followed Jesus and became his immediate disciples, and who are recorded in the four Gospels.

In the letters Paul wrote, at least the authentic ones, there is evidence of this tension between Paul and the Jerusalem community, led by James and Simon Peter, the principal disciple of the historical Jesus. In many ways the letters themselves have been Christianised. Six of the letters ascribed to Paul were not actually written by him. When we examine carefully the authentic letters there is a consistent image of Paul and the tensions and trials he faced, and also the structures of the early Jesus assemblies—known as ecclesias (the believers were only known latterly as Christians).

One particular letter illustrates tensions and opposition of Simon Peter and particularly James towards Paul, which raises a number of key questions: The Jerusalem Christians felt that Paul had distorted the original message of Jesus, whereas Paul believed he needed to adjust the Jewish-centred gospel for Greek/Hellenistic converts to the new faith. Another letter highlights considerable opposition from one of the earliest communities which Paul had set up. The letter illustrates how radical the Gospel of Paul was compared with the gospel of the Jerusalem assembly.

Baby Jewish boys by custom were circumcised, but circumcision for Greeks was considered a violation of the human body. Whilst recognising that baptism was an important ritual for entering the Christian community for early converts, Paul believed that circumcision was no longer necessary for joining the Christian fellowship. For Jewish Christians in Jerusalem this was unacceptable. Paul advocated freedom for a converted slave from his master in a Roman household, against the cultural convention of Roman society. Paul wanted an open table of fellowship, inferring Jew eating alongside pagan convert (Gentile) in the shared meal instituted by Jesus during his final supper, whereas the Jerusalem assembly preferred segregation. Paul advocated and practised the emancipation of women converts in worship to teach, pray and lead in the spiritual phenomenon of speaking in tongues, whereas the Jewish converts preferred these activities to be led exclusively by men.

Christian Persecution

Paul had probably died in Rome during the persecution of Christians by Emperor Nero in 64 CE. The early Christian ecclesias by this time were predominantly made up of Greek converts, as opposed to Jewish Christians. It was the emphasis of Paul’s brand of Christianity that won out against the more restrictive Jewish form of teaching before the end of the century. The book covers these topics in a brief and concise way and illustrates how Paul was able to present Christ as the Son of God in the cosmopolitan Greek cities surrounded with inscriptions of Caesar Augustus as the son of a god (Julius Caesar being declared by the senate to be divine). The rapid spread of Christianity was largely attributed to the communities set up by Paul, whilst the Jerusalem assembly disappeared until a later time under Constantine, the particular Emperor who converted to Christianity in the fourth century (c. 312 CE).

Concerning Job: An Enquiry Concerning Suffering, Disbelief and Divine Injustice

There’s barely a day goes by that we don’t hear on the media of more disheartening news of another war or political conflict in the world, another uprising against the elected leadership, or a natural disaster taking the lives of millions of innocent and unfortunate souls.

Considering the Religious and Philosophical

This recent book by Dennis Lines considers the religious and philosophical answers to such existential questions. Buddhists believe that all life is suffering. Muslims believe that God cannot be questioned as the will of Allah is immutable and above comprehension, but for practising Jews and believing Christians, who promote in different ways a deity who is caring and loving towards the poor and impoverished there is a major philosophical problem. The Hebrew Scriptures contain records of songs and wisdom literature where questions of God in relation to justice are raised.

For the religious person a number of key questions rise to the surface.

Where was God in a universe declared to be ‘good’ and supposedly designed for a purpose?
Does innocent human suffering question the very existence of God?
If God does exist, can we be certain that he is caring and loving towards the poor and destitute?
If he does care for the poor and destitute, why does he allow such human tragedies of injustice and natural disasters to take place and civilian casualties of wars to occur? Why doesn’t God prevent famines, floods, earthquakes and tsunamis that cost the lives of countless innocent people?

Concerning Job takes the reader on a journey, starting with everyday experience and covering religious responses to theodicy, literary projections through the writings of Dostoevsky and Solzhenitsyn, and the psychology of human predisposition to inflict suffering upon innocent people. The second section of Concerning Job presents selections of wisdom poetry contained in the Book of Job, followed by an interpretation of the beliefs of the time. Concerning Job unearths the author’s purpose behind his fascinating adaptation of an ancient folktale of an eastern victim called Job.

Book of Job and Atheism

The book closes with a discussion about innocent suffering by asking whether the issues raised in the Book of Job serve as a rational basis for atheism and the doubting of God’s existence through the radical writings of Nietzsche’s concept of ‘the death of God’.

Satan is Permitted by God to Test Job

The Book of Job in the Jewish Scriptures (the Christian Old Testament) is the book that many religious people turn to in search for such answers. The story of Job (pronounced: Jobe) is about an innocent eastern nomad who suffers unjustly by a God he respected and refused to curse (cursing God in the ancient world was tantamount to death). In the heavenly drama graphically played out in the Book of Job, Satan is permitted by God to test Job by robbing him of his children and livelihood, and in the end by striking him with an unbearable skin affliction. Three sages of wisdom meet up with Job to debate with him on the nature of innocent suffering and divine justice, before God finally pronounces judgement on Job and his three colleagues.

Few other books in the history of religion have presented such testing philosophical discussions on why innocent people suffer, whilst the guilty appear to have a relatively trouble-free life (the nature of what philosophers term ‘theodicy’). In many ways the Book of Job is a riddle, as in the final analysis when God explodes on the scene through a mighty whirlwind to answer Job, it is not clear in what way his divine appearance satisfies the legitimate questions that Job had raised (as viewed by the author). This is why the book of Job has attracted poets, artists and psychologists, such as William Blake and Carl G. Jung.

Brief Counselling in Schools: Working with Young People 11-16 (3rd Ed)

I was a former secondary school teacher and full-time Brief Counsellor in a large comprehensive school in Birmingham serving an area of social deprivation. I have been a supervisor of school counsellors and a trainer of student counsellors who wish to work in a secondary educational setting or college of further education. Brief Counselling covers all the major issues that confront the mental health of young people, those which affect social interaction through the adolescent phase of development.

The book considers the educational setting where counselling takes place, given the Legal and Ethical codes of the institution, and the pressures of time and the educational goals of the secondary school. The book then looks at adolescent development through modern research of neuroscience and the development of the brain structures as youngsters pass from childhood to adulthood.

The primary focus is to look at the typical issues that confront adolescence, issues which often crop up in school and interrupt the learning process and social development. Each chapter is suitably headed so as to give the reader a concise snapshot of the particular research conducted in the covered area, followed by selected case examples and the applicable and effective techniques adopted by a Brief Counsellor in Secondary (High) School or College of Further Education.

The Bullies

The Bullies offers a unique and illustrated perspective on a widespread phenomenon, and will be essential reading for psychologists, sociologists, counsellors, teachers, social workers, probation officers, students and researchers.

Brief Counselling covers the following teenager issues:

Self-harm and Suicide Ideation
Low Self-esteem
Depression, Anxiety and Reaction to Abuse
School Bullying
Anger, Aggression and Violence
Loss and Bereavement
Parental Separation and Step-parent Conflict
Smoking, Drugs and Alcohol Misuse
Teenage Sexuality

The Bullies: Understanding Bullies and Bullying Behaviour

The Bullies attempts to get inside the minds of the bully and the victim—the child, the adolescent and the adult—across a wide range of 'closed' situations including the home, school and the workplace, prisons and the armed services. By listening to the voices of bullies and victims from all kinds of backgrounds without making judgements, Dennis Lines provides unique insights into bullying and what makes such domineering and aggressive behaviour so complex. The Bullies covers controversial issues, such as genetic predisposition towards abusive behaviour, and provides insights on how to understand and treat bullies to change their behaviour.

Spirituality in Counselling and Psychotherapy

‘Dennis Lines comes into this controversial scene with a rigorous-but-gentle, mystical-but-grounded, inspiring and thought-provoking voice! The book is well written and presents the model in the context of other therapeutic modalities, which makes it interesting and useful for therapists from different backgrounds and practice settings. It could also be of use for those involved in religious education, pastoral care or anybody interested in the spiritual development of the Self or the existential quest of humankind'—Therapy Today

‘This gentle, mystical, empirical and scholarly book is truly inspirational and it deserves the widest possible readership among therapists, religious educators and all those who care about the spiritual destiny of humankind'—Professor Brian Thorne, Co-founder The Norwich Centre and Emeritus Professor of Counselling, University of East Anglia

Spirituality in Counselling and Psychotherapy explores the idea that throughout the course of a therapeutic relationship between therapist and client, a spiritual level is reached by the two people involved. The author shows how this dimension can help clients who are living in an increasingly secular and faithless society to find some resolution with the issues they bring to therapy.

By exploring different perspectives on religion and spirituality, the book provides therapists with the grounding they need to introduce spiritually-centred counselling into their practice. It describes the characteristics of spiritual counselling and covers practical considerations such as:

Recognising indications from the client to move into a spiritual mode of therapy
Exploring the 'Self' through spiritual work within the therapeutic process
Spirituality for healing and growth
How to deal with doubt and scepticism over issues of spirituality.

The book is illustrated throughout with transcripts and case studies to show how therapists can integrate the spiritual within their own approach to therapeutic work. It will be invaluable to all those who wish to explore this dimension in their work with clients.

Religion and Spirituality

The Accused: The Story of a Professional Practitioner Accused of Child Abuse

This is the story of a professional practitioner working for a local authority who was falsely accused by thirty year adult of child abuse during his teenage years. The book illustrates the other side of an argument that is becoming all too pressing to be aired in public. What must it be like for a trusted adult to be accused of committing the most degrading and obscene act of abusing a minor? It illustrates the psychological trauma and mental anguish over an unnecessarily lengthy period when all that is required is an unfounded allegation to the public authority.

Whilst it is essential to preserve the innocence of children and young people and protect them from paedophiles and abusive adults who have deviant sexual inclinations, it is also necessary to recognise that it is becoming all too common for adults outside the family unit to be under suspicion by the wider public under the mantra that: “There’s no smoke without fire!“

The book explores a particular example and illustrates how a victim on the other side of the argument can be virtually close to committing suicide through the perceived shame that would result before a case comes to court. The book was written before the prevalence of internet abuse by deviant adults around the world which puts youngsters even at greater risk in the privacy of their own bedrooms.

Daimler Publishing

Historical Studies of Jesus and Paul

Biblical Criticism and Christian Fundamentalism - Mythology and Archaeology - Kerygma and Church - Gospel, Misogyny and Slavery - Job and Divine Justice

Dennis Lines - MBACP, Cert. Ed., M. Eng.

Author - Psychotherapist - Theologian

You Say That I Am:

Dennis Lines - Author

Dennis Lines: Writer - Teacher - Therapist

The Story of Dennis

Northfield Pupils - Protest Loss of Counsellor

Summaries of my writings

You Say That I Am: The Historical Jesus becomes the Messiah

The Son of God

Four Canonical Gospels

The Radical Gospel of Paul and Christian Scripture

Christian Persecution

Concerning Job: An Enquiry Concerning Suffering, Disbelief and Divine Injustice

Considering the Religious and Philosophical

For the religious person a number of key questions rise to the surface.

Book of Job and Atheism

Satan is Permitted by God to Test Job

Brief Counselling in Schools: Working with Young People 11-16 (3rd Ed)

The Bullies

Brief Counselling covers the following teenager issues:

The Bullies: Understanding Bullies and Bullying Behaviour

Spirituality in Counselling and Psychotherapy

Religion and Spirituality

The Accused: The Story of a Professional Practitioner Accused of Child Abuse

Dennis Lines - Book Promotion

The Radical Gospel of Paul and Christian Scripture

Concerning Job: An Enquiry Concerning Suffering, Disbelief and Divine Injustice

You Say That I Am: The Historical Jesus becomes the Messiah

Consider
Job

Block header

Historical Studies of Jesus and Paul

Biblical Criticism and Christian Fundamentalism - Mythology and Archaeology - Kerygma and Church - Gospel, Misogyny and Slavery - Job and Divine Justice

Dennis Lines - MBACP, Cert. Ed., M. Eng.

Author - Psychotherapist - Theologian

You Say That I Am:

Dennis Lines - Author

Dennis Lines: Writer - Teacher - Therapist

The Story of Dennis

Northfield Pupils - Protest Loss of Counsellor

Summaries of my writings

You Say That I Am: The Historical Jesus becomes the Messiah

The Son of God

Four Canonical Gospels

The Radical Gospel of Paul and Christian Scripture

Christian Persecution

Concerning Job: An Enquiry Concerning Suffering, Disbelief and Divine Injustice

Considering the Religious and Philosophical

For the religious person a number of key questions rise to the surface.

Book of Job and Atheism

Satan is Permitted by God to Test Job

Brief Counselling in Schools: Working with Young People 11-16 (3rd Ed)

The Bullies

Brief Counselling covers the following teenager issues:

The Bullies: Understanding Bullies and Bullying Behaviour

Spirituality in Counselling and Psychotherapy

Religion and Spirituality

The Accused: The Story of a Professional Practitioner Accused of Child Abuse

Dennis Lines - Book Promotion

The Radical Gospel of Paul and Christian Scripture

Concerning Job: An Enquiry Concerning Suffering, Disbelief and Divine Injustice

You Say That I Am: The Historical Jesus becomes the Messiah

Consider Job

Block header

Consider
Job