Those who think they know something do not yet know anything as they should. But whoever loves God is known by God.

1 Corinthians 8:2-3 ERV

Shopping was a favorite family activity for my mother and sisters. When my dad was otherwise occupied, they dragged me along on what could become multiple-hour affairs. By middle school, I’d grown uncooperative enough that my mom would give me money to disappear—usually into Radio Shack or one of the mall bookstores. Walden Books was my sanctuary—or perhaps, my laboratory.

It was there, at age twelve, that I bought a book that changed my life: Sybil.

Before I read Sybil, science meant chemistry and physics. Psychology was not on my radar. But Flora Schreiber’s account of one woman with sixteen distinct personalities introduced me to the profound depth of human behavior. Discovering these depths requires curiosity, courage, and the desire to be truly known.

The book told the story of Shirley Mason (called “Sybil” to protect her identity), whose childhood trauma had fractured her into multiple personalities. Through years of therapy, these separate selves—each with distinct memories, voices, and temperaments—gradually learned to coexist and integrate. Whether every detail was accurate or not (later investigations raised questions), the core insight remains: there was far more going on inside one person than anyone could see from the outside.

That discovery opened my twelve-year-old mind to the idea that the parts of me I had suppressed were relevant—that imitating the stoicism of Spock from Star Trek or the heroes of westerns was my way of avoiding something important in me. 

When I was introduced to the Word of God years later, I began to experience what secular psychology had only hinted at: below the surface was a realm of potential in my complexity that would allow me to live a complete rather than a half-life.

The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple.

Psalm 119:130 NIV

Decades later, I believe everyone can benefit from understanding the psychology of their human nature—not because we all need therapy (though some certainly do), but because when we invite God into the conversation, we can experience breakthroughs that exceed what’s possible through human effort alone. God doesn’t replace good therapy when it’s needed; he makes us better patients if we have mental health struggles, and better people in general.

This is why our moment demands what I call the psychology of walking with God—not institutional religion, but the transformative intimacy that happens when we let God access the depths of who we are.

The cultural obstacles we face

My primary desire is for you to be free from the worries that plague humanity…

1 Corinthians 7:32 Voice

For God to be accessible, he must be audible, but making God audible in the public square of 2025 has become paradoxically difficult. 

Religious book sales have surged: American religious presses saw an 18.9% increase to $909.2 million in 2024—the highest growth of any publishing category. Bible sales alone jumped 87% from 2019 to 2024 in the UK, and the US has seen significant increases as well.

Yet this publishing boom conflicts with a broader retreat of religious influence from public discourse. Eighty percent of Americans say religion is losing influence in public life—the highest proportion in over two decades. Mark Thompson, chief executive of CNN, admitted that “generally in my industry … you end up with a broader editorial culture which is not particularly interested in, curious about, or knowledgeable about religion as a field.”                                                      

The result is a striking disconnect: Americans are buying more Bibles and religious books than ever, yet most feel religious perspectives are increasingly marginalized in mainstream cultural conversation. When religion does surface in the media, the focus is typically institutional controversy rather than personal spiritual experience or practice.

This creates what might be called a “private revival, public retreat.” Spiritual hunger is fueling unprecedented demand for religious content, even as the broader culture grows less equipped to engage with transcendent questions in its most public conversations.

Beneath the noise, most Americans remain spiritually engaged. Roughly eight-in-ten believe “there is something spiritual beyond the natural world, even if we cannot see it,” while similar numbers believe that God or a universal spirit exists (83%) and that humans have a soul or spirit beyond their physical body (86%). Yet public discourse remains fixated on institutional religion—church attendance, denominational politics, and clerical scandals—rather than addressing the spiritual questions that actually occupy most Americans’ inner lives.

Bridging the gap

The challenge—and opportunity—of our current moment is to bridge this gap between private spiritual hunger and public spiritual conversation.

Our culture has unwisely—and sometimes willfully—placed obstacles in our path, making it difficult to seek or find our Abba, the most intimate word for ‘papa’ or ‘daddy’ when referring to our Father in heaven who wants to be known. As a result, belief and desire for spirituality are widespread, but knowing and understanding God remain elusive.

“And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, ‘Abba, Father.'”

Galatians 4:6 NLT

Scripture teaches me that if we want individuals and wider society to experience psychological well-being, we cannot exclude God from the conversation. Our journey forward will make this point again and again, because I believe it will change the world.

Next week: What happens when we remove these obstacles? What are the actual psychological benefits of walking with God? We’ll explore how faith transforms not just belief, but the psychological foundations of human consciousness itself.

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