PREFACE<br > This book is a result of my interest and training in<br >theology and psychology. The intent of it is to show<br >how the church and its people can be understood<br >through the use of transactional analysis.<br > I care about the church. I care about it because as<br >an institution it is concerned with people and rela-<br >tionships. It frequently fails in its mission， but the<br >fact that it fails does not mean it is without value.<br >I also care about the church because of the people<br >in it. Many who are closest to me now I met in the<br >church or as a direct result of its activity. I have been<br >studying theology and psychology for about 20 years.<br >Transactional analysis， one branch of psychology， is<br >so practical that :t want to show how it can be used<br >to understand pegple in the church.<br > The title of my~doctoral thesis in adult education<br >at the University of California was The Effect of Na-<br >tional and International Crisis on the Development of<br >Hebrew Adult Education from 1800 BC to 220 AD.<br >As I was teaching in the field of adult education I<br >became excited when I started reading in the Talmud<br >about the strong focus on adult education among the<br >ancient Hebrews and how their educational views and<br >practices were influenced by their history of captivity，<br >freedom， and exile， and their interaction with coun-<br >tries such as Egypt， Babylonia， Assyria， Persia， Greece，<br >and Rome.<br > I strongly believe that the ancient Hebrews unique<br >educational emphasis， which was always related to<br >their theology， was one of the most important factors<br >in their survival as a people. In fact， some of their<br >educational principles， reflected in the Kallah and at<br >their academy in the city of Sura， Babylonia (in 220<br >AD)， became the framework on which I founded the<br ><br >