by Dr. Ron Newman

This article is a response to eleven points made in an article written by William McDonald in the 2000 issue of Apuntes Pastorales, a Christian leadership magazine for Latin America.

A church member approaches you after the service on Sunday and tells you that his 20 year old son is "acting crazy" at home, apparently responding to voices he (and he alone) is hearing. This member, you have heard, also has an uncle who was diagnosed with schizophrenia many years earlier and committed suicide. This church member wants your help in ministering to his son.

Another member of your church approaches you and confesses to you that he had an affair with another woman, and that his wife found out and left him. He wants you to counsel with him, with the hopes of reconciliation with his wife.

How do you deal with these situations? Every day, pastors and church leaders are faced with the question of how to help people who struggle with a wide variety of problems. Whether we like it or not, we all "practice psychology", that is, we all have our own ideas about what makes people do what they do -- and how to intervene to help them.

In this article, I would like to attempt to bring some balance to the comments made by
various authors who express what can be called an "anti-psychology" viewpoint. While their criticisms are valid regarding some specific people and theories of psychology, they often present a mischaracterization of the Christian counseling movement. In the interest of speaking the truth in love, I will attempt to balance their comments throughout this article.

The challenge is to be as the Berean's in Acts 17:11 and to study the scriptures to see whether a teaching is in keeping with God's Word. In so doing, I believe we will see that the anti-psychology viewpoint does not really shed light on a Biblical view of professional counseling. I fear that their writings will have a negative impact on the body of Christ. This can hurt Christians in three primary ways: 1) By making pastors fearful of psychology, including Christian psychology, and therefore hinder them from studying authors that can be of significant help to Christians who are suffering emotionally; 2) By decreasing the number of Christians willing to study psychology to help the body of Christ from within the profession -- bringing salt and light as the scriptures encourage (Matt. 5:13-16); 3) In areas where there are already Christian professionals, "anti-psychology teaching will hinder pastors from using the resource of those professionals as an adjunct to their own ministries. Through this lack of trust, many people will not be helped who indeed could have been helped.

The following points are designed to specifically address issues delineated by various anti-psychology authors.

1) Dr. Gary Collins, a balanced author in the area of Christian counseling, views counseling as a type of discipleship ministry (Matt. 28:19), a position I share along with many other Christian professionals (Collins, 1980). The goal is to have people find their victory and healing in Christ. To do this, at times it is necessary to "examine oneself, to see whether you are in the faith" (II Corinthians 13:5). Our victory is clearly not in our own ego, however, although we do want people to grow to where they can state "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" (Phil. 4:13).

2) The temptation to rely on human wisdom or opinion versus the holy wisdom of God's Word is one that all Christians must be on guard against (I Cor. 3:18). Even the variety of approaches to Christian counseling shows us that we all "see through a glass darkly, "although this should not prevent us from continuing to seek first the kingdom of God or attempting to rightly divide the word of truth (II Tim. 2:15).

The data of psychology is often fascinating to examine, but the godless theories and interpretations of that data have indeed led many people astray (Collins, 1977; Kirwan, 1984). This is why we need mature Christians to study psychology, yet not compromise their faith.

3) While it is true that psychological problems are caused by sin, the issue is more complex. It is not always from the choices of the individual. Many problems are from the sins of others against us -- the hurts and traumas inflicted even in our most vulnerable years of life (Matt. 18:6). Other problems seem to stem from the affects of original sin on the human species, which includes biological imperfections -- including vulnerabilities in the brain chemistry of some people (John 9:3). Finally, it certainly is true that many problems come from the specific sins of an individual (Galatians 6:8). This complexity should give us reason to be very careful that we do not fall prey to the temptation of Job's counselors and judge another person when they are suffering (John 9:3).

While the grace of God offered through the cross is the answer to the problem of sin, we all are called to minister God's grace and truth in ways that match the needs of the individual (I Thes. 5:14). Jesus recognized the different ways that sin affected people and did not approach every person or problem in the same way, and neither should we (John 4:7-26; John 8:3-11; Matt. 17:14-21; Matt. 23:13-39; Mark 10:17-22) .

4) Responsibility for one's own choices is a hallmark of both healthy psychology and Biblical Christianity (Galatians 6:5). It is true that many secular psychologists have sought to rationalize away sin and even justify their own misbehavior, but this certainly does not mean we should overgeneralize and ignore everything that any psychologist studies! Even in the majority of secular counseling approaches there is an important emphasis on personal responsibility for a person's choices, otherwise minimal change will occur in the counseling process. As Christians, our responsibility is to a higher authority who sees the motivations of our hearts (Hebrews 4:12).

Every pastor who has counseled with couples can understand the truth of our tendency to shift responsibility away from ourselves. Many couples claim to want help but are unwilling to change their own behavior. Often we witness the "Adam and Eve Blame Game", where each partner seeks to justify his or her own (mis)behavior and shifts the blame (responsibility) to their partner. Counseling will not be effective unless the couple is willing and able to move beyond that stage to where each one accepts full responsibility for their own behavior and focuses on what he or she can do to improve the marriage (not on what their partner can do).

5) The Holy Spirit is the one who convicts people of their sin (John 16:8), and we must be careful to listen to how the Spirit is leading in our own ministry to others (Romans 8:14). Our relationship to Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit is central to our understanding of ourselves and others.

There is a great deal of teaching in the area of self-esteem that has humanistic foundations that must be guarded against. However, many Christian psychologists have written about the foundations of our self-concept being in Christ (Kirwan, 1984; Dobson, 1979; McGee, 1985; Wagner, 1975). Perhaps we should use the terminology "God-esteem" to reflect that our self-esteem is really based on how God esteems us so highly. The scriptures teach us to have a healthy and balanced view of ourselves in Christ (Phil. 4:13; II Cor. 5:17; I Cor. 3:16; I Peter 2:9; II Cor. 12:9). While apart from Christ we may be worms, in Him we are children of the King.

6) While some critics of professional Christian counseling point out that counseling used to be done by volunteers who did not charge fees for counseling, every person in ministry has to find a way to support the ministry to which God calls them - including pastors. Most Christian counselors earn incomes in the same range as pastors, although admittedly you have some exceptions. Ideally, if the body of Christ were functioning in an optimal manner, the ministry of counseling could be fully supported as a discipleship ministry of the church. Unfortunately, the resources are not usually available, sometimes due to a lack of vision in this area, and thus the separate ministry of Christian counselling has a place. In order to fund this ministry, fees are usually necessary.

The "profession of counseling is less prevalent in more depressed economic regions, since people often cannot afford this "luxury" of professional help. However, if a person values their mental or family health, and they have confidence or recognize the benefit of professional help, they will make great sacrifices to seek the help they need. In some countries (such as the U.S.A.) where medical insurance is available to most people, the cost can be greatly reduced because the insurance will pay for people to see qualified professionals.

Every Christian counselor I have known has entered the profession out of a deep conviction of God's calling for them to be better equipped to minister to the needs of people who are suffering. They are seeking to show compassion and love where it is needed most. Those who do it out of greed, as some critics suggest, will indeed have to answer to the Ultimate Judge (II Cor. 5:10; Romans 14:10-12).

7) Most Christian counseling approaches recognize that life is complex and we must take into consideration the whole person, body, soul and spirit, when helping someone. In cases of more severe psychopathology, referral to a physician to rule out medical problems causing those conditions is standard protocol even in secular settings. Problems such as anemia, thyroid disorders, and even brain tumors can lead to a variety of mental health problems. Because of our lack of knowledge, there is a great deal of debate over the role of "physical factors" (i.e.- brain chemistry deficiencies, etc.) in a wide variety of mental health problems.

8) To study God's creation is not an ungodly pursuit, nor is it ungodly to unite that study with the study of God's Word (Kirwan, 1980). The two actually go together like a finely woven tapestry. In point of fact, every pastor and teacher of the Word of God already does unite the two when he applies the scripture in practical ways in our lives.

While the scriptures are not a psychology textbook, they do presume the psychological functioning of people. Kirwan argues persuasively for the integration of psychology and theology, and concludes with the following statement:

"If indeed the thesis that the Bible presupposes psychology be true, then to deny or ignore psychological truth is to misrepresent the biblical message as well as the relevance and application of Christ's redemption and sanctification of man."

It is important, however, that we do not compromise the scriptures and fall prey to the danger of simply "proof texting" secular psychology. While many psychologists have been guilty of doing this, the same can be said of many Christians, including various pastors and teachers. When examined properly, however, mature Christians do not need to fear examining the research that comes out of much of secular psychology. It is godless interpretations of that research that we must be careful to guard against.

9) Some critics claim that there is no difference between Christian counselors and their secular counterparts, which is simply ignorant of the facts. Statistics from research on the practices of Christian counselors shows that over 90% of Christian counselors do in fact pray with their clients (Friesen, Wilder, Bierling, Koepcke, & Poole, 2000). Furthermore, research even shows that intercessory prayer back-up for special cases is helpful and sought after by many Christian counselors (Friesen, et. al., 2000). Besides these approaches, utilization of the scriptures and encouragement in the client's relationship with the Lord are frequent dimensions of Christian counseling that set it apart from secular counterparts.

10) It is a sad fact that some people who go to Christian counselors or to churches to seek healing for broken lives are judged and hurt worse by the people who should be offering God's healing touch. It should not surprise us, since we are warned in the scriptures that there will be wolves in sheep's clothing (Acts 20:29). Statistics show, however, that overwhelmingly the Church is a healthy place for people (Hill & Butter, 1995; Ellison, 1991), in spite of those exceptions. The number of people who benefit from Christian counseling far exceeds those cases where people are negatively affected.

The most extensive survey of mental health consumers that was ever done showed overwhelming evidence that even secular counseling helps a majority of people (Seligman, 1994). Much research clearly demonstrates the high success rates of many specific therapies for specific problems (Roth & Fonagy, 1996). How much more should Christian counseling that offers God's truth and love in the power of the Holy Spirit be effective in helping others?

While it may be true that some Christian counselors have not studied the Bible and theology adequately, this is a challenge that most Christian counselors have taken seriously. All graduate programs in Christian counseling do take this issue seriously and seek to grapple with how to accurately divide the Word of Truth. This is why the foundations of psychology have to be rebuilt, as Gary Collins indicates (Collins, 1977).

11) There is power in psychology (as in politics and religion) to do good or harm, and of course some people have done harm (Acts 20:29). The challenge is for us to be discerning and wise in the use of our God-given power to do good (II Cor. 13:10). We need to be careful not to harm the body of Christ by creating barriers that will hinder Christians from getting the help they need. Some authors have stigmatized the issue of getting counseling when people are in need, which has encouraged a proud response (keep the problems secret) rather than a humble response (seeking help) (I Peter 5:5-6).

Evidence of this barrier to seeking professional help is seen in the extensive research of the U.S.Congressional study that indicated only 20% of those who had a recent mental health problem actually sought professional help (Kessler, McGonagle, Zhao, Nelson, Hughes, Eshleman, Wittchen, & Kendler, 1994). When you consider that the same study showed that 29% of the people in the USA have had some mental health problem in the past year, the number of people going untreated is staggering (over 120 million people). The statistics in other parts of the world, I am convinced, are certainly no better.

The body of Christ can do more to reach those millions of people who experience emotional suffering. While some argue that we only need to lead people to Christ to solve all of their problems, the experience of saints around the world shows something different. If a person is drowning in a river, do you first preach the gospel to them or do you throw them a rope with a life preserver? In the same way, reaching out to help people deal with their emotional and physical needs can be a tremendous means of reaching a hurting world for Christ. We can then disciple and teach people God's truth and how it applies to the problems in their lives (Matt. 28:19-20). The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few.

In Hosea 4:6, God tells us, "My people perish for lack of knowledge." Since God has given us the gift of general revelation (creation), to be ignorant of it has caused great harm to the body of Christ. This is true regarding the field of psychology as well as other areas of science such as medicine. Reformer John Calvin spoke to this issue five centuries ago when he wrote:

"Therefore, in reading profane authors, the admirable light of truth displayed in them should remind us that the human mind, however much fallen and perverted from its original integrity, is still adorned and invested with admirable gifts from its Creator. If we reflect that the Spirit of God is the only fountain of truth, we will be careful, as we would avoid offering insult to Him, not to reject or condemn truth wherever it appears. In despising the gifts, we insult the giver." (Calvin's Institutes, Vol. 1, 1975, pg. 236)

The church must not turn its back on the field of psychology, but instead should be as a light to the world and salt to this profession. We need Christians who will be raised up like Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who study the wisdom of the world but refuse to compromise God's truth. The caution to never compromise the Word of God must be taken very seriously, however, and is one positive to be gained from the "anti-psychology" movement.

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REFERENCES

Collins, G. The Rebuilding of Psychology, Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Pub., 1977.

Collins, G. Christian Counseling: A Comprehensive Guide, Waco, Tx.: Word Books, 1980.

Dobson, J. Hide or Seek: How to Build the Self-Esteem in your Child, Old Tappen, NJ: Fleming H. Revell Co., 1979.

Ellison, C.G. Religious involvement and subjective well-being, Journal of Health and Social Behavior, vol. 32, pp.80-99, 1991.

Friesen, J. G., Wilder, E. J., Bierling, A. M., Koepcke, R., & Poole, M., Living from the heart Jesus gave you, Van Nuys, CA: Shepherd,s House, Inc., 2000.

Hill, P.C. & Butter, E.M. The role of religion in promoting physical health, Journal of Psychology and Christianity, Vol. 14, no.2, pp. 141-155, 1995.

Kessler, R.C., McGonagle, K.A., Zhao, S., Nelson, C.B., Hughes, M., Eshleman, S., Wittchen, H-U., Kendler, K.S., Lifetime and 12-month prevalence of DSM-II-R Psychiatric Disorders in the United States, Archives of General Psychiatry, vol. 51, 1994.

Kirwan, William T. Seeing Man Whole: Theology presupposes Psychology., Voices, Winter issue, 1980.

Kirwan, William T., Biblical Concepts for Christian Counseling, Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House, 1984.

McGee, R. S. The Search for Significance, Houston, TX: Rapha Publishing, 1985.

Roth, A., and Fonagy, P. What Works for Whom? A Critical Review of Psychotherapy Research, New York, NY: The Guilford Press, 1996.

Seligman, Martin, Consumer Reports, 1994. (complete reference to follow)

Wagner, M.E. The sensation of being somebody. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1975.