Page 183 - EMCAPP-Journal No. 5

Trauma Recovery Training at a Seminary? Introducing Global Trauma Recovery Institute

gers in the temple. He made a whip, he made a ties and our preferences or needs. Conformity
mess and he made a lot of racket. He also loved to Christ, the image of God in man, holiness,
– he is an exact representation of the God who humility and righteousness will become goals
so loved the world. He was, in all these ways, an or standards rather than success, happiness or
expression of the heart of God the Father. Emo- approval by the majority. Our picture of what
tions in the Son of Man are one powerful way in it means to be human in this world will be enri-
which he entered into our experience and sym- ched and radically altered and full of paradoxes
pathized with us. For us as well, emotions are until it looks more and more like the one whose
one of the ways that human sympathy/empathy name we bear. There is a large body of psycho-
is accomplished. Our tears, our grief, our joy, logical knowledge out there that informs our
our love are in part what enable us to enter into thinking and our practice. Too often, Christians
the lives and the suffering of others. To not have have ignored or denigrated that body of know-
them is to fail to express voice, is to fail to know ledge as if the church could learn nothing from
and understand in relationship and to fall short the secular world. That is a foolish and unte-
in using power to extend empathy and compas- nable position – certainly not in keeping with
sion to broken human beings. the Scriptures. At the same time, we have often
Emotions, like power, are God-given. They are either seen the Word as so separate that is has
also twisted up by the Fall. If I am to under- nothing to say to psychology or we have merely
stand how to live an emotionally healthy life in used that Word in a prescriptive way, throwing
a fallen world where am I to look? To my fel- verses at problems like projectiles. I believe that
low humans? To my own thinking? To the tea- an ongoing and in-depth study of the Word
chings of my family or the Christian commu- written and made flesh should be foundational
nity? Surely a study of emotion in the life and to all of life and practice, including psychology.
person of Jesus Christ will enlighten me. Surely That study will not give exhaustive knowledge
His experience and expression of emotion can by any means, but it will give foundational and
help point the way in a murky area full of falla- profoundly shaping knowledge in our pursuit
cies. Surely, His experience of emotion teaches to understand this creature who was made in
me in part how to partner with Him in His suf- the image of God.
ferings and then with others in theirs. 2. Our clinical work will radically change. Cli-
nical work for me is no longer just about treat-
THOUGHTS/CONCLUSIONS ment techniques and therapeutic outcome.
Based on the premise: A true Christian psy- Are those important? Absolutely. However, the
chology is based on the knowledge and under- more I understand what it means to be a human
standing of the person of the Son of Man, Jesus being in the position of ministration to others
Christ, the following may be concluded: the more I realize the sacred nature of the work
1. First, our thinking will radically change. I am doing. I sit in the therapist’s chair as a re-
Knowledge and an understanding of the person presentative of the character of Jesus Christ.
of the Son of Man, Jesus Christ, can assist us How I use my voice, how I conduct myself re-
both in knowing how to live in this world and lationally, how I exercise the power I hold and
how to help others to live. We can come to un- utilize the emotions I experience are aspects of
derstand facets of what it means to be human my person that are to be subject to the written
through such a study. We can more clearly see Word and the Word made flesh. A Christian
where things are wrong, damaging, or destructi- psychology is of no value except it be incarna-
ve to self and others by grasping how the Son of ted. Christianity is not merely consistency to
Man conducted himself as a human being. We principles or convictions or even conscience. It
can better understand what health look like and means being true to the Person of Jesus Christ
will find that many of our prior judgments of and that faithfulness is not to be merely seen in
health and right and good have not been deter- knowledge or word but to be persistently ma-
mined by the Word of God written and flesh but nifested in character. Ultimately then, in the
rather by our culture, our teachings, our affini- midst of the history-taking, the diagnosing, the

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