Page 70 - EMCAPP-Journal No. 5

Church Traditions for a Christian Psychology

A Chalcedonian analogy. The exegetical work For example, impulse and conduct disorders
behind human duality is discussed at length in describe behaviors that are prominently moral.
Robert Gundry’s Soma in Biblical Theology. He The diagnosed child might bully, lie or steal.
summarizes humanity as a functional plurality, These are clearly matters of the soul. We can as-
ontological duality and overarching unity. Dua- sess that with a simple question: Does Scripture
lity is his preference over dualism because it prohibit what we are doing or command what
avoids the Descartian prizing of soul over body we are not doing? If so, we can point the finger
and it blends dual and unity. at the soul. This does not exclude the influence
The Chalcedon definition of Jesus’ two natures of the body, past victimization or even Satan
contributes an analogy to this doctrine. Whe- himself. It simply reveals the child’s behavior
reas previous attempts to define the two natures consists of more than physical or environmen-
of Jesus erred on the side of separating them or tal influences because, no matter how oppressi-
loosing them into one new nature, Chalcedon ve our circumstances can be, sin comes from us.
argued that Jesus was “truly God and truly man Other psychiatric diagnoses such as bipolar and
. . . to be acknowledged in two natures, incon- schizophrenia involve obvious bodily weaknes-
fusedly, unchangeably, indivisibly, inseparably; ses. These can be assessed theologically by ex-
the distinction of natures being by no means ta- clusion. That is, since hallucinations and other
ken away in the union, but rather the property symptoms are not violations of Scripture, they
of each nature being preserved, and concurring are, by default, at least physical. Or they can
in one Person.” 2 be assessed by an understanding of what brain
By analogy, two substances - material and im- dysfunction can do, and we know that erratic
material - can coexist. They are both necessary, brains can hallucinate, be confused, and pro-
and neither is absorbed into the other. Some duce emotions that are elevated or blunted.
things are best attributed to the body, others to Yet even when physical weaknesses are pro-
the soul. Like all analogies, this breaks down minent, Scripture still has the whole person
when pressed too far. But, for any important in view. For example, schizophrenic hallucina-
doctrine, we would like to find some echo of it tions are typically condemning and accusing.
in the person of God or in creation. This echo to They control through guilt and shame. Most li-
the two natures of Jesus suggests that God does, kely, whatever the actual mechanism, hallucina-
indeed, bring two different things into one. tions work with material we give them. As such,
Scripture is essential to the recovery process.
Duality applied. While duality has been the When viewed through a biblical lens, DSM-V
dominant protestant position for centuries, diagnostic criteria usually exhibit both physical
its application has been relatively dormant. So (material) and spiritual (immaterial) contribu-
the task is to dust off this doctrine and put it to tions. 3
work. This distinction between physical weaknesses
The body is our material substance and is con- and moral responsibility allows us to both have
sistently identified as strong or weak, not right compassion for the challenges imposed by some
or wrong. It does not have moral authority but psychiatric problems and maintain our basic
is the means through which we live in a mate- humanness, of which our moral culpability is a
rial world. The soul is our moral center. It is the cornerstone. It also gives insight into psychia-
rudder of our moral life (Matt. 15:18-19). tric medications in that medical treatments can
This simple distinction immediately gives ac- affect the physical body and brain, but medica-
cess to the entire world of modern psychiatry. tion is not capable of producing faith, love, ob-
Psychiatry describes problems that are both edience, purpose, joy and hope. These are Spiri-
soul-ish and physical. Some diagnoses feature tual - from the Spirit - and come from hearing
the moral inclinations of the soul, and other and responding to the word of Christ.
diagnoses feature the weaknesses of the body.
3 Some of these assertions have been worked out in books
2 http://carm.org/christianity/creeds-and-confessions/ such as The Counselor’s Guide to the Brain and Its Disor-
chalcedonian-creed-451-ad ders and Blame It on the Brain.

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