Page 71 - EMCAPP-Journal No. 5

Church Traditions for a Christian Psychology

The Soul and the Emotions we love has been lost. When angry, something
There is one feature of the soul that I think is we love is being stolen or kept from us.
important to the present dispersion of Christi- Scripture uses other words to substitute for love.
an counselors—one that extends from secular What these words have in common is that they
to integrationists to biblical and to reactionary. extend all the way to our divine allegiances. For
The matter concerns the nature of the human example, the questions that speak to the core
soul and its connection to our emotions. of our being include, Whom do you love (Dt.
Most Christian counseling theories, which are 6:5, 1 John 2:15)? Whom do you trust (Jer. 17:5-
implicitly tripartite, place emotions in the psy- 8)? Whom (or what) do you worship (2 Kings
chological third of the person, where spiritual 17:36)? Whom will you serve (Mt. 6:24)? Whom
and physical comprise the other two-thirds. The do you obey (1 John 3:10)? Where is your tre-
dilemma is that Scripture has very little access asure (Mt. 6:21)? To whom do you belong (John
to this psychological sector because Scriptu- 8:44)? All these roads eventually lead to our re-
re seems to focus on the spiritual rather than lationship with God. Do we love what he loves?
the psychological. This means that Scripture is Do we love him?
marginalized in discussions about modern pro-
blems because most problems that come to pro- Our emotions usually proceed from our heart,
fessional counselors usually concern disordered are given shape by our body, reflect the quality
or unruly emotions. Even more, since our emo- of our relationships, bear the etchings of both
tions identify us as distinct individuals - since the goodness and the meaninglessness of work,
they are us - they are the de facto core of our provide a peek into how we fare in spiritual
humanity. When we miss how someone really battle, and express the lies or truth we believe
feels, we miss that person and our counseling about God. They, indeed, are essential windows
will be less helpful. If Scripture glosses over the- into our soul.
se things, then it is of little value for Christian
psychology. One qualification. We could say that emotions
As an alternative to the tripartite approach, I usually reflect what is happening in our souls.
suggest that the soul is folded into our duality Occasionally emotions can be unpredictable
and is the repository for our emotions. More assaults that come from disordered bodies and
specifically, the soul has depth. Our emoti- brains.
ons are on the surface and most obvious to us. Depression, for example, might be the language
Further in and less obvious is how we make of the soul. It might say that something loved
moral decisions. All that we would call good or is now lost, life has lost meaning and purpose,
bad comes from the soul. One step further, at something desired will never be possessed. But
the very center of our soul, is our ever-present depression could also say, “something is not
connection to our Creator and Father. We live right in my body or brain.” The brain, of its own
coram deo whether we love God or deny that accord, is capable of pushing our emotions into
he exists. the darkness that we call depression.
Our emotions, then, are part of this religious
consortium. They express devotion. They are Strong emotions are a time to ask, “What might
swirling passions, desires, grief, dreams and my soul really be saying? What do I live for that
hopes. Our emotions flag those things that are I do not have?” But we might not get a clear
dearest to us (e.g., Ps. 25:17, 45:1). Emotions answer to that question. Sometimes depressi-
identify those people, things and goals that we on is simply physical suffering. It says, “I feel
love, that we loathe, that we fear, that bring pain, as though I am numb inside.” Either way—and
that anger us and that shame us. this is important—difficult emotions are al-
We could say that the soul or heart is about what ways a time to get help and pray for endurance
we love. When happy, we are in possession of in faith. They are suffering and hardship, and
something we love. When anxious, something God’s comfort and our faith are essential at tho-
we love is at risk. When despondent, something se times.

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