Page 73 - EMCAPP-Journal No. 5

Church Traditions for a Christian Psychology

that process there is much room to error. CCEF This is a process that biblical counseling typical-
and other groups are working to teach an acces- ly follows with most secular categories.
sible, reproducible method, but we know that
we are trying to teach wisdom, and wisdom Biblical counseling and sin? A second recur-
takes time to learn. ring concern among those who observe bib-
lical counseling is our doctrine of sin. Coun-
Is Biblical counseling anti-psychology? Most selors talk to people who are suffering, and to
stereotypes have their reasons, and I can under- talk about sin seems as though it would make
stand this concern. Although I am a licensed them feel worse. Now they have condemnation
psychologist, I believe, along with my col- alongside their suffering.
leagues, that evangelical churches have adopted Biblical counseling, here again, is less than re-
certain aspects of psychotherapy, and it has actionary. Human struggles are comprised
been to their detriment. Emotions have become of sin and suffering. When in doubt, biblical
psychological phenomena, biblical perspectives counselors lead with compassion and God’s
on suffering have been disqualified from mini- good words to sufferers rather than address sin,
stering to psychiatric disorders because they are though there can be exceptions. Sin is not the
deemed shallow, psychological needs for love, sine qua non of biblical counseling because it is
significance and security have usurped the need not the center of Scripture. Jesus is the center,
for redemption from sin, and so on. and that means that everything in our method
These concerns, however, are more mainstream should sound good and inviting.
than reactionary. They have come from biblical Here is one example of how we might talk about
scholars and sociologists who have made the sin. A sixty-five-year-old man and his wife al-
case more forcefully than we have. ways come to an impasse at which he believes
The position of CCEF toward secular psycho- she is being arrogant and stubborn. Meanwhile
therapy is that some is helpful and some is not, she feels like almost anything can set her hus-
which seems to be the position across the Chri- band off on an angry rant. During counseling I
stian psychology spectrum. We do, however, witnessed that the husband can, indeed, be set
take extra steps when we consider secular ma- off by innocuous comments or even comments
terial. When we encounter a concept or method that were intended to be encouraging.
from psychology or psychiatry, we try to under- The subsequent conversation with him went
stand the raw observation that fuels the catego- like this.
ry and then frame the observation biblically. For “It is so hard to feel like we can’t measure up
example, some psychodynamic and existential or live under critique, and you have lived un-
theories have used dream interpretation. Sin- der the weight of harsh conditions. The home
ce these interpretations are controlled by their that nurtured you left you always responsible,
larger theories, we do not simply extract them always guilty and abused - and there are times
from their theoretical context and import them you live as though you were back in that home.
into a Christian model. Instead, biblical coun- So we need lots of spiritual power: our goal is
selors look for the data that contributes to the to love when we feel threatened. That sounds
theory. In this case, dreams are recognizable hu- doable, but it is impossible. Confession is the
man experiences. From there, we consider what only way we can get there. Sometimes we want
Scripture says. On reflection, Scripture seems to something from others more than we want to
have a few different interpretations for dreams love them. The way through this is to confess
but is without a clear device that gives us defi- those desires down to size. They control you
nitive discernment, which means we would in- now, and we want to be controlled not by our
terpret dreams with caution. Overall, we would desires but by God’s pursuing love.”
say that, though Scripture has a rich theology of What I am trying to illustrate is that, since the
dreams, dream interpretation is not essential to ethos of biblical care should sound good, even
a biblically-derived counseling model. talk about sin should sound edifying and hope-
ful.

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