Page 63 - EMCAPP-Journal No. 6

Christian Anthropology

standing of humanity found in modern psycho- themselves? Moreover, the explanation goes on
logy distorted by its ignorance or rejection of to say, “Pastoral care, Christian counselling or
such Christian teachings about humans beings therapy are not manipulation, converting, etc.
such as the image of God, sin, God as the cen- but walking beside someone, supporting them,
ter of human life, how the love and knowledge mapping of one’s own life and finding new pos-
of God are necessary for human fulfilment, the sibilities.” Does that mean that Christian coun-
redemption of Christ, the wonderful blessings sellors should not share their faith and world-
given to those who are united to Christ, and view orientation with their counselees? This
a future orientation directed towards perfect would seem a blatant concession to the inju-
blessedness with God forever. In areas like the- stice of a secular psychology that allows secular
se a Christian psychology, based on a Christian therapists to work within and share their “faith
anthropology, will markedly differ from a psy- and worldview orientation” without question in
chology based on naturalism. Consequently, the every session that they do not mention God—
relative lack of commentary on the significant which, from a Christian standpoint, is taking a
deficits of modern psychology in Terho’s article very decided position against the need for God
was puzzling, and may be worthy of some re- in the healing of the soul. I suspect that I’m rea-
thinking. Without attending appropriately to ding too much into the Code of Ethics state-
such deficits, it would seem possible that Chri- ment and its explanation, and that counsellors
stian working in the field might be unwittingly in ACC Finland are free to practice as Christi-
compromised by secularism and perhaps incor- ans, wisely and respectfully, but as Christians.
porate end up sounding less explicitly Christian However, these are a few questions that I had
than would be most desirable for those seeking about the article. I hope that sometime soon I
to develop a Christian approach to psychology. will get an opportunity to talk about such things
with my friend, Toni Terho, the next time we
A little evidence for this possibility might be get together!
found in the positive use of the phrase “a client
centered approach” two times (pp. 14-15 in the References
original article) to label one the three main pil- Rogers, C. R. (1951). Client-centered therapy. Boston:
lars of ACC Finland’s Code of Ethics. Perhaps Houghton Mifflin.
this phrase is less notorious in Europe and
doesn’t mean the same things as it does in the
U.S. However, it happens to be the label used
for the humanistic psychotherapy approach de-
veloped by Carl Rogers (1951). In Rogers’ hu-
manistic therapy model, the counsellor really
was centred on the individual counselee, who
is viewed as the absolute authority over his or
her own life, ethics, and values. The explanation
given for the use of this phrase in the ACC Fin-
land Code of Ethics was that Christian counsel-
lors need to respect the anthropology of those
with whom they work, and this of course is true.
However, does that mean that Christian coun-
seling should be “centered on the client,” parti-
cularly given the way mainstream psychologists
understand this and in light of the influence of
humanistic values in the field. Should not Chri-
stian counsellors instead be centred on God,
doing everything for his glory and loving him
supremely, even as they love their neighbour as

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