Page 166 - EMCAPP-Journal No. 7

The Work and Thinking of David Benner

formal and informal helping relationships in the therapist’s unconditional acceptance of the
Western and non-Western societies make his patient. Oden also suggests that the therapy re-
argument powerful. lationship reflects something of God‘s relation-
Rogers’ (1957) position is in some ways quite ship to us. It seems relevant therefore to exami-
similar. Identifying the necessary and suffici- ne God‘s way of relating to us in our problems
ent conditions for therapeutic effectiveness as and determine whether this can assist us in un-
empathy, respect, and congruence, Rogers ar- derstanding psychotherapeutic healing.
gued that other ingredients contribute to effec-
tiveness only in as much as they communicate God‘s Solution to Humanity‘s Problem
these essential relationship factors. Qualities Orthodox Christian theology has always af-
of the therapist‘s personality and style of rela- firmed that sin is ultimately behind all of
ting thus become primary and techniques se- humanity‘s problems. However, to reduce this
condary. to specific personal sin lying behind any parti-
cular problem is to misunderstand this doctri-
While research has not been consistently sup- ne. It is also to fail to accept Jesus‘ explicit tea-
portive of Rogers‘ assumption of the necessary ching that some problems are not the result of
and sufficient conditions of therapy, it would personal sin but rather arc allowed by God for
appear that there is still considerable promise in his glory (John 9:1-3)- However, in an ultimate
expecting that the active curative factors in the- sense, sin in the world and in the lives and re-
rapy may not be as closely related to the skillful lationships of individuals results in all the ma-
application of one or another technique as we nifestations of brokenness and pain which all
might want to think. When I have asked parents experience.
at the end of a successful course of therapy to As a God of love and mercy, He chose to act
reflect back on the things that were helpful, I to remedy humanity‘s sin problem. He could
have yet to have someone tell me that the big have destroyed his creation and started again,
breakthrough came the day we penetrated to perhaps taking some precautions to insure
the core of the repressed Oedipal conflict, com- against another fall. Or perhaps his solution
pleted the aversive conditioning, or identified could have been purely judicial, clinical, or in
the faulty cognitions behind their self-defeating some other way impersonal and safe. But God‘s
behavior. Usually they have had trouble precise- solution to the problem of human nature was
ly identifying any one specific factor. However, none of these. It was an intimately personal
when they have, they have frequently pointed and immensely costly process. God’s solution
to some process occurring between the two of was the incarnation (John 1:14; Philippians
us rather than to something I did to them. They 2:6-8. Hebrews 9:11-14)—Christ’s coming „in
then talk about feeling loved or accepted by me, the flesh“ so that He could die in our place. He
or describe themselves as experiencing healing became a person, making himself like us so
or growth through the manner in which we re- that he could substitute for us by carrying our
lated to each other. suffering in himself. He did not solve our sin
Considering love as the essential dynamic in the problem at arm’s length but took us into him-
therapeutic process is not new. From the early self and purged our sin from us. Our sin. taken
psychoanalyst Ferenczi (1952) to the more re- upon him. was overcome by his grace. Where
cent work of Erich Fromm (1956) love has often sin did abound, there grace did much more
been suggested as the major curative ingredient abound (Romans 5:20).
in therapy. From a Christian perspective, Ca- But there is another equally important aspect
labrese and Proctor (1977) have described die of the incarnation: God became human but did
intensive therapy experience as healing through not cease to be God. In the incarnation he came
love. But what is love and how does it heal? Ro- close enough to identify with humanity and al-
gers‘ answer has been translated into more theo- low humanity to identify with him. However,
logical language by Oden (1966) who sees the- he never lost his separate identity. Nor does hu-
rapy as the mediation of divine grace through manity. Rather, in new relationship to him, per-

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