Posted on 05/04/2005 9:19:47 AM PDT by ksen
Amen to that. Enjoyed this article.
Ping!
My pastor holds the view the Psychology only exists to help us deal with the GUILT of our sin and not the sin itself.
I agree with him.
Psychology is the study of the mind (psyche).
It involves the functioning and biology of the brain and goes from there to an attempt to understand how individual behavior is affected by that mind. It's really no different than understanding how the function (or malfunction) of the heart has certain physiological responses.)
How the function of the brain has certain behavioral responses.
So far, we've done nothing unChristian, have we?
Hello:
I do agree, that the creator is the one to turn to for, healing, and the minds proper function.
I for one have looked deeply into psychology. I have the eight year degree, undergrad in biblical counseling, and Masters in Social work.
I do understand the benefits of psychology. It is in the tools. Not the percepts or the presuppositions.
The tools are simply this, how to interact with a person so that they are open to counsel.
The Christian psychology is neither, Christian nor psychology. There is a denial of sin that does not, is not allowed its correct view from God's book. There is also a denial of deliverance. The classical demonic influence and the personal relational aspect of Christ removing desire to sin from an individual are ignored in CP. ( I was nearly dismissed from my ‘Christian’ college for writing about the effects of the demonic on the counseling practice. )
These make the Christian psychology person ineffectual in both areas. A form of spirituality while denying the power thereof.
The tools of counseling practice do have merit. Those were good to learn and practice. Gary Smally talks about love language, which is a tool from psychology. He also uses drive up window communication model. Those can be great. Do not ask him to deal with the spirit of strife that must be renounced and repented of.
I personally have moved in to the full gospel camp. I will completely submit to the scriptures to find my model of correct thought and action.
Has anyone noticed that the psychiatrists are practicing what the OT describes as sorcery?
I have not had time to read your entire post, but understand the idea. And support it fully, because I have the credentials and the experience from both sides.
Kevon Goodge, BRE, MSW, SSW. 2 Cor 10:4-8
Did you read the article, or are you following Laz's example of proudly posting without reading the article since 19XX?
Great article.
I wonder if that's true about Sproul. 1994 is rather dated. Some preachers like John MacArthur will come up with some weird stuff now and then only to later make corrections down the road. Problem is, once you published a certain view then it seems to float around forever even though you might have retracted it.
I couldn't determine one way or another from Sproul's website if he really still holds this view. It won't stop me from reading his articles but it is a little disappointing.
bump
I just scan articles like this and look at the conclusion. I pretty much expected what it said. Blah blah blah psychology blah blah blah calvin blah blah blah dobson blah blah blah bad
I just hope the author doesn't get hit in the head with a heliocentric solar system.
To me it's akin to saying "John Calvin saved me from advances in heart medication."
If you are not going to bother to at least read the article than please try to refrain from criticizing it.
...if her problem is organically caused, she needs a medical doctor.
Exactly. If someone has a real brain injury or disfunction, they should be seeing a psychiatrist, a medical docotor.
But a person's first and primary resource for how to live one's life should be Scripture. Only then will our lives become "God-entranced."
From a sermon by Pastor William Robison...
"We see that Paul's first recorded sermon (preached in the synagogue of Antioch of Pisidia) had two main points. One point is that everything in the history of Israel was leading up to the coming of Jesus and the great salvation for sinners that he would accomplish when he died and rose again. The other point in this sermon is that the story behind Jesus is God's story. His sermon is utterly saturated with God. Sixteen times Paul presses home the truth that God is the central Actor in history. Therefore, we are to lift all of our lives up to God and a God-ward lived, God-centered, God intoxicated, and God immersed life-lived out in a God entranced worldview. Parenting, marriage, sex, eating, school, work, play, television, music, sports, life, and money, are all meant to be swept up into the Holy presence of God."
And as John Calvin said, we understand these truths through the reading of Scripture...
"Therefore, while it becomes man seriously to employ his eyes in considering the works of God, since a place has been assigned him in this most glorious theatre that he may be a spectator of them, his special duty is to give ear to the Word, that he may the better profit." -- Institutes, I.vi
"this most glorious theatre..."
And..."For what accords better and more aptly with faith than to acknowledge ourselves divested of all virtue that we may be clothed by God, devoid of all goodness that we may be filled by Him, the slaves of sin that he may give us freedom, blind that he may enlighten, lame that he may cure, and feeble that he may sustain us; to strip ourselves of all ground of glorying that he alone may shine forth glorious, and we be glorified in Him?" -- Institutes, Prefatory Address.
So tell me ksen. When I went into a deep depression following my round with cancer, just exactly what sin did I need to deal with?
I was meeting regularly with my Pastor at the time (a good Evangelical Presbyterian). He insisted I go to a counselor.
Thank God he did.
Corin, I'm not going to comment on your past medical condition. For all I know your depression could have been brought on medically because of your cancer or the treatment you were receiving.
I'm sure your pastor gave you great advice.
With this kind of attitude, is it any wonder the Christian Reformed Church supports three psychiatric hospital? I noticed that this article makes little or no mention of God's love for men. Typical of hyper-Calvinism. Man is scum and is absolutely worthless.
I couldn't determine one way or another from Sproul's website if he really still holds this view. It won't stop me from reading his articles but it is a little disappointing.
A few things to keep in mind though.
First, Sproul is the Executive Editor of TableTalk. So though the article didn't appear without his approval, he wasn't the one who wrote it.
Second, the excerpts the author provides from the article don't explicitly state what the author says they do, so without the context of the quotes I can't draw a concrete conclusion about the truth or validity of the statements.
Third, I have read more than enough of RC Sproul to know that his view of Scripture is much higher than the author appears to give him credit for. Consider the following excerpt from the New Geneva Study Bible (of which Sproul was the General Editor):
The Authority of ScriptureI agree with the author to an extent regarding "Christian psychology." However, it is quite possible to study and apply psychology that remains true to Scripture. I happen to know at least one Christian psychologist who does exactly that.The Christian principle of biblical authority means that God is the author of the Bible, and has given it to direct the belief and behavior of His people. Our ideas about God and our conduct should be measured, tested, and where necessary corrected and enlarged, by reference to the Bible. Authority is also the right to command. God’s written Word in its truth and wisdom is the way God has chosen to exercise His rule over us, and Scripture is the instrument of Christ’s lordship over the church. The work of the Scripture in the church is illustrated by the seven letters of Revelation (Rev. 2; 3).
Many Protestants regard the Bible as having its unique authority in its subject matter, or in the experience and insights of the human authors. The central assumption is that the Bible remains fundamentally a human book and not a divine revelation. The Bible is a guide for their religious experience, but it is not clearly distinguished from other sources, such as political movements and social forces. All too often, the Bible is displaced by voices that oppose it.
Historic Protestantism accepts the Scripture as the only written revelation of God. It is inspired, or “God-breathed” (2 Tim. 3:16), distinguishing it from all other words. As a result, the Scriptures are infallible and true in all that they affirm. They are sufficient, containing everything that is necessary to know for salvation and eternal life. They are clear, so that a person without special preparation can understand what God requires without the intervention of an official interpreter.
The canonical Scripture is the voice of God in the world. It has an authority, or right to commmand, corresponding to its divine Author. For this reason, we submit our thoughts and moral standards to the Bible. It was through the recognition that the Bible cannot be subject to any person or group, however exalted, that the Reformers freed their consciences from human traditions and authorities.
New Geneva study Bible. 1997, c1995 (electronic ed.) Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
Thank you for giving your learned opinion, I appreciate hearing it.
The tools of counseling practice do have merit.
What kind of tools do you mean?
Has anyone noticed that the psychiatrists are practicing what the OT describes as sorcery?
Would you tell us your observations?
There's Neuthetic Counseling which is supposed to be totally Bible-centered in its approach.
I understand. But I was responding more directly to ksen's comment:
He said: My pastor holds the view the Psychology only exists to help us deal with the GUILT of our sin and not the sin itself.
So I don't think, in response to that statement, it really matters whether it was "clinical depression" or "low self esteem."
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