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Beware of Christian Psychology

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In Memory of Pastor George Doty an American Jew who loved Jesus photo by Dana Klein

Beware of “Christian Psychology”

God’s tools are sufficient for any need. We do not need worldly psychology—and, sadly, much of what is called “Christian psychology” is merely worldly psychology dressed up in a few Bible verses and pious phrases. Beware! Being a “Christian” counselor is popular these days. Christians are realizing that they need help and are willing to pay for it. It is a profitable industry. One lady mortgaged her home to pay for “Christian” counseling, only to have the counselor persuade her to start taking Sunday mornings off. He convinced her that the best way to worship her Lord was at the lake, communing with nature.

I have heard from good, solid Christians doing counseling: “The Word of God, giving it to Jesus, and prayer/fasting – these are all fine, but the people need more.” They have said God’s Word is not sufficient. They have said God’s word is outdated in today’s world, for today’s problems. If these things be true, heaven help us all. I have learned that when God’s methods don’t “work,” it’s

the fault of the people, not God. People often read the Bible with wrong motives. They are not seeking Him. We cannot truly seek God and remain unchanged. The more we know Him...the closer we get to Him...the more we are changed. Wounded people, in particular, need to be taught how to pray and how to think biblically—not how to go inside and analyze themselves.

I used to think that so long as our people stayed off of the psychiatrist’s couch, they’d be okay. I have found, however, that the influence of books and seminars can be incredibly damaging—and I am speaking here of “Christian” books and seminars. They get our hopes up, only to be dashed again by the inefficacy of these methods. Worse, the advice contained in them can lead us far astray.

Why would a Christian choose psychology when the Bible is replete with methods of healing? The way I see it, much of the problem lies in the goals we are setting for ourselves. The difficulty is that we as a people have grown comfortable in our sins. God has allowed those sins to make us miserable. But instead of repenting—turning away from those things that are offensive to God—we look for ways to continue doing those things and yet alleviate our misery. We look for ways to feel better while still sinning. We look for ways to cope with doing what we know to be wrong. We are seeking ways to justify what we are doing, and psychology meets those requirements. The goal of psychology is to adjust; the goal of godly counsel is to set free.