“God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”
2 Timothy 1:7

When one observes what our culture is producing in recent years, we must conclude that the system is broken.

As I write this, we just came through a couple of school shootings again in which many youth were killed and wounded. A January 23 shooting in Kentucky killed two and injured 17. Up to that date there had already been 11 shooting incidents for 2018. Since then an expelled student in a Florida school came back and killed 17 pupils and teachers and wounded others.

When the perpetrator’s life is scrutinized, he is often from a dysfunctional social environment and has been feeding on violent literature, pornography, killing games, and videos. It is therefore no surprise that catastrophe is the outcome. But what turns a person’s mind to seek satisfaction and pleasure in putting such misery and suffering on others?

Secular Science

Our society has come to this place of insurmountable problems after psychologists have been telling people, “You’re great! You can do anything, if you just believe in yourself!”

“Psychology is the scientific study of mental processes and behavior” (World Book Encyclopedia). In the secularist, evolutionary worldview man is just a higher animal. Thus animal behavior is studied to learn how to deal with human problems. In articles on psychology, you often see a female psychologist working with a chimpanzee or gorilla (World Book). One study found that when a baboon colony became overcrowded the mothers killed their babies (abortion justified!). Respect for life is lost when school children are taught we are just so many pounds of flesh and bone of the species Homo sapiens.

Christian Psychology?

An attempt is often made to blend Christianity with psychology but its anti-Christian roots (such as denying guilt for sin) can’t be blended together. This is competitive religion. It is not science. “O Timothy… [avoid] profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called” (1 Timothy 6:20). Two of psychology’s most noted founders, Sigmund Freud and Carl G. Jung, both repudiated Christianity. Freud was Jewish and was reacting to Christian anti-Semitism. Jung had a lifelong interest in mythology and the occult (World Book).

Martin and Deidre Bobgan in their book Psycho Heresy show how a classic study (The Cambridge-Somerville Youth Study) is an embarrassment to psychoanalysts. In this study, 650 underprivileged, potentially delinquent boys ages 6 to 10 were selected. Half of them received a program of psychological therapy and social activities for five years. The other half (the control group) received none. After the five years were completed (at great expense) there was much praise for the program from the counselors and the boys. It appeared that these boys were saved from delinquency and the study was lauded as a model psychology success story.

However, when a follow up review of these individuals was done five years after the program ended it was found that the treated youth, when left alone, were doing somewhat worse than the control group. The greatest embarrassment came at the thirty-year review. In terms of criminal behavior, mental problems, and alcoholism, the ones who received treatment were doing worse than those who faced life on their own! Today there is silence on this study along with many other failed promises of psychology.

The profession is self-perpetuating. The more psychologists you have the more you seem to need. The emphasis is “Let’s just talk about it” and express your feelings, or even do what is forbidden to the Christian: “explode,” let your partner know how you feel, get it off your chest, clear the air (instead of taking it to God in prayer and repentance).

The client is made to feel good by sympathy for attitudes that come from his evil nature. The Bible describes the root problem. “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? (Jeremiah 17:9). “For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: These are the things which defile a man” (Matthew 15:19, 20). Humanity needs a supernatural heart change that only Jesus can give!

A Personal Experience

Over 20 years ago my wife, Geraldine (a multiple sclerosis patient), and I made ourselves comfortable on recliners in a health clinic in Tijuana, Mexico. A psychologist then lectured us. “You can have anything you want: health, wealth, lands, or fame. Whatever man can believe he can achieve! You are the architect. God is like the financier. He enables what you want to accomplish.”

They would make God servant to man’s aspirations and demands. “Professing themselves to be wise they became fools, and changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like unto corruptible man” (Romans 1:22-25).

Geraldine thought to ask him, “But what if we believe in God and submit to His will saying, ‘thy will be done’?” (The therapist had begun with an ambiguous statement: “The sun shines on everyone and we must access the powers of the universe ”). He quickly changed and had a religious line for us too. However, we did not have to take more psychology sessions.

We had initially been directed to this clinic through a meeting at Valley Forge, PA that friends encouraged us to attend. At the meeting, the director of the clinic gave a talk along with “testimonials” from patients that were there. After the meeting he sat beside Geraldine who was on her wheel chair (Good PR). To the question, “Would she walk again?” he told of another MS person who came on a wheel chair and after a week he met her walking down the stairs. (Later, at the clinic, I was told she also left on a wheel chair.)

After the second week of the three-week session in Mexico I asked the Mexican doctor when we would start to see improvement. The doctor then said, “Well, Dr. _______ is very optimistic.” This proprietor also explained that they have five psychologists at the clinic because the mind has a lot to do with healing. But self-deception can be used to conceal the debilitating effects of diseases. Some of these people died being convinced they were getting better.

I had taken the course with positive hopes but with a “we’ll wait and see” attitude. However I was dismayed at our children’s letdown when we returned home. They had sincerely anticipated receiving Mother home walking! And so, again, promises and the hype of talk were much different than the reality. She passed on to be with our Lord on April 7, 1998.

Pastoral Bible Counseling

While psychologists are following their three steps of naturalistic observation, systematic assessment, and experimentation, Christian Bible believers hold to the Gospel standard. Our weapons are as powerful as they were at the beginning of the church and don’t need any upgrading. “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong hold; Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:4, 5).

“The Salvation Bridge open to all is still the first works of: hearing, heeding, believing, repenting, confessing, trusting, and receiving the new life in Christ. The born again believer then progresses by the work of God in: justification, regeneration, sanctification, and a life of putting on the mind of Christ” (George R. Brunk I). “And such were some of you [See verses 9 and 10] but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus” (1 Corinthians 6:11).

Salvation is effective for even the simplest who calls on the name of the Lord (Romans 10:13). “God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise” (1 Corinthians 1:27). It is also so profound that the most seasoned saint cannot plum the depth of God’s “so great salvation” (Hebrews 2:3; 5:14).

Psychologists may draw conclusions as to why and how minds are perverted, but to control them is not within man’s power. It takes a supernatural power to change the human nature from self-service to love for God and his fellow men (Luke 10:27).

The apostle Paul describes his struggle in Romans chapter 7. “I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not” (Romans 7:18). He gives the answer in Romans 8:1, 2: “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus... for the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.” When people put on the mind of Christ they have a will to do his will (Romans 13:14; John 7:17).

Psychologists say people are largely the product of their environment. However the child of God can find peace of mind in the worst of circumstances. Jesus, when He was going to Jerusalem to face contradiction, abuse, and death said, “My peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” (John 14:27)

Resources:

The Bible: The Creator’s instruction manual for life
Psycho Heresy: Martin and Deidre Bobgan
World Book Encyclopedia: Psychology; Jung, Carl G.
Sword and Trumpet, Vol. III, No.2 by George R. Brunk, Sr.

From: Reaching Out

Language

English

Author

Elvin Stauffer

Publisher

Reaching Out