“The Bible is sufficient, but it is not always efficient.”
As my professor said these words, it was almost as if a knife went into my
chest. I fought the urge to yell
back, “Of course it is! My God can do anything!” After I took a couple deep breaths, I began to listen and
process the matter being discussed.
The Bible is absolutely adequate for healing, for life’s circumstances,
and various struggles, but is it always effective to present it to the
individual with the hardened heart or to the one who is drowning in addiction
and fights to even have one rational thought? This is a question that many Christians involved in the
field of counseling or psychology may wrestle with.
When
it comes to integrating psychology and the Bible, there are various views. Some individuals believe that the
Bible, alone, is adequate for counseling and life change, while others believe
that it is beneficial to combine Psychology and the Bible. Those who adhere to the Bible, alone,
oftentimes find their support in Scriptures such as Deuteronomy 4:2 which says,
“You shall not add to the word which I am commanding you, nor take away from
it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command
you.” Additionally, these
individuals reason that Scripture is adequate, and therefore nothing else is
needed. If one adds to the
Scriptures, then they are indirectly declaring that the Bible is insufficient
for one’s life. On the other hand,
there are individuals who believe it is a necessity to combine the Bible and
psychology in their counseling practices.
These counselors oftentimes suggest the importance of practicing
psychological theories that adhere to the Scriptures. For instance, in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
individuals may focus on redirecting negative or false thinking to positive
thought patterns. Similarly the
Bible says in II Corinthians 10:5, “We demolish arguments and every pretension
that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every
thought to make it obedient to Christ.”
Therefore the counselor reasons that CBT may be effective in counseling
individuals because of the truth of the Bible as well as the practical coping
tools found through CBT. To read
further about these views, one may look into articles at these links:http://www.christiancounsel.net/acp123.htm, http://www.str.org/site/News2?id=5370
As
a Christian and potential counselor, I long for God to show me the way He
desires for me to view the issue of integration. I desire to be an individual who adheres to God’s Word, yet
brings a sensitivity to all people who face mental disorders, addictions, and
other various struggles. I
am beginning to see that counseling may be a bridge to freedom in Christ for the
hardened heart or the one deep in addiction. In order to reach the hurting, the hardened, the lost and
others, it is important to help that individual reach a level of functioning
and emotional state that is capable of comprehending the Word and thus practicing
the freedom it provides. Therefore, the combination of the Bible as well as
practical counseling tools seems to be important for the Christian counselor.
Good work Katie! As I read the first few lines of your blog I laughed because this was the exact feelings I had. Integration is such an important issue and it is definitely something that the Lord is teaching me about as I continue to pursue my masters in counseling. I appreciate your words and transparency on this subject!
ReplyDeleteKatie, I completely agree with your final conclusion. It would not do much good for a counselor to walk someone through Scripture when they are not at a place where they can comprehend, listen adequately to, or even want to engage in it. I love how you associate 2 Cor. 10:13 with CBT as I believe it has a direct relationship with each other. The Bible has the answers, but counseling and psychology help people to implement its truth into their lives to produce change.
ReplyDeleteKatie, I appreciate your view of counseling as a "bridge" to freedom in Christ. I think it makes sense in certain situations to address someone's physical and emotional needs before directly attacking the spiritual needs... as you pointed out, a person may not be ready to receive God's word at the same moment we are ready to offer it. We must learn to be sensitive to the needs of our clients, and we may be able to gain valuable knowledge in how to address these needs by sources outside of the Bible.
ReplyDeleteKatie, your honesty throughout your blog was very encouraging! Thank you for giving such great detail concerning the topic that was presented in class. I, like you, had similar reactions to the subject of the Bible not always being sufficient. The integration of the Bible and the use of psychology is a very difficult line to walk. I enjoyed reading your journey of discovering where you will integrate psychology and theology into your practice as a counselor. Thank you for pointing out the importance of a client reaching a level of functioning and emotional stability before you integrate and present the Word and the freedom that it offers. I think that it is very important to understand and know where your clients’ is at emotionally before you integrate the use of Scripture and its sufficiency. I believe that once a client has reached a level emotional stability and able to be open to the Scriptures, then it is our responsibility as Christian counselors to present freedom in Christ and the power of Scriptures.
ReplyDeleteKatie, thank you so much for your blog! I believe many of us were in shock when our Professor said those words. I know I was. I am a strong believer in Nouthetic counseling and I believe I always will be! Your Blog reminded me of the Jay Adams book on Nouthetic counseling. I think their is some wiggle room for psychology, but we must be careful to always filter it through the BIble. I also long for God to show me how to integrate the Bible and psychology appropriately.
ReplyDeleteThank you Katie.
Katie, I really enjoyed reading your blog. Like you, I was also a bit taken aback by that statement. As I began to think more about it, I understood what was meant by that statement. Though, now I can say that the Word of God is enough to bring forth substantial change in my life, before I became a Christian this was not the case. So, just as others met me where I was before I came to Christ, I believe that we as Future counselors are to do the same without taking away from the scriptures. As you mentioned, we are to reach out to those who are hurting and whose hearts are hardened to lead them to Christ, in order that they may be able to experience their freedom in Him.
ReplyDeleteGreat Blog Katie!!
I love how you connected 2corinthians 10:13 with CBT. It was kind of like you created a parallel and an AH HA moment for me. Some aspects of psychology do run along side with the bible like the example you gave. I am still wrestling with this question but leaning more towards integrating. I chose the same topic to post about and I can say that you brought more light to my thinking.
ReplyDelete