Why is the Church so much like the world today? Well, because you become like what you worship, or that which you idolize and much of the Church today idolizes respectability and acceptance from the world. You see this all over the place in so many ways and the way that Church has taken on, absorbed, and been transformed by modern psychology is just one example of this phenomenon.
“Christian psychologists and
psychiatrists, the new infallible authorities on spiritual problems affecting
individuals and families, follow new extra-biblical sources of “God’s truth”
(Freud, Jung, Maslow, Rogers, Adler, Milton H. Erickson [founding president,
American Society of Clinical Hypnosis], R. D. Laing, Adolph Meyer [past
president of APA], Philippe Pinel [father of modern psychiatry], Robert Spitzer
[chair of DSM-III, 1980], Viktor Frankl, William James, et al.).
With their new gospel,
Christian psychiatrists and psychologists are the most sought-after conference
speakers, while the growing budget to advertise their expanding and lucrative
empires of clinics and counseling centers has sparked an explosion in Christian
radio. One of the top-rated Christian radio programs, airing on two thousand
stations, is not hosted by a Bible teacher, but by James Dobson, a
psychologist. Known as “America’s foremost authority on the family,” Dobson is
the most trusted advisor in the church. Yet, according to his office, Dobson
deliberately avoids an emphasis upon God’s Word and bases his counsel upon
humanistic psychology, especially the theory of self-esteem.
Moreover, those giving phone counsel in
Dobson’s ministry are required to be licensed. It is quite clear that he has
more confidence in psychology than in Scripture and in psychologists than in
biblical prophets and apostles.
The new gospel and its
psychologized view of Scripture have become the standard belief in evangelical
churches, seminaries, and universities. Those who oppose it as unbiblical are
dismissed as ignorant, narrowminded, and unscholarly.
The greatest growth in both
the world and the church (other than in drugs, which has been astronomical) has
been in the numbers of those dispensing and those receiving psychological
counsel. At the same time, the number of Christians involved in immorality,
divorce, and the living of frustrated, unhappy lives has kept pace with the
rapid growth of the same evils among the ungodly. And why not, since both
largely follow the same humanistic theories not only in the creation/evolution
debate but in psychology? Like the unsaved, most Christians are convinced of an
urgent need to esteem and value themselves more highly––when, in reality, the
real problem is that they value themselves too highly and care too little for
others and God!”[1]
How can a profession that was created and designed from
the ground up to replace the church in caring for the souls of people, become
such a treasured part of the church itself by modern Christian leaders? The
answer is really quite simple, the world respects it and lifts it up as an
authority, so many Christians are drawn towards that profession.
The people of God have always been plagued by this
problem. The desire to be accounted amongst the elites of the world around
them. Ahab married a Phoenician princess because in his day this was how you
became connected to the most successful and dominant elite of that era. In
later eras of Israel kings chased after alliances with Egypt, then alliances with Assyrian, and then Babylon. In Jesus day many of the leaders of Israel had
grown accustomed to seeking to be accepted in Roman and Greek circles; the
Herodians are a prime example of this.
You become what you worship, and if you idolize
acceptance by the world you will feel tempted and driven towards taking on the
ways, thoughts and philosophies of the world. Much of the modern Church has
done that with their leadership structures, by becoming like businesses, and adopting a mercantile approach to ministry. As one
Christian leader has put it much of the modern evangelical church has pursued the
Baals of success and power, just as did Israel in the Old Testament. And in today's world being involved in, or associating with, psychology grants you access to respect you would not otherwise get.
This drive to incorporate Christianity with psychology
has not been without effect. Things like the power of positive thinking have
been melded with passages in the scriptures which appear to line up with it to
some degree (mediate on what is good, noble, pure, etc) to completely overcome
how Christians think about their faith. Now, those who speak out about things
considered negative are shunned from platforms of any significance because they
don’t have the right positive energy. But a scriptural worldview says there is
a time to be positive and a time to be negative, and being locked in either one of
these ways continually is to deny reality. Mourn with those who are mourning,
rejoice with those who are rejoicing. This is not just about an emphasis as
well.
The power of positive thinking has been melded to the
idea of self-esteem and now certain Christian teachings on things like gender
or sex that do not affirm people’s self-image are being attacked both inside
and outside the church as dangerous because of this. Hunt notes,
“The net is tightening
around those who stand uncompromisingly for the truth of God’s Word. Although
not yet enforced, it is already a crime falling under the definition of
“genocide” to try to convert anyone of another religion or to suggest that
their beliefs are wrong. It is a serious crime to call homosexuality a sin. The
day is coming when, to protect “minority rights,” we will be prohibited by law
from preaching the gospel except in the most “positive” manner. Sadly, much of
the evangelical church has already conformed. And here, again, we must place
much of the blame squarely on Christian psychology’s shoulders for its support
of the myth that “positive” is right and “negative” is wrong.”[2]
There is a smidgen of truth in the idea that if you have
a positive self-belief you can achieve greater things in this life. Athletes
know the danger of self-doubt and how it can cause them to pull back at the wrong
moment in a game or a race, or cause them to not push themselves hsrd enough in training. But
sometimes an athlete needs to also face reality about his abilities, and come
to terms with this so that he can fit into the team in a way that benefits the
whole group. A winger who thinks he should be a forward, and continually promotes
himself in this belief, might become neither a good winger nor a good forward.
These ideas need to be contained by the ability to think about oneself
honestly, which is what the Bible teaches us to do.
However, a lot of psychology puts a large emphasis on expunging any negative thoughts, so as to create in your mind the positive reality you want to experience. Therefore, the negative shall be shunned! Also, because self-esteem is lauded so highly, Christian teachings that make people feel bad about their assumed identities are now being classed as dangerous. It's a more pervasively wicked idea than many people realize and it is driven by psychological philosophy.
Because the Church has given itself over to the
psychological emphasis on the power of positive thinking speaking the way the
prophets often did is now considered sub-Christian. We should always have hope,
but our hope should be based in the realities of God’s word, not the dreams and
fancies of man.
The Church has been conformed to the image of psychology
for too long, it is time to really start pushing back on this, because this is actually
leading the Church and society to a dangerous place.
[1] Hunt,
Dave; McMahon, T. A.. Psychology and the Church: Critical Questions, Crucial
Answers (pp. 111-112). The Berean Call. Kindle Edition.
[2] Hunt,
Dave; McMahon, T. A.. Psychology and the Church: Critical Questions, Crucial
Answers (p. 76). The Berean Call. Kindle Edition.
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