Light Brings Salt
Volume 3, Issue 42
Dedicated to the Systematic Exposition of the Word of God
Psychology A Trojan Horse?
Dr. G. Harry Leafe
Multitudes
of Christians view psychology with respect and awe. It is paradoxical that at a
time when more and more secular psychological researchers are demonstrating
less and less confidence in psychological counseling, more and more Christians
are pursuing it in one way or another. Christian counseling centers are springing
up all over the nation offering what many believe to be the perfect
combination: Christianity plus
psychology. Furthermore, Christians who are not even in counseling look to what
psychologists say about how to live, how to relate to others, and how to meet
the challenges of life.
See to it that no one takes you
captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of
men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according
to Christ.
(Col. 2:8)
The
world offers all kinds of ideas that clearly stand in opposition to the Bible.
However, the greatest problems for Christians are not from those of clear
contradiction of Scripture such as direct denial of God or blatant atheism.
Jesus warned us: Watch out and beware of
the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees. (Matt. 16:6) Paul adds: Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump of
dough? (1 Cor. 5:6)
One
of the most subtle and dangerous deceptions today is a slow acting poisonous
leaven which is permeating the church. The leaven easily entered the liberal
churches under the guise of science and medicine. It gave people something to
hang onto as their faith in the inspired Word of God waned. The leaven then
spread to conservative churches, Bible colleges and seminaries.
In
their desire to help the sheep and expand church growth, many pastors have
added that same leaven to the Word of God. They have been taking what appears
to be good for the bleeding sheep and fed it to the entire flock. The leaven has
been like a food additive which seems to have positive benefits, but which
eventually weakens the flock.
THE LEAVEN?
What
is this insidious leaven and why would seminaries and pastors who truly care
for their flocks be promoting this leaven in the church?
The leaven is psychology. Psychological leaven consists of secular theories and
techniques which are "according to the traditions of men.'' They are man-made ideas which offer
substitutes for salvation and sanctification.
In
referring to the leaven of psychology the whole field of psychological study is
not included. What is being referred to is that part
of psychology which deals with the nature of man, how he should live, and how
he can change. It involves values, attitudes and behavior.
Because
testimonies of success and happiness abound, many eagerly follow the promises
of this psychological way. However, few ever read about the failures. Extensive
illustrations can be given to demonstrate the fact that the psychological
explanations about life and psychological solutions to life's problems are
questionable at best, detrimental at worst, and spiritual counterfeits at
least.
Although
some have recognized the contradictions, failures, and false promises, many
continue to think in psychological terms and turn to psychology for answers to
life's dilemmas. Our twentieth-century culture is steeped in psychological
theories and ideas. In fact it so pervades our thinking that we do not even
think twice about the origin of some of the psychological ideas we take for
granted every day.
CHRISTIAN
PSYCHOLOGY?
But,
how does all of this relate to the church? Just because secular psychologies
out in the world reek of anti-Christian bias, contradictions, and failures,
does it follow that psychology in the church is also contaminated?
Unfortunately what has been labeled "Christian psychology'' is made up of
the very same confusion of contradictory theories and techniques. Well meaning
psychologists who profess Christianity have merely borrowed the theories and techniques
from secular psychology. They dispense what they believe to be the perfect
blend of psychology and Christianity. Nevertheless, the psychology they use is
the same as that used by non-Christian psychologists and psychiatrists. They
use the theories and techniques devised by such men as Freud, Jung, Rogers, Janov, Ellis, Adler, Berne., Fromm, Maslov, and many others, none of whom embraced Christianity
or developed a psychological system from the Word of God.
The
Christian Association for Psychological Studies (CAPS) is a group of
psychologists and psychological counselors who are professing Christians. At one of their meetings the following
comment was made in one of the papers presented: We are often asked if we are
"Christian psychologists'' and find it difficult to answer since we don't
know what the question implies. We are Christians who are psychologists but at
the present time there is no acceptable Christian psychology that is markedly
different from non-Christian psychology. It is difficult to imply that we
function in a manner that is fundamentally distinct from our non-Christian
colleagues....as yet there is not an acceptable theory, mode of research or
treatment methodology that is distinctly Christian.
Although
Christian psychological counselors claim to have taken only those elements of
psychology that fit with Christianity, anything can be made to fit the Bible,
no matter how silly or even satanic it is. Each Christian therapist brings his
own individual psychology borrowed from the world to the Bible and modifies the
Word to make it fit. What they use comes from the bankrupt systems of ungodly
and unscientific theories and techniques.
Christians
who seek to integrate psychology with Christianity have actually turned to
secular, ungodly sources for help. And, because these unbiblical,
unsubstantiated theories and techniques have been blended into the dough, they
are well hidden in the loaf. Thus many Christians honestly believe that they
are using only a purified, Christianized psychology. Instead, we are left with
a contaminated loaf, not with the unleavened bread of the Word of God. A.W. Tozer declares: At the heart of the Christian system lies
the cross of Christ with its divine paradox. The power of Christianity appears
in its antipathy toward, never in its agreement with,
the ways of fallen men....The cross stands in bold opposition to the natural
man. Its philosophy runs contrary to the processes of the unregenerate mind, so
that Paul could say bluntly that the preaching of the cross is to them that
perish foolishness. To try to find a common ground between the message of the
cross and man's fallen reason is to try the impossible, and if persisted in
must result in an impaired reason, a meaningless cross and a powerless
Christianity.
THE SEDUCTION
The
psychological seduction of Christianity is the most subtle and widespread
leaven in the church today. It has permeated the entire loaf and is stealthily
starving the sheep. It promises far more than it can deliver and what it does
deliver is not the food that nourishes Christians. Jesus said, '' I am the
bread of life; he who comes to Me shall not hunger,
and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.'' (John 6:35) Jesus also said,
``I am the way the truth and the life,'' (John 14:6) not Freud, Jung, Adler,
Rogers, Maslow, or Ellis or any other such men.
Jesus, the apostles, and the early church did not send the sheep out to feed in
other pastures. They did not turn to man-made systems either to understand the
nature of man or to discover answers to the problems of living. Jesus offered
Himself as the bread of life. He gives the pure water of the Word of God which
springs up into eternal life.
Pastors
have been called to feed the sheep the "unleavened bread of sincerity and
truth.'' (1 Cor 5:8) Yet, many shepherds who have
been influenced by the psychological way are ministering the leaven of
psychology and subjecting suffering sheep to professional psychological
counseling.
This
psychological seduction of Christianity is not simply a future event that may
occur. It has already happened. It is not something that is about to take place
or merely in the process of taking place. The leaven is already in the loaf and
is spreading at incredible speed. The leaven of the psychological way has
already spread beyond the pastor's study right into many of their sermons. It
permeates Christian media and floods the field of Christian literature.
In
attempting to be relevant, many preachers, teachers, counselors, and writers
promote a psychological perspective of life rather than a theological one. The
church has joined The Psychological Society and has become the PSYCHOLOGIZED
CHURCH. The symbol of psychology overshadows the cross of Christ, and
psychological jargon contaminates the Word of God.
This
departure from the fundamental truth of the Word of God is to the use of the
unproven and unscientific psychological opinions of men instead of absolute
confidence in the biblical truth of God.
What
William Law wrote two centuries ago is even more evident today: "Man needs to be saved from his own
wisdom as much as from his own righteousness, for they produce one and the same
corruption.'' Besides
offering only the dregs of the broken cisterns of man-made ideas rather than
the fresh springs of living water, the theories of psychological counseling
poison the soul. They draw a person away from the True Bread and the
Living Water. Furthermore, once a person has embraced the psychological way he
becomes vulnerable to greater and greater deceptions.
The
Bible is the true food for the church, but it is also an excellent hiding place
for deceptive ideas. A lie placed in the midst of truth often goes unnoticed
and may be as fully accepted as the Gospel Truth. In fact, the shepherds are
often unaware of the deceptive nature of the leaven they are adding to the
loaf. They have actually bought into a whole philosophy of living that is
antithetical to the Word of God.
They
generally believe four major myths about the psychological way which we will
examine next week.