Is Biblical Counseling Different from Psychology?
When most people think about counseling, they think in terms of what we could call ‘logical equivalence’. In the study of logic, for two statements to be logically equivalent is to say that they carry the same concept using different words. An example would be, “If it is raining then the ground is wet.” and “The ground is dry so it is not raining.” What point am I trying to make here? That’s a fair question. Most people believe that Biblical Counseling and Secular Psychology are logically equivalent. They believe that an individual seeking sound counsel should simply choose a position based on their convictions and work through things out of that. This was certainly the case when I was pursuing my undergraduate degree in Psychology from the University of Iowa. The implication was that most forms of counseling were essentially equivalent so long as each of them carried sufficient ‘scientific backing.’ What do we think about that? In theory it sounds like an excellent idea, but there are some underlying presuppositions or assumptions that need to be fleshed out. First among these is the assumption that counseling as a discipline is a morally neutral enterprise.
What I mean when I say this is that Christians assume that the act of counseling in and of itself doesn’t come with an underlying bias or worldview. We are deeply tempted to believe that counselors are effectively neutral third parties who direct us to look within to find our own truth. This comes from the influence of a man named Carl Rogers who pioneered a branch of Psychology called ‘Nondirective Therapy’. The goal of this form of therapy was for the counselor to serve as a mirror of sorts reflecting the counselee’s words and actions back to himself such that he would be able to figure things out for himself.
This therepeutic approach has become the waters in which counseling swims today. We’ve been taught by the culture that counseling’s only aim is to ‘help people’ as they walk through their difficulties. As Christians I would argue that we have to look deeper at the telos, or end goal, of counseling. Sigmund Freud, the grandfather of psychology, expressed his vision for the counselor as a ‘Secular Pastoral Worker.’ Freud, though not a Christian, recognized the importance of providing soul care to the masses. He set out to create an entire field centered around caring for the souls of the lost but to do so from a secular worldview. Secular meaning entirely without the hope of the gospel of Jesus Christ at its center. Psychology as developed from the beginning, seeks to unhitch the care of souls from the God who created them and to do so in an impersonal and nondirective manner.
Second, I explained in the What is Biblical Counseling post that counseling at its core is evangelism and discipleship. All counseling everywhere comes from a worldview either explicit or implicit. The counselors themselves have underlying bias regarding their approach. Any counselor who you will ever see is counseling out of his worldview. He is being shaped by convictions about the world, where it came from and how it works. The Therapeutic worldview doesn’t see things in terms of ‘black and white’ or ‘good and evil’ necessarily. This is something that I may get into in a later video, but every counseling approach, though they may change the titles somewhat, offers counsel out of the following categories:
Lordship - This asks the question, “Who or what rules over us?” In Christianity we recognize that the Creator of the Universe rules over our hearts, minds and actions. In the Secular realm, however, the individual seeking counsel is the captain of his own ship. He is responsible for ruling over his life, forging his own destiny and being the captain of his own ship. This is particularly ironic when we recognize that an individual seeks counsel from outside of himself because he is struggling with how to navigate the storms of his own life. So in a way, the counselee is appealing to an authority outside of himself (the counselor) in order to become his own authority.
Love - The question of love seeks to answer the question, “What is the most valuable thing in my life? What do I treasure more than anything else?” In Christianity, we recognize God as the source of our love for one another. We can love because we have been loved. Secular Psychology, again, offers the definition, “Love is Love” as a therapeutic non-answer for us. Effectively, Psychology rejects the God of Scripture as the very source of love and at worst tells us to learn to love ourselves or define our own true self and at best gives approval to those who desire to do so.
Anthropology - Anthropology is the study of Man’s origins. Psychology is deeply rooted in and influenced by Darwin’s theory of evolution. Anthropology seeks to answer the questions; what is a human being? Where did we come from? Where are we going? Why does it even matter? By and large, Psychology teaches that we came from nothing, we are for nothing, we are heading towards nothing and so we must define right and wrong by seeking out as much pleasure in this life as possible. Psychology rejects God as the creator and sustainer of everyone and everything in favor of permitting every man to do what is right in his own eyes.
Hamartiology - Next, the doctrine of sin. How is right and wrong defined, who is responsible for defining it and how does it impact our lives? Because Psychology swims in the waters of social Darwinism, survival of the fittest reigns supreme. There is no sin, only defining truth according to our own standards….that is unless we seek to define truth in terms of absolutes; a Creator God from whom we derive meaning, dignity, value and worth and to whom we owe supreme allegiance and right worship as defined by Him.
Hope - Finally, our hope. In Psychology, the telos or end goal more often than not matches Buddha’s dying words; “Strive without ceasing.” Psychology cannot define what is normal or healthy, but only what is not normal or healthy. I think that we’ve seen the fruits of this born out across the American culture. There is no hope. The goal that we are striving towards is nebulous and Ill defined. Individuals are defined by psychiatric descriptors more often than not. People say ‘I am depressed, I am anxious and I am addicted’ with the same attitude that, just a generation or two ago, one might have said ‘I am a plumber, welder, teacher, etc.’ descriptors of unhealthy have become the identity in a therapeutic culture more so than the God who created us. To be freed from this hopelessness, God commands every man everywhere to repent. To turn from the Baals and Asheroth of mental illness and secularism and to return to the God of all comfort who will lead us everlastingly into stability, wisdom and understanding.
Because these questions and the answers that I’ve given shape the Psychological worldview, those who serve Psychology in all of its chaos and confusion become like the idol that they behold. As the field of Psychology is muddled, uncertain and messy it can only produce people and systems that are likewise muddled, uncertain and messy. In the words of Paul in Ephesians 4:14, they become like children tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine. I, like Paul, would spare you from the chaos and confusion that comes from a system of godless, secular psychology and say that Psychology is incompatible with a Biblical framework of care and counseling. If anyone would be interested, I have spent time studying and evaluating several of Psychology’s most popular therapeutic interventions and I would be happy to share them and my evaluation with you.
