The faculty blog at Biblical Seminary (where I teach) has published an edited version of an older post here on this site. If you like cheeky titles, try this on for size:
Tag Archives: Christianity
New Resource for Men with Porn Addiction
A friend of mine, David White, published a book late last year with New Growth Press entitled, Sexual Sanity For Men: Re-creating Your Mind in a Crazy Culture. I commend you this book for several reasons.
- The topic is absolutely important. David doesn’t offer a white knuckle approach to dealing with sexual temptations. Nor does he gloss over the difficulties and give the simplistic bible answer as to why porn use is bad for you or that Jesus is a substitute for porn (see week 11, day 2 for how why he rightly says, “Jesus is not going to become like porn for you” and why many addicts imagine that he will.)
- The book design is perfect. By saying this I am not talking about its physical attributes. Ever read a book that has decent sized chapters and then a few questions at the end? If you are like me you might glance at those “for further thought” questions and then move on to the next chapter. The result is that you get lots of content quickly but make little to no application. David’s book is written in the format of daily readings (5 per week) for 14 weeks. Each reading is about 2-3 pages with specific reflection and self-assessment questions with space to write. I suggest a reader complete on own but then meet up with a group of guys and discuss (hold accountable) what your read/wrote.
- The focus. The material and questions spend what may feel like an inordinate amount of time on discovering how deceived we are. You could feel like he is beating a dead horse. But I would suggest that David is intentionally helping readers peel back layer and layer of deceptions that allow sin to continue. How else could believers imbibe sin if they weren’t first deadening with deception? For example, he asks the reader to note where they wear the “fig leaf of ministry” as a way to mollify guilt.
I would encourage readers to add one question to each day/week: “What is one thing I am going to endeavor to do today, with God’s help, in light of what I just read?” If we only stay with the assessment, we can become defeated and discouraged by the amount of mess we find. But, God gives us a way of escape. Where is it today? Don’t promise yourself the world. You’ll break that promise. Endeavor to make one small, incremental change today. Tomorrow, you’ll do it again. And, don’t try to do it alone.
You can find David at www.harvestusa.org.
*received complimentary book from NGP but review is my own and not the result of free books. I get plenty others that never make my recommended list.
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Filed under book reviews, Christianity, pornography, Sex, sexual addiction
One Definition of Christian Psychology
At a recent conference, Diane Langberg submitted the following definition of Christian Psychology. I present it below, verbatim, for your consideration. In some ways she doesn’t say anything new. However, it is quite different from our usual definitions.
Let me explain my seeming contradiction by first giving you C. Stephen Evans definition of Christian psychology,
[It is] psychology which is done to further the kingdom of God, carried out by citizens of that kingdom whose character and convictions reflect their citizenship in that kingdom… (p. 132)
As you would expect, Dr. Evans offers a philosophically astute definition.
Or, consider Eric Johnson’s tome, Foundations for Soul Care: A Christian Psychology Proposal. In this book of 700 plus pages, he explicates a Christian psychology framework as doxological, semiodiscursive, dialogical, canonical, and psychological approach to soul repair. If you are looking for a theologically and epistemologically rich entry point to Christian psychology, I can’t point you to a better place than this book.
Like these two examples, many of our current definitions focus on matters of epistemology, theology, and psychology. Many definitions also emphasize the work of critical evaluation of existing psychological theory and research.
Now turn to Dr. Langberg’s definition. Notice how she emphasizes the character, the preparation, and actions of the counselor. Notice further that the focus on outcomes is bidirectional–on counselee and counselor.
Christian psychology as practiced in the counseling relationship is a servant of God, steeped in the Word of God, loving and obeying God in public and in private, sitting across from a suffering sinner at a vulnerable crossroad in his/her life and bringing all of the knowledge and wisdom and truth and love available to that person while remaining dependent on the Spirit of God hour by hour. That work, no matter what you call it, will be used by God to change us into His likeness; that work will result in His redemptive work in the life sitting before us; that work will bring glory to His great Name.
What I take from Dr. Langberg’s definition is an emphasis on action, the Spirit’s work and the counselor’s work (in self and other). While the epistemological definitions are necessary if we are going to think critically about our work, so to is this action-oriented definition. It reminds us that for all our thinking and theorizing, it is God’s work in our private and public lives that is used to bring healing and hope to others.
Your thoughts?
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Things you won’t hear often in graduate counseling programs
In my last post I made mention of Dr. Langberg’s presentations last Monday night. One of her talks was entitled, “Ten Things About Counseling You Don’t Usually Hear in Graduate School.” At some point we may be able to upload video of that talk but just to whet your appetite, here are a couple of her 10 items,
- Counseling is not nice. Most people get into the counseling business because they want to help people and because others have indicated that they have a gift for listening. Without being negative about the work of counseling, Dr. Langberg reminded us that to counsel with others is to invite garbage into your life. People don’t come to counseling to talk about the good things…
- Similarly, the stuff of counseling is contagious; it will change you.
- Counseling will expose you. It will expose your limits of patience, rationality, and love. It will expose your baser reasons for being a counselor.
- Christian counseling is doing God’s work. It is not our work.
- Christian counseling is doing God’s work for him (not for ourselves or others).
Just a taste. But she concluded with this call,
Listen acutely. Study avidly. Be the Word.
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Filed under Christianity, counseling, counseling skills, Diane Langberg
5 Approaches to Counseling and Christianity
There was a recent conference in Tennessee where the authors of the recently published, “Five Approaches to Counseling and Christianity” (IVP) presented their approaches, dialogued with each other, and showed brief vignettes of their counseling model in action. You might like to see some of the papers and slide presentations by each of the authors. Do so by following this link. At the bottom of each bio, you can find the link to their presentation. They do not have the video clips of counseling available. I, for one, hope they make them available for sale. Despite the diversity of theories, I suspect their actual counseling activities do not differ all that much.
Phil
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More on “Can Your Body Make You Sin?”
I’ve written about this topic here and here before. In those posts I argue that there is a better question for counselors to consider than the one of culpability. Last night, we started the 2012 edition of Counseling & Physiology with the question of culpability and whether or bodies/brains can cause us to sin outside of our will. We also looked at our tendency to focus on judging whether a person is culpable for their sins (e.g., someone with Tourette’s who swears, someone with a TBI who is easily enraged, someone who is chronically anxious or still another who falls prey to addictive behavior). One of my main goals was to get students thinking about whether they under or overestimate the body’s role in counseling problems.
In the second post listed above I indicate the possibility of a better question than culpability. However, one of my students last night raised a question that went something like this,
Doesn’t the fact that you will choose how to respond to a client indicate that you have to judge the cause of the problem? If you encourage a client to consider psychoactive medications, aren’t you suggesting it is a body problem? If you focus on habits or heart issues, aren’t you assuming the problem is primarily a spiritual, will or behavioral control problem?
This was a great question and my answer was something like the following.
No and yes. Functionally, you will choose an area to work first. This does not mean you think that the type of intervention you choose indicates the main problem. It may only indicate that you think one intervention is an easier entry gate to counseling than another.
Here’s an example. Even if my client is severely depressed and I believe that the primary cause of this depression is their longstanding bitterness and anger towards God, I may encourage a psychiatric evaluation and the consideration of an antidepressant. It may be that once their mood improves, we can make better progress in investigating some spiritual matters in their life.
Human sins and weaknesses have multi-factored sources
Have you ever thought of the various sources of human sin? Here’s a visual of all of the things I think of that are a part of nearly every human sinful behavior. The sizes of the factors surely change depending on the situation. For some, will, high-handed rebellion, may be most of the pie. In other cases, bodily weakness may be the prime source. Also, some of these surely overlap and are not distinct. I may have started out in a rebellious state when I started doing drugs. Now, my body and psychological habits are equal players in why I maintain a drug habit.
What else would you add to this chart? Note that I place “will” in the smallest concentric circle. I imagine that we have far less conscious control over sin than we sometimes ascribe. Habits, unconscious motivations, and foolish (unthinking) choices probably dictate more of our behavior than our direct, willful, planned rebellion. Of course, none of this has ANY influence over culpability or morality as Scripture clearly indicates our guilt even when we are unaware of the Law’s commands. When Jesus says, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do,” it tells us that consciousness of sin has little to do with our need for forgiveness.
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Filed under biblical counseling, christian counseling, christian psychology, counseling, sin
7 questions about your church’s abuse policy
Over at Biblical Seminary’s faculty blog, I have a new guest post up pointing readers to 7 important questions to ask as they review their church’s existing abuse policy. One of the questions ISN’T whether or not your church HAS an abuse policy. I assume that every church has one already.
Read the post here.
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The Five Minute Antidote for Anxiety
I’m an anxious person by trait. It is a common trait, especially in graduate school (in combination with narcissism. I say this also in self-disclosure; both features support successful completion of doctoral studies). Anxious people tend to spend considerable time ruminating through “What if…” questions along with should, coulda, woulda thinking. We worry about our past failures coming to light and whether we’ll be up to the challenge the future presents.
Sound pretty negative way to live? It is. The only way we differ from depressed people is that we still have some thought that our worry might save us from disaster. As you can imagine, such worry robs us of joy. It keeps us from enjoying the present or seeing God’s gracious hand on our lives. And we compound our problems by then shaming ourselves for failing to follow God’s command, “Do not be afraid.”
The Five Minute Antidote
Part of the problem with anxiety is that we are trying to control/manage every possible outcome in order to avoid future disaster(s). Fearful people know that the answer to their anxiety will not include,
- Just not caring anymore. We’ve tried that…it doesn’t work.
- Making sure we get it RIGHT. Tried that too. Didn’t work.
So, what might work? Try this on for size,
What is God’s plan for me for the next five minutes?
Most of us have no clue what God is planning for us next year or even next week. But, I suspect most of us can discern what we need to do right now…for the next five minutes,
- I need to make dinner
- I need to read this assignment for school
- I need to attend to my child’s homework
- I can call a friend who is grieving
We usually know the one thing we can do for the next five minutes. Do that with as much focus as you can. Here’s what you are likely to discover: your anxiety decreases, or at least does not increase. When we stop the ruminations or internal conversations, our anxieties decrease and our ability to be present increases. So, when you find yourself in an anxious stew, try to ask yourself, What is one thing I can do for the next five minutes or What does God want me to do for the next five minutes? Consider this your method of living out Psalm 131, where you are are stilled and quieted like a weaned child, content with what He has for you for the next five minutes.
Oh, did you think this will solve all your anxiety problems? No, of course not. But where God does give you something to focus your attention, call that a success. Part of the Christian life is repetition–repeated worship, repeated repentance, repeated obedience, repeated trust. So, do pray for God to remove your “thorn” but look for five minute relief. Notice when it works and then ask God for another five minute focus on the thing he has for you RIGHT NOW.
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Filed under Anxiety, biblical counseling, christian counseling, counseling
Individual or collective responsibility in matters of justice?
If you read blogs you likely follow current news and are aware that a you tube movie trailer has spawned protests, violence and death in Muslim dominated countries. Haven’t seen the movie and don’t intend to. From what I hear it paints Islam and the Prophet Mohammad is some rather unflattering (and for Muslims, offensive) light.
For most Americans and Westerners, it can be hard to understand the reaction. No one (I think) believes the American Ambassador to Lybia had anything to do with the production of the movie or was in support of it’s depictions of Islam. Yet, it would appear that some thought it reasonable to take his life in response to the film’s damage. The same would be true for lesser forms of violence in other parts of the world (car burnings, threats to life, destruction of US property in foreign territories)
Is it religion or culture?
Though we could easily chalk reactions by Muslims up to religion, I think culture may play a greater role in this one. We Americans, apart from religion, see the world as individual. We are concerned about individual justice and individual fairness. It is hard for us to accept responsibility for things we didn’t do. For example, you might hear someone grouse about affirmative action, “I didn’t enslave anyone, why should they get a leg up that I didn’t get.” Or, if a member of my church is exposed for a heinous sin, I’m sad, maybe a bit embarrassed, but I certainly don’t feel I ought to bear ANY of the responsibility for his or her crimes.
Much of the rest of the world doesn’t see it this way. If someone in your family does wrong, your whole family suffers disgrace. If someone in your community does wrong, it is as if the whole community gets a black eye. It is less about individual sin and much more about corporate sin and shame.
Is there a biblical answer to this?
While in NO way validating the senseless revenge attacks on innocent victims, I think it important to consider whether there is a biblical response to the strong individualist-communitarian tensions we feel when it comes to corporate sin and righteousness. If you are looking for a single verse, there isn’t one. However, it is interesting to see OT leaders lead in corporate confession of sin–even if they themselves were not guilty. There is an emphasis on “we”. Jeremiah’s lament, Nehemiah’s confession of sin, the minor prophets warning of destruction to the entire northern kingdom are all examples of this “we.” Maybe even more provocative is that of the destruction of Aachan’s family and animals for his sin or the salvation of Rahab and her family for her individual righteousness.
You might argue that this is an Old Testament thing, however, the community language continues in the New Testament, even if less pronounced. There is focus on unity of the body, Christians as all attached to the head, Jesus, refusal to allow sin by other members to continue within the body, and finally, serious warnings given to entire Churches in the book of Revelation.
While you and I should not adopt and “eye for an eye” motto nor seek to punish those who are innocent of crimes, maybe Christianity isn’t quite so individual relationship with Jesus as we’ve painted it to be in the West….
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Filed under Uncategorized
Is All Counseling Theological?
Why do we have to study theology? I don’t need that to be a good counselor?
These are words I have heard from students studying counseling and/or psychology in both university settings and seminaries. What would you say?
Biblical and theological training in professional programs?
Most Christian institutions offering counseling or psychology graduate programs require some level of theological engagement. Otherwise, why exist? Some do so via specific course work while others embed the theological or biblical material into classic counseling courses. At Biblical, we do both. We require traditional counseling courses such as Marriage & Family, Helping Relationships, Psychopathology, Social & Cultural Foundations, etc. In these courses we explore counseling theory and practice from an evangelical Christian psychology perspective. We also require students to complete courses like, “Counseling & the Biblical Text” and “Counseling & Theology: Cultural Issues” where they engage biblical texts and theological study as they consider how it forms counseling theory/practice and shapes the character of the counselor.
Is all counseling theological?
Yes. And David Powlison in the most recent CCEF NOW magazine (2-4) talks about this very fact. Here are some choice tidbits,
…counselors deal with your story. In fact, they become players in that story. By word and deed, even by their line of questioning, they inevitably offer some form of editing or rescripting, some reinterpretation of your story.
Counseling is inescapably a moral and theological matter. To pretend otherwise is to be naive, deceived, or duplicitous.
…all counseling uncovers and edits personal stories…. All counseling must and does deal with questions of true and false, good and evil, right and wrong, value and stigma, glory and shame, justification and guilt.
All counseling explicitly or implicitly deals with questions of redemption, faith, identity, and meaning.
Thus, if value-free counseling is not possible (the very questions we ask lead clients in one direction or another), then it stands to reason that every counselor ought to explore the theologies (doctrines, interpretations, beliefs, etc.) he or she brings into the counseling room. Who is God? How does God operate? What is the purpose of the Bible? Does it have anything to say about my life, my attitudes, my relationships? What is sin? What is my purpose in life? What does God think about my suffering? And on we could go.
But counseling is NOT theologizing
But lest you think that Christian counselors spend a great deal of time plying clients with the right answers, on sin hunts, or catechising clients, let us remember that exhortation rarely makes for good counseling. In fact, most clients are well aware of their sins–even those who do not call themselves “believers.” And those who have correct theology are not less likely to have trouble in their relationships or less likely to struggle with racing thoughts or depression or less likely to get caught in addictive behavior.
Instead, good christian counseling consists mainly of,
- loads of stimulating questions designed not to get the “right” answer but to awaken the client to how they think, act, believe, relate, etc.
- Short observations to stimulate more critical understanding of the personal narratives being written, and
- Collegial exploration and practice of new narratives, perceptions, and behaviors.
Wait, just what is Christian about these three points? Couldn’t unbelieving counselors agree with this list? Sure they could. What makes these three activities Christian is the submission of both counselor and client to core convictions and practices of Christ followers.
Musings on Faith and Psychology 