Ok, fair warning, the issue I'm writing about today is kind of my soap box, so I will be ranting... my views may be biased and emotionally charged... If that's not okay with you, don't read.
So I just had to go to a final exam period for my Vocational Guidance class... Did we talk about vocational guidance? Of course not. We talked about the evils of integration (that is, in short, using secular theories in conjunction with Scripture and biblical principles) and the sufficiency of Scripture (which, for the record, I totally affirm).
I don't understand why psychology and the Bible have to be mutually exclusive... Yeah, the Bible is the ultimate source of truth, but if a particular thought doesn't go against Scripture, why can't we use it? A point was made that "integrationists" see Christianity or Scripture as lacking something... Um, excuse me?! Don't put words in my mouth. I most certainly believe that Scripture is complete, and I even agree that "biblical counseling" (though I have a problem with that term because I don't see myself as unbiblical) can be very helpful for some people. However, I don't think that Scripture being sufficient precludes us from using other sources as well.
I guess it all comes down to your definition of "sufficient." The dictionary defines this word as "enough" or "adequate." A common verse used to argue for biblical counseling is 2 Timothy 3:16-17, "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work." But just because we have enough, does that mean we can't have more? In my mind, I see it like this. John 3:16 or the "Roman Road" can be sufficient to bring someone to Christ, no? Well do we then discourage them from reading the rest of the Bible or other books that will help them develop their relationship with Christ? Of course not. So just because the Bible is sufficient for "every good work," (which, most would argue, includes counseling), why does that mean we can't have more than enough?
Another quote I've heard multiple times over the semester is "the sheep know the voice of their shepherd." Well if that's so, and I believe it is, why can't I hear his voice even amidst lies? Just because part of a theory is contradictory to Scripture, that doesn't mean we need to throw it all out. If I am truly listening for the voice of my shepherd, he will be able to show me what things align with his truth and what things don't.
Another one that was thrown out today that struck a nerve was that if you do the right thing for the wrong reason, it is sin (I don't remember/can't find the verse). This was in response to using Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to explain Paul's concepts of renewing your mind, etc. That just doesn't make sense to me! How can it be sin for me to share the Word of God with people, and teach them to study it themselves, no matter how I do it? It's one thing to express your beliefs and to disagree with mine, but I think it's going a little too far to tell us it's a sin. There are some things that are blatant sins. On others, you should just keep your judgment to yourself.
We were also told we were ignorant and misinformed about biblical counseling... But the thing is, none of us asked for this discussion. We didn't take a class on integration vs. biblical counseling. We took a class on vocational counseling. We were forced to read a paper written by our TA (which was obviously not proofread, by the way... but that's another irritation for another day) and then discuss it in class. You can't force us to have a discussion and then criticize us for being ignorant on the subject. The whole thing was just frustrating and irritating.
And now I'm done. And I feel better. :)
No comments:
Post a Comment