The Bible's Better Answers

LESSON 2: CRACKING THE MEDICAL MYTH RECAP "A necessary presupposition of biblical counseling is that ... every essential truth, every essential principle, every essential technique for solving human problems has been delivered in God's Word." -Ed Bulkley 3 BOLD CLAIMS 1: Most matters of mental health are not primarily brain problems, they are primarily mind problems 2: The Bible contains everything needed to live a life pleasing to God 3: The Bible, therefore, must contain what is needed to deal with the problems of the mind SOME CLARIFICATIONS * Mental health conditions do exist * The mind is not the brain * We are body-souls • Psalm 32:3-4; Luke 22:43-44; Proverbs 23:31-33 CRACKING THE MEDICAL MYTH: PROBLEMS IN THE STATS The myth: Mental health has been proven to be a medical issue, and therefore requires a medical solution FACT 1: The phenomena and symptoms the mental health industry attempts to treat do exist FACT 2: These phenomena and symptoms have existed for most of human history FACT 3: The therapeutic/psychiatric solution model is relatively new in human history FACT 4: Since the rise of modern therapies and psychiatrics, the problem of mental health has gotten worse, not better * From 2008 to 2019, the number of adults aged 18 or older with any mental illness increased from 39.8 million to 51.5 million, a nearly 30% increase. SAMHSA.gov * From 2009 to 2019, the share of high school students who reported experiencing persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness increased 41%. From 2010 to 2020, suicide death rates increased by 62% among adolescents aged 12 to 17. cdc.gov * In early 2021, emergency department visits for suicide attempts were 51% higher for adolescent girls and 4% higher for adolescent boys than in early 2019. American Academy of Pediatrics * The number of U.S. adults who received mental health treatment or counseling rose from 27.2 million in 2002 to over 40 million in 2019 statistica.com * The number of Americans on psychotropic drugs has risen sharply, and the industry is predicted to reach nearly $50 billion by the end of the decade CONCLUSION: We should at least be willing to consider if we've been thinking about this issue correctly CRACKING THE MEDICAL MYTH: PROBLEMS IN THE DIAGNOSTICS * Mental health disorders are overwhelmingly self-reported and symptom based * Diagnostics are skewed by perverse incentives * Diagnostics are limited by worldview o 2 Corinthians 2:14-16 o Romans 1:21 CRACKING THE MEDICAL MYTH: PROBLEMS IN THE TRACK RECORD A brief and incomplete historical overview of "cures" • Infection & fever • Insulin induced comas • Sepsis surgery • Artificial seizures • Lobotomies • Drug therapy • Rebirthing therapy THE BIBLE HAS BETTER ANSWERS o The Bible has a better definition of what a human IS (Anthropology) o The Bible has a better definition of what a human IS FOR (Ontology and Teleology) o The Bible has a better explanation of sin and suffering (Hamartiology) o The Bible has a better understanding of what humans NEED to solve our problems (soteriology) LESSON 3: TRUE KNOWLEDGE OF HIM SOME CLARIFICATIONS * Medications are not unlawful as a category, and can be a helpful tool in some cases * Meds and secular therapies are effective at alleviating symptoms in some cases * We can do better than symptom management! ALLEN FRANCES, MD, FORMER CHAIR OF DSM BOARD: "It's so easy to start antidepressants, but so hard to stop them. That's why they are prescribed for about 12% of the population in both the UK and the US. In England the number of antidepressant prescriptions doubled between 2008 and 2018, despite the fact that the pills are now off patent, which means that pressure from manufacturers to prescribe can likely be ruled out as a factor. There is no reason to believe that the incidence of psychiatric disorder has increased over time - so why are these pills so popular with practitioners and their patients?" LAUREN DELANO, "UNSHRUNK": "I was once mentally ill, and now I'm not, and it wasn't because I was misdiagnosed. I wasn't improperly medicated or overmedicated. I haven't miraculously recovered from supposed brain diseases that some of the country's top psychiatrists told me I'd have for the rest of my life. In fact, I was properly diagnosed and medicated according to the American Psychiatric Association's standard of care. The reason I'm no longer mentally ill is that I made a decision to question the ideas about myself that I'd assumed were fact and discard what I learned was actually fiction." THE GOAL OF BIBLICAL COUNSELING 1. The transformation of the mind through true knowledge of our savior into his likeness 2. We take the Bible at its word when it says our minds are being renewed (Eph 4:20-24), our inner person is being transformed (2 Cor 3:18), that we have the very mind of Christ (1 Cor 2:16) 3. Therefore, we believe Biblical counseling deals with all the non-medical (aka, mind, heart, soul) problems that people can face. JAY ADAMS, "COMPETENT TO COUNSEL": "Organic malfunctions affecting the brain that are caused by brain damage, tumors, gene inheritance, glandular or chemical disorders, validly may be termed mental illnesses. But at the same time a vast number of other human problems have been classified as mental illnesses for which there is no evidence that they have been engendered by disease or illness at all." BRAIN VS. MIND 1. Biblical anthropology describes humans as dichotomous - that is, having two parts, a body and a soul (Matt 10:28, 1 Cor 5:5) 2. The mind is not the brain, the brain is not the mind a. They are related, but not essentially so - while we are embodied, our mind dwells in our brain in a manner similar to computer software residing on computer hardware, or a driver residing in a vehicle. 3. The brain is a physical organ; the mind is immaterial 4. The biblical mind (synonymous with the Biblical heart, soul, inner man, etc.) is the seat of our thoughts, motivations, desires, personality, etc. WHY IS THE BIBLE SUFFICIENT FOR COUNSELING BUT NOT FOR MEDICINE? * The Bible is not a book about, for example, theoretical physics - though if you want to be a good physicist you're going to need to start with a foundation of biblical truth * Neither is the Bible a book about physical medicine - though if you want to be a good doctor you're going to need to start with a foundation of Biblical truth * The Bible IS a book that deals with the problems of the heart, soul, and mind. 2 Cor 4:16 * Therefore, if we are trying to learn medicine or physics or chemistry, we should START with Scripture, but then move on to natural revelation * If we are trying to learn how to care for the mind, the heart, the soul, we should START with Scripture and STAY with Scripture o Extra-biblical data, tools, and techniques are allowable, but only where the Bible clearly allows for them, and only when they do not contradict the Bible's own truth claims. WE CAN DISAGREE ON THE SPECIFICS OF WHEN AND WHERE PSYCHOTROPIC MEDICATIONS CAN BE LAWFUL AND HELPFUL... ...WE MUST AGREE THAT GOD'S WORD IS SUFFICIENT FOR THE CHRISTIAN TO BECOME LIKE CHRIST (2 COR 4:16; EPH 4:20-24; 2 COR 3:18) THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM WHY DOES THE CHURCH HAVE SUCH A BAD REPUTATION FOR MENTAL HEALTH COUNSELING? * A new anthropology, pushed by figures such as Darwin and Freud, emerges in the mid-1800s and continues to pick up steam in the early 1900s o As therapeutic and secular language starts to become popular, people stop thinking of themselves in theological language and categories and start thinking about themselves in therapeutic language and categories o See: Triumph of the Therapeutic by Philip Rieff for an in depth treatment on this subject * Pastors and theologians stop publishing work about soul care o Possibly the last book published on the subject prior to 1970 is "A Pastor's Sketches" by Ichabod Spencer, published in 1855 * Seminaries stop training pastors to do soul care, instead explicitly instructing ministers to stay out of such matters and refer needy congregants to mental health experts * Over 100 years would pass before the church would re-examine a Biblical counseling approach * Liberal denominations completely capitulate to secular "soul" care; conservative Christian "Integrationist" reaction insists the Bible is relevant, but ultimately insufficient for counseling * Biblical counseling movement starts in 1970 JAY ADAMS, "COMPETENT TO COUNSEL": "All concepts, terms, and methods used in counseling need to be re-examined Biblically. Not one thing can be accepted from the past (or the present) without Biblical warrant...it is amazing to discover how much the Bible has to say about counseling, and how fresh the biblical approach is. The complete trustworthiness of Scripture in dealing with people has been demonstrated. There have been dramatic results. Not only have people's immediate problems been resolved, but there have been solutions to all sorts of long-term problems as well...the conclusions [of this method] are not based upon scientific findings. My method is pre-suppositional. I avowedly accept the inerrant Bible as the standard of all faith and practice. The Scriptures, therefore, are the basis, and contain the criteria by which I have sought to make every judgement." A DEFENSE OF BIBLICAL SUFFICIENCY IN COUNSELING, PART 1 DEFENSE 1: BIBLICAL TEXTS 1. 2 Timothy 3:14-17 14You, however, continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them, 15 and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; 17 so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work. a. Critique: This passage only shows that scripture makes us wise "to salvation", not for every problem we might face i. Answer: Granted that the passage claims to make us wise to salvation, but salvation includes more than Justification - it is larger than the moment of repentance. It includes the ongoing work of salvation in our progressive Sanctification, in which our inner man is transformed into Christlikeness b. This passage shows that the Bible contains the wisdom needed for counselors to counsel c. This passage also outlines the basic elements of the Biblical counseling theory LAMBERT & SCOTT, "COUNSELING THE HARD CASES": "All counseling theories possess some apprehension of what is wrong with people (a 'diagnosis' or version of reproof); what should be right (a goal of healthy humanness - a version of correction); some process of communicating that understanding; and some theory of what the change process might look like ('teaching' and 'training'). All counseling theories take this form even though the contents are radically divergent." 2. 2 Peter 1:3-4 3seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. 4For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust. a. Critique: Scripture is not mentioned in this passage, therefore it cannot be used as a proof text for Biblical sufficiency i. Answer: Granted scripture is not explicitly mentioned. "Divine power" refers to the Christ's power - which is ultimately what we believe to be sufficient for us. However, the passage does say that we access this divine power through "knowledge of [Christ]" - and no orthodox Christian can claim to access knowledge of Christ outside of Scripture. ii. In other words, sufficiency does rest on Christ, but this passage drives us to scripture in order to access that sufficiency b. Everything needed for life and godliness, everything necessary to partake of the divine nature and escape the world's corruption, is found in Christ - and until he returns, Christ reveals himself to us solely through the pages of scripture. c. Importantly, this passage does not claim that we have access to everything we might like to know, or even everything that would be helpful to know - only that which is essential. LAMBERT & SCOTT, "COUNSELING THE HARD CASES": "The carefully developed view of the Biblical counseling movement is not that the Scriptures provide Christians with all of the information we desire but rather with the understanding we need to do counseling ministry." LESSON 4: THE BIBLE'S BETTER ANSWERS A DEFENSE OF BIBLICAL SUFFICIENCY IN COUNSELING DEFENSE 1: BIBLICAL TEXTS 1. 2 Timothy 3:14-17 14You, however, continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them, 15 and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; 17 so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work. a. Critique: This passage only shows that scripture makes us wise "to salvation", not for every problem we might face i. Answer: Granted that the passage claims to make us wise to salvation, but salvation includes more than Justification - it is larger than the moment of repentance. It includes the ongoing work of salvation in our progressive Sanctification, in which our inner man is transformed into Christlikeness b. This passage shows that the Bible contains the wisdom needed for counselors to counsel c. This passage also outlines the basic elements of the Biblical counseling theory 2. 2 Peter 1:3-4 3seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. 4For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust. a. Critique: Scripture is not mentioned in this passage, therefore it cannot be used as a proof text for Biblical sufficiency i. Answer: Granted scripture is not explicitly mentioned. "Divine power" refers to the Christ's power - which is ultimately what we believe to be sufficient for us. However, the passage does say that we access this divine power through "knowledge of [Christ]" - and no orthodox Christian can claim to access knowledge of Christ outside of Scripture. ii. In other words, sufficiency does rest on Christ, but this passage drives us to scripture in order to access that sufficiency b. Everything needed for life and godliness, everything necessary to partake of the divine nature and escape the world's corruption, is found in Christ - and until he returns, Christ reveals himself to us solely through the pages of scripture. c. Importantly, this passage does not claim that we have access to everything we might like to know, or even everything that would be helpful to know - only that which is essential. DEFENSE 2: THE BIBLE'S FORM 1. Scripture is a book written in many different styles and genres a. A common critique is that the Bible is not adequate for counseling because it is not adequate as a scientific text. b. There's a pre-supposition to this critique: That a scientific text is the best way to address counseling needs. We reject this. i. The Bible's form is as authoritative as its words. c. Biblical counselors do not suggest that the Bible is scientific; they suggest a scientific book is not necessary for counseling i. Though scientifically specific language can be found in scripture, and scientific texts are helpful in their place d. The Bible is not adequate as a scientific textbook; the Bible is adequate for counseling as it is LAMBERT & SCOTT, "COUNSELING THE HARD CASES": No matter how insightful a scientific text may be, it will never have the power to affect the soul in the way God's more colloquial manner of speech does...Texts to not need to be scientific to be authoritative, profound, precise, and relevant for counseling." DEFENSE 3: THE BIBLE'S LANGUAGE FOR PROBLEMS 1. Another critique: The Bible does not contain the technical language of secular psychology, so it will fall short if we try to use it to address those problems. a. Remember: Technical labels are just that - labels b. The Bible describes the human condition MORE accurately. i. If we approach Scripture rather than secular psychology for language describing human problems, we will find better language for describing the same conditions LAMBERT & SCOTT, "COUNSELING THE HARD CASES": "Though they have a technical ring, these labels describe behaviors repeatedly observed by many others. The Bible describes the same kinds of problems, but it uses different language: fear, pride, cravings...the Bible's concrete language is closer to the actual observations. Differences in nomenclature do not amount to denials of observations." A CASE STUDY: JACKIE AND DISASSOCIATIVE IDENTITY DISORDER (DID) Case study taken and adapted from chapter 8 of Counseling the Hard Cases. This case study was written by Stuart Scott. Key elements of the Biblical counseling method: 1. Presuppositional a. We believe the Bible is the ultimate source of truth concerning both the human condition and its remedies. 2. Gospel-focused a. We understand that no genuine change of the heart can occur without the regenerative work of Christ. Without a personal relationship with Jesus, the best we can offer counselees are coping mechanisms. 3. Strong emphasis on relationship a. We must genuinely care about the Bible we counsel, and be willing to enter into their lives in appropriate ways as a brother/sister in Christ. 4. Strong emphasis on data-gathering a. We must take the time to truly understand the situation, and resist the temptation to offer quick answers 5. A proper understanding of sanctification a. We understand that God carries out our transformation, and we participate in that work by following the commands and principles laid out in his word. When we do this, we expect that we will grow over time. Rapid change is rare, and often not genuine. MORE DESIRABLE THAN GOLD UNCOVERING THE POWER OF GOD'S WORD FOR THE SOUL IN DISTRESS Jerod Jarvis 2