Psychology & Theology Teaching

Points:

Scientific Method can tell us the “how” but not the “why”

Worldview - we are not just physical beings, but Body, Mind and Soul

Mental Health doesn’t address the whole self

Spectrum of Relationship:

Biblical Counseling — Secular Counseling

Much is helpful in the middle, but doesn’t get the beginning or end right.

So ultimately it cannot heal your deepest need

But it can help clear the way

Ultimately Spiritual Health is not a trust in self, but a trust in God — that is Faith in God

Both Sinned against and Sinner

Depravity & Dignity

We are not just our behaviors,

everything comes from the Heart

,

Worldview is the soil in which these others disciplines grow into

But it would be a mistake to take the plant as the ultimately reality.

Good Aspects:

Certainly a connection between family of origin and present realities (Causation)

Abuse affects us

Result of the Fall

Problems:

The problem in our world is not that the experts have thought too much about this, it is that they haven’t thought enough of this. Or perhaps, they havne’t thought about the implications of their line of thinking outside of their particular field. What Chrsitiantiy does, or any worldview, is takes in to account the whole everything and asks how does this all fit together and what is the most coherent explantation.

This is where Christianity triumphs over all religions, including secular atheism and naturalism.

ILL: just like to run a company, or a submarine you need experts in each area, it is the officer or religion that is supposed to tie everything together to make sure it works. The problem arises when the electricians are demanding that their way of seeing things is correct, but they haven’t seen the whole picture.

Mental Health can claim too much.

The major portion that is untouched is:

spirituality, sin and evil, the need for salvation and the regenerating power of the Holy Spirit.

Without these things there can be not lasting change.

Does God work through ordinary means?

absolutely. How did you get here tonight?

did he not provide the engineers for the building, cars, clothing etc.?

He is always working through ordinary means

Should a Pastor refer someone to a counselor or psychologists — absolutely, just like he would for a doctor.

THE OTHER PROBLEM:

The other major issue is that MH starts to infringe upon the unkown, the mind.

Some evey call pscyhology a pseudo science.

So on the one hand the materialistic society holds in skepticism the idea of a mind and certainly not a soul

The science is subjective at best.

On the other hand MH does not affirm the spiritual realm and thus misses a major component of what it means to be human.

So can they help? absolutely — i’ve Experienced that in my own life.

Can they save you? restore you fully? heal you completely? absolutely not

There’s only one savior, and our deepest need is a spiritual one.

Outline

Question: Are they compatible?

My Story with Mental Health (Personal)

My story in Training (RTS)Are they compatible?

Different categories

Worldview vs. Category

They Are, but how?