WCW - Lesson One, The Problem with Psychology

The Basics of Biblical Counseling Lesson One Let’s Start with Some Words  Psychology means:  ology = ____________________________ psyche = __________________________________________ Only a _____________________________ is equipped to study the soul, or inner life of man!  Biblical means:  Having its presuppositions and _________________________________ in the written, authoritative, Word of God. Our Greatest Difference  Emphasis in secular psychology is on the study of _________________________ apart from God, and is dependent on man’s reasoning.  Emphasis in Biblical counseling is on the study of the ______________________ as it relates to human need, and is dependent on the revealed mind of God.  Example: Thinking Biblically . . . o Does the Bible have specific answers that resolve insecurity? o Does God command us to love ourselves? o Does the Bible teach us to forgive ourselves? o Is a good self-image a pre-requisite to success? o Is being overweight a sin? o Does the Bible address panic attacks? A Textbook definition of psychology  What do you see that is inconsistent with a biblical perspective? In the image of God, or animal?  The study of psychology is founded on the theory of evolution and the false assumption that man is merely a higher form of ________________________ and does not have a spirit, soul, or heart as the Bible teaches. We Are More Than a Brain  Most psychologists view man’s emotions, perceptions, cognitive ability, and behavior as having its origin in purely __________________________ functions of the body, unrelated to an immaterial or ________________________________ part of man’s being. “Spiritual” is a category they view as an emotional response originating in man’s brain, not an actual immaterial or eternal part of human beings.  Have you ever heard… “Problems are either physical, emotional or spiritual?”  Psychologists believe behavior problems have either a ______________________ or _______________________ basis, and as such, are not related to the spirit, or spiritual causes.    Biblical counselors believe emotional and behavior problems have either a ________________________ cause or a _______________________ cause. One’s emotions cannot be separated from ____________________________, nor do they function apart from each other. The Father of Modern Psychology, Sigmund Freud, Believed That • Man is under the control of ______________________________ that originate in childhood traumas. • Problems are inner conflicts between the _______________________________. • The majority of human beings are _______________________. • Religion and all forms of religious _______________ is to be hated and rejected. • Called it “at best a _______________________.” • He wrote, “The psychoanalyst is secular ____________________________.” What We Really Want to Know - Who and What Heals?  Most psychologists would say that the _________________________________ alone has the power to heal his human heart or change himself.  God says, ____________________________________ has the power to change and heal the human heart.  Psalm 107:20 - He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions. Which Authority Do We Trust?  The psychologist’s basis of authority and confidence rests wholly on man-made theories, human wisdom, and various forms of research conducted by experts and institutions that begin their search for truth on the basis that Biblical revelation is _____________________________________. A Godless Worldview Produces Confusion, not Answers!  Isaiah 8:19-20 Behind the smoke and mirrors  Thomas Szasz – Professor of psychiatry at the University of New York Syracuse Contrast with a Biblical Worldview  2 Peter 1:2-4 God Has Answers!  Proverbs 22:20-21  John 8:31-32