We live in a world constantly pushing a victim-enemy narrative. What I mean by that is the world is continually attempting to depict people, places, or things as either something that is victimizing you or you have victimized; something that is your enemy or is fighting against your enemy with you or for you. As we grow in our faith, there are seasons of life where our knowledge of God’s Word has not caught up with our application of God’s Word. This can lead us to be overly critical, judgmental, and overreact. One of those areas that easily falls into this category is our view of how much or little we should engage with and accept the world’s research, thoughts, and opinions.
While it is true that we have all we need for life and godliness in God’s Word, that does not mean we ignore all thought, education, or assistance the world can provide. In most studies done by the world, there is some redemptive thread. Certain areas of science, philosophy, and psychology can be more helpful to Christians in this life than others. When considering the redemptive aspects of psychology specifically, I believe we can find apt use so long as we keep a biblical foundation and filter what psychologists learn through the sieve of Scripture. Similar to how ministry leaders can discover truths about humanity from unregenerate individuals, we can understand aspects of the human mind, temperament, and tendencies from psychology to help us minister to those God has placed in our lives.
For example, when an individual is struggling with debilitating anxiety, Scripture speaks directly to their issue. However, in more hysterical instances, it is beneficial to understand practical steps you can take with the individual to help them calm their body down and use self-control. Psychology and things similar to it can be extremely helpful in this area. Our goal is for the person to be better overall. With that goal in mind, if there are distractions and hindrances, we can get out of the way for God’s truth to come through more clearly and effectively…is there any reason we wouldn’t take those steps? I find the idea that we would avoid using these practical steps because the world discovered them outside of God’s word to be unsatisfactory and close-minded at best.
As we engage with different studies in psychology, we need to set essential guardrails to help us safely and wisely engage with them from a Christian perspective. The first should be the authority of Scripture. Whatever Scripture has to say about something always takes precedence over what humans say, no matter what the research may or may not say. The second should be that while we build on the authority of Scripture alone, we do not limit all knowledge or understanding to what the Scriptures teach. We do not do that in math, for instance, so it would be foolish to do the same in the area of psychology. The third should be the priority of Scripture and prayer. Our use of psychological research and methods should be secondary or supplementary to the primacy of God’s word and prayer.
In my personal experience as a pastor, I have found certain aspects of psychological study extremely useful. For instance, understanding how things such as alcoholic, divorced, or absent parents affect children from the world’s perspective helps me to be a more understanding man of God for the hurting young ones who come seeking counsel over the years. The information I have learned from these studies has not replaced my goal or the primary counsel I will give the counselee. That being said, it creates communication and interaction pathways that allow for a more productive meeting. As a man of God, I wish to be used mightily by God in the lives of those He places in my life. In light of that, I will use whatever means are allotted to me to effectively explain and apply the gospel to the souls of everyone I engage with, whether in everyday conversation, counseling, or preaching and teaching.
May God bless your week as you seek His kingdom first!
Grace and Peace,
Pastor Dan
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