Probably the single most powerful force plunging the Protestant church into apostasy is psychotherapy. With its pretense of science, aura of state licensing, and seductive dichotomy of body, spirit, and mind as equal parts in holistic health care; the pursuit of mental health, with its manufactured aliments and theoretical cures, has eclipsed the quest for spiritual growth and discernment.
For an example of how ludicrous these psychotherapy theories have become, and how brazen their attacks on the Christian faith, consider Reframe Your Life: Transforming Your Pain into Purpose, by Stephen Arterburn. The book description alone sounds an alarm:
Everyone needs a way to break free from the pain of their past. By explaining and illuminating a psychological technique known as ‘reframing,’ bestselling author Stephen Arterburn puts readers on the path to freedom from old wounds….
Reframe Your Life instructs readers on how to view hurtful events through a more informed frame of reference, allowing them to look at dark moments from a broader perspective than the events themselves and empowering them to step into a brighter future.1
But is this architectural exercise of creating a museum in the imagination where exhibits are constructed of past sins in order to dress them up in decorative framing “the path to freedom from old wounds,” or a menagerie created by psychotherapy which locks the wayward into a curatorial obligation of servitude to the past? Moreover, the pertinent question here is, should a Christian obtain this book to seek help?
Steve Arterburn is the founder of New Life Ministries, a counseling and treatment ministry, and the host of the nationally syndicated radio show “New Life Live.” Although Arterburn describes his ministry as “faith-based” on his website, a call to his counseling network revealed that the great majority of the counselors used by New Life are state licensed psychologists.
It should also be noted that the term faith-based does not mean exclusively Christian, or based on Christian doctrines. In fact, the most that Publishers Weekly could say in their review regarding any biblical principals to be found in Reframe Your Life was that “a gentle faith perspective is woven through the book, with a special section on Reframing Your God to help readers get their spiritual lives in harmony.”2
The sad truth is that for the person without God this psychobabble is the best the world has to offer: reinventing the past and flirtations with a customizable God concept. More tragically, it functions much like an inoculation to the real thing. For the Christian, this is psychoheresy: the mingling of psychological theories with biblical principals to compromise or contradict biblical Christianity. Indeed, a treatment in such a work devoted to reframing your God raises the question as to whether or not blasphemy is committed. Christians should not consult this work; much less support it by purchasing it.
Notes:
1. New Life Ministries, product description of Reframe Your Life: Transforming Your Pain into Purpose, By Stephen Arterburn (July 2007).
2. Publishers Weekly, review of Reframe Your Life: Transforming Your Pain into Purpose, By Stephen Arterburn (July 2007).
“the mingling of psychological theories with biblical principals to compromise or contradict biblical Christianity.”
In Oct. 2005 Chap Clark was invited to our (previous) church to give a lecture on his book, Hurt: Understanding the Hearts and Minds of Youth Today. I believe the subtitle of this book has been changed. For 3 hours he reiterated Psych+Soc 101 class with a few verses or Christian principles thrown in. He addressed two audiences at the beginning: “people of faith, and people not of faith.” He was an expert in diaprax. He did not teach Christians from the bible on the subject of teens, and he did not evangelize the unbelievers there at all. He blended everyone together. This was psychological education and advice for “the whole community”.
After declaring the primary importance (over family) of the social cluster (clique) in the life of a teen at school, he advised parents: “My advice to you parents is not to encourage your teen to share their faith in God with their friends in the social cluster, because if they do not like it, that could jeopardize their standing (in the group) and that is the worst possible thing that could happen to them.”
I couldn’t take any more after that and was literally sick after hearing this lecture. That was my last event/service there (except for a memorial service), ending 20 years there. I thought before that the talk was going to be Biblical teaching for Christian parents, and how to evangelize teens. How naive I was.
http://witnessingencouragement.wordpress.com/2007/03/30/educate-me/
“the mingling of psychological theories with biblical principals to compromise or contradict biblical Christianity.”
In Oct. 2005 Chap Clark was invited to our (previous) church to give a lecture on his book, Hurt: Understanding the Hearts and Minds of Youth Today. I believe the subtitle of this book has been changed. For 3 hours he reiterated Psych+Soc 101 class with a few verses or Christian principles thrown in. He addressed two audiences at the beginning: “people of faith, and people not of faith.” He was an expert in diaprax. He did not teach Christians from the bible on the subject of teens, and he did not evangelize the unbelievers there at all. He blended everyone together. This was psychological education and advice for “the whole community”.
After declaring the primary importance (over family) of the social cluster (clique) in the life of a teen at school, he advised parents: “My advice to you parents is not to encourage your teen to share their faith in God with their friends in the social cluster, because if they do not like it, that could jeopardize their standing (in the group) and that is the worst possible thing that could happen to them.”
I couldn’t take any more after that and was literally sick after hearing this lecture. That was my last event/service there (except for a memorial service), ending 20 years there. I thought before that the talk was going to be Biblical teaching for Christian parents, and how to evangelize teens. How naive I was.
http://witnessingencouragement.wordpress.com/2007/03/30/educate-me/
Loretta,
Thank you so very much for taking the time to make this contribution of your knowledge and firsthand experience. Psychoheresy is insidious and rapacious, and many in the Church remain seized in its grip. It’s insights like yours that helps them to identify what they suspect, and gives them the encouragement to break free.
Loretta,
Thank you so very much for taking the time to make this contribution of your knowledge and firsthand experience. Psychoheresy is insidious and rapacious, and many in the Church remain seized in its grip. It’s insights like yours that helps them to identify what they suspect, and gives them the encouragement to break free.
David,
Your piece is so deep. It’s profound. It is the spirit realm. With your graphics, one can see the compromise and wolrdliness of the evangelical Church today is chaos. In the greek Kathos and in the latin catholic. It has become somewhat all embracing. Universalist. But the whole Evangelical Church is not there yet. Just the apostate emergent Church. But the Purpose driven Church is so close. It is on the brink of Chasm. One can hardly call it a Christian Church. What will be the end?
David,
Your piece is so deep. It’s profound. It is the spirit realm. With your graphics, one can see the compromise and wolrdliness of the evangelical Church today is chaos. In the greek Kathos and in the latin catholic. It has become somewhat all embracing. Universalist. But the whole Evangelical Church is not there yet. Just the apostate emergent Church. But the Purpose driven Church is so close. It is on the brink of Chasm. One can hardly call it a Christian Church. What will be the end?
Hi David
It is encouraging to know that there are some who are not taken in by all the false things in the church. Your article is a blessing to those who love the truth. I live in Australia and went on a caravan trip last year with my wife and in every town we visited I checked out the Christian book shops. Probably ninety percent of the books on sale were on subjects which have nothing to do with the gospel of Jesus Christ and needless to say not many additions were made to my library. Keep up the good work. Vince
Hi David
It is encouraging to know that there are some who are not taken in by all the false things in the church. Your article is a blessing to those who love the truth. I live in Australia and went on a caravan trip last year with my wife and in every town we visited I checked out the Christian book shops. Probably ninety percent of the books on sale were on subjects which have nothing to do with the gospel of Jesus Christ and needless to say not many additions were made to my library. Keep up the good work. Vince
Vincent,
Thank you for taking time to contribute intelligence from Australia, and for your words of encouragement,
David
Vincent,
Thank you for taking time to contribute intelligence from Australia, and for your words of encouragement,
David