Yesterday I connected with a new friend on Facebook. He posed some vitally-important questions to me about the sufficiency of Scripture and the science of psychology.
These are much-debated and extremely-significant issues. His wording of the questions is the best, most succinct that I’ve seen.
Questions to Ponder
“Bob, I’d like your opinion about some things:
1. Do you think there are any useful principles that the science of psychology has come up with that are in harmony with the Word of God?
2. In your opinion are all of the truths that a Christian psychologist can effectively apply to his counselees found in the Bible?
3. If not, can you give any examples of such truths that are not found in the Bible?”
Your Thoughts?
So what do you think? How would you respond to each of these well-worded questions about the relationship between the sufficiency of Scripture and the science of psychology?
1. Do you think there are any useful principles that the science of psychology has come up with that are in harmony with the Word of God?
Absolutely – the Bible is chock full of them, with the issue of 'personal significance' ("Why am I here?") being the most important one. 'Moral integrity' is right up there, as well, and seems to underpin the totality of humanity's ills throughout recorded history.
2. In your opinion are all of the truths that a Christian psychologist can effectively apply to his counselees found in the Bible? Yes – the examples provided there and the guidance contained in both the OT and NT scriptures cover all of the bases. I and my wife have counseled effectively people whose marriages are in crisis exclusively within a biblical context, and any time secular "truths" are entertained we convincingly refute them using biblical principles.
3. If not, can you give any examples of such truths that are not found in the Bible?”
So far, I have found none. Having read it twice all the way through and having studied its content thoroughly in many 'psychology-associated' areas, it responds with confidence-imbuing authority to all of the deepest personal questions that need to be answered to enjoy a well-lived life.
A subject that I'm interested in! I haven't studied psychology in 30 years(I dropped a gen psyc class when the prof started talking racist dogma), but I've studied the Bible and to answer Ques 1, The principle of obedience to the Word of God! Psychologists don't have to reinvent the wheel. Teach counselees to obey God's Word in the area they're having problems. Ques 2, The Truth is the only truth and the absolute Truth is Jesus! How would Jesus counsel? Again counselors need not reinvent the Truth! As for Ques 3, I believe that for Christian counselors, there is no other truth. Jesus is the The Way, the Truth and the Life! Amen!