Mrs. Annemarieke Ryskamp
Biblical and
The focus on men instead of God has permeated the whole of life and society in our times. Therefore we need to be alert whenever we are presented with something worldly combined with a Christian-sounding flavor, like so-called Christian psychology. There are Christians who are trained as psychologists, but the discipline of psychology is not Christian or non-Christian in and of itself. This is a difficult issue, because many socalled Christian psychologists work within the secular worldview with just a Christian veneer, thereby leading their patients away from the gospel without them even realizing it. There is a great need for psychologists who will help their patients by pointing out the sufficiency of Scripture.
Unbiblical Views of Psychology The goal of this article is to make you aware of the differences in approach, and to provide help to distinguish between the biblical and the secular practice of psychology, and why the biblical one offers much more. Terminology The new and unbiblical psychology has developed a whole new terminology. Most of it has the purpose of replacing the ideas of a sin nature and being in bondage to lust. The word disease is the most common. A disease removes the main idea of original sin. Addiction is another replacement word. Although there are real addictions, used in this context the word suggests helplessness and innocence. It can go as far as replacing the word idolatry with addiction. Dysfunctional is another favorite substitute word for sin. People are coming from a dysfunctional home and have therefore acquired dysfunctional behavior. It’s not their fault; they are just victims. This is a much broader usage than just for the people who are genuine victims, and it’s meant to remove the personal responsibility and sinfulness.
March/April 2021 | 3
