Week 3 Discussion Post 1 Document

 I find Adam’s quote, “Psychology is just sinful human beings sinfully

thinking about other sinful human beings” to be to be needlessly

antagonistic. Even at best, it does not measure up to Paul’s standard in

Colossians 4:5 to “Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the

most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace,

seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.”

Adams’ statement serves to demean an entire profession that he has

never studied while also potentially alienating anyone who may be

searching for truth in Christ. The obvious rebuttal to the above statement

 Adams believes that “the psychiatrist has usurped the work of the

physician, but mostly the work of the preacher. And he engaged in this

work without warrant from God, without the aid of the Scriptures (in

almost every case), and without regard to the power of the Holy

Spirt.”[1]Adams has also stated that “There are, in the Scriptures, only

three specified sources of personal problems in living: demonic activity

(principally possession), personal sin, and organic illness. These three are

interrelated. All options are covered under these heads, leaving no room

for a fourth: non-organic mental illness.”[2]I agree with Adams in the

context of his warning or admonishing some of his fellow pastors of the

     I believe in more of an integrational approach in that “all truth is

God’s truth”, and psychology is no different.[3]However, I am very new to

the counseling field and am just now learning about some of the different

viewpoints and their various nuances. My integrationist mindset comes

from the standpoint of being able to counsel people from across the faith

spectrum. As an example, I think it would be difficult for aChristian

Combatantlike Adams to counsel a non-believer without first establishing

a basis for a belief in Christ. Adams is known for his confrontational

approach where he challenges the counselee about the sin in their lives,

but I believer there are other, and sometimes better ways to go about

there are numerous ways to accommodate those issues.

     “Rebuilderswant to rebuild psychology, recognizing the Lordship of

Christ, on a firm foundation of Christian assumptions about human

beings…”[5]and they are also deeply grounded in scripture and Christian

tradition in an attempt to recover the Christian psychology of the past…”.

TheAlliesapproach is similar in that it affirms that psychology and

Christian theology are both subject to God’s sovereignty.[6]I believe this

system provides for a better basis of understanding and treatment with

[1]David N. Entwistle,Integrative Approaches to Psychology and

Christianity: An Introduction to Worldview Issues, Philosophical

Foundations, and Models of Integration,3rded. (Eugene, OR: Cascade

Books, 2015) 200.

[2]Jay E. Adams,The Christian Counselor Manual, the Practice of

Nouthetic Counseling, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan 1973) 13.

[3]Entwistle,Integrative Approaches to Psychology and Christianity, 14.

[4]Larry Crabb,Effective Biblical Counseling: A Model for Helping Caring