In 1970 Jay Adams titled a book he authored, Competent to Counsel. I would summaries Adams' premise in the book as - the job the church should be doing by teaching and applying the scriptures in the power of the Holy Spirit to people's problems, has been abandoned by us and left to secular experts with dangerous non-biblical worldviews and associated methodologies.
Adams essentially teaches that the word of God and Spirit of God are sufficient to deal with all non-physical human ailments. I am going to be teaching on one of the key biblical passages he used for under girding his work this Sunday -
Rom. 15:14 Now I myself am confident concerning you, my brethren, that you also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another. (NKJV)
It is worth considering that before 1952 when the first DSM (Diagnostic manual used by psychologists to label people's problems) was published and before Freud late 1800's to early 1900's people still had the same kinds of problems, they were just called other things and treated in other ways.
I think it is clear that the secular experts have accomplished a couple of significant things: an ever increasing list of diagnosis' of "mental disorders", hundreds of often conflicting "right treatments", and a way to be sure money keeps flowing from insurance companies to pay for the treatments of these newly labeled conditions.
Of course this does not mean any of it is actually good and a simple look around our fully psychologised country would suggest the exact opposite!
I would recommend Jay's many books on this topic as well as those by other authors concerned with returning the counsel of people to where there is truth and power - God's word, Spirit and church. If interested the link below has many of Jay and other biblical counselors works listed -
www.gatewaybiblicalcounseling.org/resources/bookstore/
Also - I have added a very good Biblical Counseling site to "Links I Enjoy".
"Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved."
Very interesting, and I believe very true. I'll keep it short today (amen, right), I wonder what kind of diagnoses would be given about the man in the tombs from Mark 5: 2-5? Certainly not the diagnoses given by God's Word.And anyone who did would be called many things, none good. More on topic, how great to know that I don't need degrees or certificates to be enabled to give sound counsel to those in need. ALL that is needed is Christ's indwelling Spirit, and the resulting hunger for and understanding of the Word that He gives. Also, recognition of that fact should keep me from pride. His Spirit + His Word = His Glory! tj
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