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"My people are silenced for lack of knowledge." (Hoshea 4:6)
Why Biblical Counseling and not secular psychology?
Our Approach:
When God’s family, our brothers, and sisters encounter trials, suffering, and sin, God’s ministers are called to help them. Teaching in their synagogues (community centers), calling out the good news and healing every disease and every affliction. When we see the crowds, we need to have compassion for them because they are harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.
Today’s ministry is Biblical Therapy.
Why Biblical Counseling and not secular psychology (counseling) ? This question warrants answering. Joshua Bible College and our Biblical Counseling Clinic are committed to Biblical Counseling and Biblical Therapy. It is the superiority of GOD's WORD over human wisdom, the sufficiency of GOD’s WORD, and the sufficiency we have in the power and authority of the Word of God that we are committed to.
"Because you are a unique people belonging to YHWH, your God, and YHWH chose you to exist for him for a people, a jewel from all the people which are upon the face of the ground." (Deu. 14:2)
Joshua Bible College affirms the only means of authentic change begins with TRUST in the WORD of GOD. The ultimate jurisdiction of counseling falls within the His Authority and not secular psychology. Our commitment to Biblical Counseling is an outworking of our commitment to these truths.
When we refer to Biblical Counseling at Joshua House Biblical Counseling Clinic, we refer to "the ministry of the Word of God, tailored specifically to the individuals involved. Biblical Counselors and Therapy must acknowledge that human beings struggle with biological, sociological, and soul-focused issues."
Although there are important nuances to Biblical Counseling — like the qualifications to counsel or methods of counseling — Biblical Counseling is simply the ministry of the sufficient WORD of GOD tailored to people. Make no mistake; we do not refuse to accept the revelation from GOD in the area of science in biological needs.
Biblical Counseling works through the "renewing of the mind." Biblical Psychology is a "study of the soul" or "science of mind and behavior." Unlike secular psychology, Biblical Counseling cares about the Soul. (Gen. 2:7) Of great significance, though, Biblical Counseling is committed to the fact that to engage in psychology, one must be committed to the authority of GOD's WORD to articulate the nature of the Soul (NSHMH) and human behavior! This TRUTH is where the psychology of biblical counseling differs from secular psychology.
GOD’s WORD as Authoritative Truth: It must be said that all Biblical Counseling sees GOD's WORD as being the final authority of Truth, that morality is absolute and not evolutionary or utilitarian, and how we know Truth. GOD's WORD is the lens through which we should view the world, including human behavior. This TRUTH means that we are committed to GOD's articulation of the Soul (Deu. 2:7), human motivation, and human behavior as authoritative over any form of competing truth claims about these issues. We cannot espouse another seemingly authoritative truth over human behavior and trust that, in so doing, we elevate the wisdom of man only through the Truth of GOD when we are asked, "Why Biblical Counseling and not secular psychology?" The centrality of the Word of God in Authentic Change.
It is true that when the issues of a person's dysregulated life become overwhelming, the power of the word of God, as the Bible presents it, offers the only acceptable and logical solution, overcoming any reasonable doubt. Understanding the specifics of the human condition, the specifics of the person, and the work of the Word of God are the only keys that fit the lock.
Secular psychology is intimately concerned with change and propagates various goals and methods for change, a.k.a. behavior. Gerald Corey, a secular psychologist, illustrates this by saying that whether we call it "change" or "healing," secular psychologists offer goals and methods for changing, only relying on the theory that a human, by their own power, makes the change (making man-god).
The difficulty that we have with this type of statement is that authentic change can only come through the relationship with YHVH, our God, and the Word of God in a person's life. We understand GOD's WORD teaches that we are incapable of change by our own authority and are dead in our immorality (sins) until the Word of God makes us alive. To tell a dead man to change apart from the power of the WORD of GOD brings with it impossible self-resurrection expectations, nonetheless hindering the change process by leaving out the very Centerpiece to change! TRUST in GOD through His proof, which is the beginning of all authentic change; therefore, to speak of change, one must speak of the Word of God and his centrality in all authentic change
Jurisdiction of the Care of Souls: Finally, we affirm Biblical Psychology because of jurisdiction. Secular psychology has encroached upon the jurisdiction of Soulology care.
"All psychology practitioners are dispensing a world view, a set of fundamental beliefs about the nature of people. Your theories are heavy with assumptions about who we are, why we do the things we do, and where we are going. This is clergy turf [emphasis added]." Ed Welch Ph.D.
Welch is correct. The jurisdiction of counseling, i.e., Soul Care, is and has historically been the work of the ministers who understand GOD's word as authoritative truth, not secular psychology, which HAS OVERWELLING OVERTAKEN this domain. Some state that "Biblical Psychology" is an oxymoron; however, as you can see, it is actually "secular psychology" that is the oxymoron.
TRANSLATION: SOUL in Hebrew – NShMH (Strong’s h5397 psychē) “And Yehovah God formed the man out of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath (Strong’s h5397 psychē - Soul) of life, and man became a living being.” (Gen 2:7) Strong's Number G5590 matches the Greek ψυχή (psychē)
Someone might say so what! Long before psychology became part of the English language, the understanding of the "psyche" was well-established in ancient Hebrew and carried forward in Greek; therefore, secular society doesn’t get to own the term “psychology,” which means the study (ology) of the psyche, the SOUL, ministers are in charge of helping to guide and heal the Soul.
Secular psychology is simply the attempt to do face-to-face ministry work in the service of a different "god" using a different voice. However, Biblical Psychology recognizes that true "renewing of the mind” and reconnection of the "Soul" only occurs within the jurisdictional domain of the authority of GOD. One of the reasons this truth is that true Soulology cannot be done by one who does not trust in the Truth of GOD's WORD.
How can anyone who does not trust in the Truth of GOD's WORD, GOD's authority over the "Soul," or the goal of change help another person authentically change? How can those blinded to Soulological realities help others with Soulological realities? Secular psychologies have overtaken the jurisdictional domain from the Word of God by offering counter philosophies to that of the Truth of GOD’s WORD and usurping ministerial authority.
The true domain of Biblical Counseling will always be within the jurisdiction of the Word of God; despite the encroachment of other theories and methodologies upon this jurisdiction, this encroachment is modern idolatry.
We began by stating that Joshua Bible College and Biblical Counseling Clinic affirms people's Biblical care as represented in the counseling system known as Biblical Counseling. Biblical Counseling is strengthened by our commitment to the authoritative WORD of GOD, trust in YHVH our God to be the only true power to authentically change, and giving jurisdiction of His congregation. Thus, we cannot espouse any counseling system that would denigrate the authority of the WORD of GOD, undermine the power and authority of YHVH, God over change, or the importance of His TRUTH. We trust and prove that Biblical Counseling is the only valid counseling method and is in the Authority of His ministers.
What’s the difference between secular psychology and Biblical psychology?
Secular psychology method: You change your behavior, you will change your thinking (this method makes you god)
Biblical Psychology method: helping you to see true change comes from “renewing of the mind (soul),” (Gen. 2:7) which requires the breath (NShMH נשימה) of YHVH, our GOD (bless his name), which regenerates, giving authority and power to your thinking, causing a change in your behavior. Amen
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Why Biblical Psychology?
What's the difference between Secular psychology and Biblical Psychology ?
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