May is Mental Health Awareness month and there is much being written on the subject. But I would like to pose a couple of questions that I believe need to be asked as we think about people’s mental and spiritual well-being. In today’s post, we’ll look at ten presuppositions of modern psychology as we continue looking at these two questions:

Has psychology, as we know it today, affected the spread of the gospel?

And has it hindered spiritual growth in believers?

This is part 2 of a 3-part series that will wrap up on Friday. In the first post, I laid some groundwork about the roots of modern psychology. Today, as I said, we’ll discuss ten of those presuppositions and some of the problems with them. And in part three, we’ll look at the presuppositions of biblical theology and counseling and the differences between the two. 

As I said in the first installment, when I speak of psychology, I’m referring to it in the counseling or therapeutic sense having to do with diagnosing problems and seeking to change a person’s behavior, thinking, attitudes, values, and beliefs in an effort to solve those problems.

And just a reminder that I don’t mean to imply that counselors of all kinds don’t want to help people. But as followers of Christ, we need to hold everything up to the light of God’s Word. I hope to do that in these posts.

The Presuppositions of Modern Psychology

Every counseling philosophy has certain presuppositions. In fact, anyone who is trying to help other people have presuppositions about what help should look like. 

This is not an exhaustive list of psychology’s presuppositions but some key ones that should be important to Christians. To better understand the root of these presuppositions, I hope you will read part one if you haven’t already.

Presupposition #1

Psychology, for the most part, rejects God and His authority, often in practice even when practitioners don’t state it outwardly. God and religion are often viewed as a crutch for weak people.

The biblical worldview, on the other hand, begins by assuming the existence of God (Genesis 1:1; John 1:1; Hebrews 11:6), and continues with the belief that God can and has revealed Himself to man through general revelation (Romans 1:20), the conscience (Romans 2:15), the Bible (2 Timothy 3:16,17; 2 Peter 1:21), and through His Son, Jesus Christ (Hebrews 1:1-3).

Presupposition #2

As I said in the previous post, Psychology has its roots in humanism and presupposes that man is good.

But the Bible teaches a completely different view of man. Romans 3 says there is, “None is righteous, no, not one” (v. 10) and “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (v. 23).

Biblical counseling accepts the unpleasant doctrine of the depravity of man and his fallen condition.

Presupposition #3

Freudian Psychology presupposes the existence of unconscious drives that produce conflicts between what he termed the id, ego, and superego, and between the conscious and the unconscious parts of man.

The Bible speaks of no such thing. It tells us that sin is the problem. And the gospel is the answer. This is an extremely important point because if sin is not the problem, then Christ and the gospel are not the answer.

Presupposition #4

Psychology presupposes that only a counselor or therapist trained in psychological theories can discern all the underlying issues.

But Romans 1.21-22 tells us:

²¹ For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. ²² Claiming to be wise, they became fools,

1 Corinthians 1.20 says:

²⁰ Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 

And Jeremiah 17.9 says:

The heart is deceitful above all things,
    and desperately sick;
    who can understand it?

Certainly not other fallen men or women! It’s the word of God that exposes the heart.

Hebrews 4.12:

¹² For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

Presupposition #5

Psychology says that since Man is basically good, things outside of him are the problem. His environment, the culture, and his upbringing, often his parents, are blamed.

The Bible teaches that Man is fallen but redeemable. But he must take responsibility for himself and his own actions, even his responses to the sins of others.

Our environment and other circumstances can be influential in our lives, but they are not determinative.

Presupposition #6

Behavioral psychology presupposes that humans are merely highly developed animal forms whose behavior can be modified by external stimuli.

The Bible says that Man was made in the image of God and has the ability to grow and change and become more like Him. The Bible, also, teaches that it’s not merely about trying to change outward behavior, it’s about the heart.

It starts with a supernatural conversion (2 Cor. 5.17), then we change and grow as we fill our hearts with God’s truth, put off the habits of the old man, and put on new Christlike habits in the power of the Holy Spirit (Eph. 4.22-24).

Presupposition #7

Psychology says that self-esteem, self-fulfillment, self-actualization, and self-love are necessary if we are going to be able to love others and be happy and successful.

The bible teaches that the problem is we love ourselves too much (Matt. 22.37-40; 2 Tim. 3.1-7). We’re not to esteem ourselves. We are to esteem God and others (Phil. 2.3-4). The goal should not be to think more highly of ourselves but to examine ourselves in light of Scripture to see where we need to grow and change (2 Cor. 13.5; Jas. 1.22-25).

And in the case of unbelievers, people don’t need to feel better about themselves, they need to see their need for God and the gospel.

Think about the LGBTQ+ movement as an example. We’re deceiving a whole generation. Where there used to be guilt and shame, today people are told this is who they are and that they should be proud of it.

Presupposition #8

Another major presupposition is the belief that to heal a damaged psyche, people must return to their past under the guidance of a therapist and embrace their pain.

Nowhere is this doctrine taught in the Scriptures. In fact, the opposite is true. The Bible says to forget what lies behind and press on toward the goal of the high calling in Christ (Phil. 3.12-14).

That’s the hope that is found in the gospel. I’ve seen it impact hundreds of lives with believers and unbelievers alike.

There is no freedom in getting stuck in the past, in victimhood, blame-shifting, and bitterness. It profoundly hinders the fullness of the gospel.

Presupposition #9

Another presupposition is the belief that we should follow our hearts—that we can trust our inner urgings and motivations—even when they clearly contradict biblical precepts.

But the Bible says that the human heart is desperately wicked (Jer. 17.9). Instead, we are told to trust the infallible Word of God and obey it even when our heart tells us something else.

Again, you can see how this fits the whole LGBTQ+ agenda. This unbiblical doctrine of following your heart, you can be whoever you feel like you are, has permeated our schools and universities and the culture at large. Consciences are being seared and instead of looking to God and His people for help, they’re told Christians are unloving and hateful.

Yet, Proverbs 27.5-6 says:    

⁵ Better is open rebuke
    than hidden love.
⁶ Faithful are the wounds of a friend;
    profuse are the kisses of an enemy.

Instead, hearts are hardened to the gospel.

Presupposition #10

The last one I want to mention is the presupposition that things like drunkenness, addictions and many other behavioral issues are diseases. What we call the medical model. Even though, these are things the Bible clearly calls sin.

Today the medical model is a huge part of secular counseling. Insurance companies favor it. It’s cheaper than paying a therapist for hours of talk therapy.

I’m not saying that medical intervention is never necessary or is sinful. Neither am I saying that there are not legitimate diseases of the brain itself that may require medical intervention.

But there are lots of problems with this model. For one thing, there is the overuse of psychotropic drugs. Drugs may mask the symptoms, but they don’t address the root issues. And, in some cases, the symptoms are the very thing that God is using to drive a person to Him.

An Average College Student & Psychology

Take the case of a student who goes off to college. His parents send him off with high hopes and encouragement to study hard. Then after a few weeks, one of his new friends says “Hey, let’s go have a couple of beers and hang out at that new college bar.”

He resists and says he has to study. But his friend keeps pushing. Finally, he gives in. The next day, there’s a pop quiz but he manages to pass and the next time, it’s a little easier to say yes. Pretty soon it’s happening regularly.

But his classes are getting harder with his lack of study and when faced with an important test, he cheats. Even so, his grades start falling.

One day, his parents call and ask, “How are you doing? How are your grades?” So, he lies.

He has quit being faithful in his responsibilities. He has cheated and now lied to his parents. He’s on a downward spiral.

And pretty soon he’s anxious and depressed. Then one of his friends says he should go to the clinic on campus.

What He Needs

What he needs is to confess what he has done to his professor, tell his parents the truth, ask God to forgive him, and accept the consequences.

Even though the consequences might not be pleasant, his feelings could begin to change rather quickly. But instead, he’ll be offered a prescription to help him deal with his unpleasant feelings.

Sadly, some people live week after week, month after month with unconfessed sin like this and wonder why they have emotional issues.

And while I’m not saying that every emotional issue is caused by sin on the part of that person, some people who have been diagnosed with mental health issues are bitter, angry, and unforgiving. They need the gospel and to live obediently if they are ever going to experience real peace, joy, and freedom.

Alcoholism & 12-Step Programs

The AMA says alcoholism is a disease. The Bible calls it the sin of drunkenness. If you go to a 12-step program like AA, you’ll be asked to stand up week after week and declare that you’re an alcoholic. You’re told you’ll always be an alcoholic. So come to meetings and don’t drink, don’t drink, don’t drink.

Where is the hope in that? But when you confess it as sin and repent of it, with everything that entails, you can be forgiven and set free from drunkenness.

1 Corinthians 6:9-10:

⁹ Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, ¹⁰ nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.

But verse 11 says:

¹¹ And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

“Such were some of you,” past tense. Alcoholic does not need to be his or her identity. It doesn’t mean it won’t require work or that there will never be temptation. But that person can find a new identity in Christ.

The Proliferation of Counseling Theories

I’ve mentioned several kinds of psychology but the truth is there is a proliferation of counseling theories. In other fields of science, as time goes on, there is an ever-deepening body of truth. With counseling theories, that is not the case. There are literally hundreds of counseling theories. Counselors and therapists pick and choose what seems right to them or what seems to work.

That goes back to William James and his idea of pragmatism. But as followers of Christ, we understand that something isn’t right because it works, it’s right because God says it’s right.

Again, these are just a few of the presuppositions of psychology and some of the issues that should concern us.

I hope you’ll come back Friday for the final post in this series. And if you found this information helpful, I hope you will share it on your favorite social media platform. ♥

Blessings as you grow in Christ,
Donna

Some information in this series from:

Psychologized Man by Martha Peace

Why Christians Can’t Trust Psychology by Ed Bulkley

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