Counseling in Broken 1 World Joe Harvey, DMin Johnson University Florida 2014
2 Physical Beings (Psalm 103:13-14) Just as a father has compassion on his children, So the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him. For He Himself knows our frame; He is mindful that we are but dust. כ י ה וא י ד ע י צ ר נ ו ז כ ור כ י ע פ ר א נ ח נ ו
3 Spiritual Beings (Gen. 2:7) Then the LORD God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being. וי יצ ר י הו ה א לה ים א ת ה א ד ם ע פ ר מ ן ה א ד מ ה וי פ ח ב אפ יו נ ש מ ת חי ים ו י ה י ה א ד ם ל נ פ ש חי ה
4 Biblical Psychology: Inner Man Soul Sometimes equivalent to heart or spirit Sometimes meaning person or self Sometimes the life of a person Spirit The nonmaterial aspect of our humanness (as distinct from body) Not the Holy Spirit Heart Intellectual, Volitional, Religious and Emotional Activity The inward person as a whole
5 DSM-IV Multiaxial Classification Axis I: Mental Disorders Axis II: Personality Disorders and Mental Retardation Axis III: Physical Conditions and Disorders Axis IV: Psychosocial and Environmental Problems Axis V: Global Assessment of Functioning
6 Christian Views of Personhood Origin Nature Types Image of God Dualism Monism Trichotomy Dichotomy Conditional Unity Nonreductive physicalism (Body & Soul like animals) & Spirit 1 Thess. 5:23; Heb. 4:12 Body & Spirit/Soul Ecclesiastes 3:21; Luke 1:46-47 Men and women are materialized unitary beings.
7 Implications of Conditional Monism (Erickson) Humans are to be treated as unities. Humans are complex not reducible to a single principle. Each aspect should be attended to and respected. Religious development and maturity does not consist in subjugating one part of human nature to another. Human nature is not inconsistent with scriptural teaching of personal conscious existence between death and resurrection.
8 Unity of Personhood In fact, we should not slip into the mistake of thinking that certain activities (such as thinking, feeling, or deciding things) are done by only one part of us. Rather, these activities are done by the whole person. This is just to reemphasize what was said at the beginning of our discussion, the overall focus of scripture is primarily on man as a unity, with our physical bodies and the nonphysical part of our persons functioning together as a unity. (Grudem 476-477)
9 Imago Dei Substance Physical (homo sapiens (sapere, Latin: be wise )) Psychological (will) Function Govern (Psalm 8:5-6) Create Relationships With God With Others
10 Theological Meaning: Human Creation (Erickson) No Independent Existence Definite Limitations Part of Creation Unique Place in Creation Brotherhood Among Humans Not Highest Object in Universe Limitation not Inherently Bad Can Properly Adjust only Accepting Finiteness Humanity is Something Wonderful
11 Three Pictures of Humanity The Way We Were Image Bearers Whole (Genesis 1:26-27) The Way We Are (without Salvation) Image Lost (in some sense) Broken/Lost (Ephesians 2:1-3) The Way We Become (through Salvation) Image Restored (state and progression) Transforming (Romans 8:29, 2 Corinthians 3:18)
Pelagianism Semi-Pelagianism Semi-Calvinism Calvinism 12 The Impact of Sin: Four Views Total Innocence Free Will Partial Innocence (bent) Free Will Partial Depravity (state) Free Will Total Depravity No Free Will
13 Redeemed Image of God False Self True Self Possessions False Security Idolatry Look at all that I have! Stewardship (administering grace) Pride Envy Jealousy Look at all that I have done! Relationship (whose I am) Pleasure Compromise Convenience Look at all the fun I m having! Joy (all I need)
14 Is man basically good? The Faith Once for All Cottrell 197 The answer is that the human race was created good (Gen 1:31), and thanks to original grace every individual is born good. However, as a result of our yielding to temptation and committing sinful deeds, as individuals we become evil.
15 The Goal of Counseling We use our training and skills to partner with the Holy Spirit to lead the client toward a healthy relationship with God and others. Built upon a redeemed relationship Based upon a creation and Christ-centered identity Governed by a Christian Worldview concerning God, mankind, sin and truth Guided by biblical moral standards Motivated by love and the pursuit of God s glory
16 Aspects of Sin Affecting Mental Health Look what I ve done to myself! My Sin Their Sin Look what you ve done to me! Our World Look what s happening to us!
17 Integrating Theology & Psychology: Four Approaches Against Of Parallel Integration
18 Can we integrate theology and psychology? SOCIAL SCIENCES Outer Person INTEGRATION Inner Person THEOLOGY
19 Can we integrate theology and psychology? Human Science & Human Dignity, Donald MacKay, 35 My suggestion has been that if we think of man as a unity, with a conscious personal inner aspect and various outer aspects which can be studied by scientists from a detached viewpoint, than we can find ourselves able to do full justice to the biblical claims about human nature; and that we need to recognize all these different aspects, scientific and otherwise, if we are to do justice to all it means to be a man.