Psycho mumbo jumbo

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Psycho mumbo jumbo

Written by Mr. Trev McCallum
Tuesday, 27 October 2009

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Over the coming few weeks I anticipate having a closer look at psychology and its influence upon Christians. Its impact has been enormous. Unfortunately it has flown under the radar of many. We can be enchanted and carried away by false doctrines ( 2 Peter 2:1-3). Therefore, as Christians it is essential to understand all life philosophies – to test every spirit ( 1 John 4:1). We are to analyse viewpoints. This begs the methodology question. How are we to be faithful to God and analyse effectively? What should determine effective analysis, do we turn to science; or biology; or psychology; or must we each determine validity for ourselves? Is there a law above the law by which we can rightly judge all facets of life? These questions should be easily answered by the Christian. We are called to glorify the Triune God in all things. In 1 Corinthians 10:31Paul instructs that even the mundane activities of life (e.g. eating and drinking) can and must be done to the glory of God. If this is the case for the mundane activities how much more the weighty matters.

The basis or framework for any Christian analysis must be the Scriptures, nothing else. To ignore the Word of God in any matter is becoming “wise in our own eyes” ( Proverbs 3:7) and thus being foolish. Our beginning must assert that the Word of God (as contained in the Old and New Testaments) is infallible, authoritative and relevant ( 2 Tim 3:16-17) to every facet of life (2 Corinthians 10:5). All that confess Christ with their lips must obey His every command, He is our Saviour and Lord - we owe allegiance and must bow our knee to the King of kings and Lord of lords ( Luke 6:46-49, John 14:15with 1 Timothy 6:15, Revelation 19:16). The commands of Christ are found in the pages of the Old and New Testaments ( Matthew 5:17-19, Romans 3:31). It is our duty not to seek out the counsel of the ungodly ( Psalm 1) but to submit every thought, not only ours, to the obedience of Christ Jesus. Hence we cast “down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God” (2 Corinthians 10:5). Our fight is with principalities and powers ( Ephesians 6:12); much of the battle is over the validity and consistent application of ultimate assumptions (i.e. worldviews or life philosophies). Christians must delve into Scriptural assessment of all ultimate assumptions. We must habitually ask how people know what they are asserting to be true – “the world evolved over millions of years,” “how do you know this to be true?” The aim must be to draw the unbelievers’ assertions out to their logical conclusion. All anti-biblical worldviews ultimately lead to absurdity. Give the unbeliever enough rope and they will hang themselves upon their inconsistent worldview. The only way an unbeliever can make some sense of the world upon their worldview is to pilfer from Biblical principles.

Our yardstick is the Word of God, spoken previously in many diverse means (prophets, priests etc) and finally through the Lord Jesus Christ ( Hebrews 1:2). There is to be no addition or subtraction from what has been revealed to us in the Bible, only God has the authority to modify what He has previously revealed ( Deuteronomy 12:32, Proverbs 30:5-6, Revelation 22:18). Christian do not have the liberty to modify what God has already commanded ( Matthew 5:17-19), no small inner voice can be of God if it tells us to transgress the Law of God ( Isaiah 8:20, Galatians 1:8-9, 1 John 3:4). The Word of the Lord, as contained in the Old and New Testaments, must be our only rule for faith and life ( 2 Timothy 3:15-17) – all other ground is sinking sand. The Lord Jesus Christ has brought the final revelation from God to His people.

Once we acknowledge the authority and relevance of all of Scripture over all facets of faith and life we can walk forward in sanctified obedience to God ( Luke 6:46-49, John 14:15). Therefore, the Word of God – revealed in Christ – is authoritative. Thus the basis for any analytical work must be the Scriptures. It is written that “all authority has been given to...Me [the Lord Jesus Christ] in heaven and on earth” ( Matthew 28:18), and “in Him are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” ( Colossians 2:3). Apart from the Triune God there is no ability to understand our world and the condition of man correctly ( Psalm 1:4-6). The ultimate assumptions of our analytical instruments must affirm what is revealed in the Scriptures. Thus we become doers of the Word and not mere hearers ( James 1:22-25). All unscriptural assumptions are what make up a worldly philosophy, the tradition of men. This is the antithesis of the pure philosophy of life revealed in Christ ( Colossians 2:8). Philosophy “is the study of truths about reality - the search for wisdom”^[1] therefore the philosophy of a subject lays bare its “foundations and presuppositions.”^[2] As Christians we are to search for wisdom and knowledge, that which is from God and does not puff up ( Proverbs 3:1-12 with 1 Corinthians 8:1-3). Our search is not limited to church or our private life, rather it must take place in every facet of life – worship, work, education, marriage, entertainment. The chief end of our search for knowledge and wisdom in whatever we do is God’s glory ( 1 Corinthians 10:31). Our search for knowledge, understanding and wisdom in all of life must be rooted in the fear of the Lord ( Proverbs 1:7). A major component of a Christian’s life is to “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling,” ( Philippians 2:12-13). Many people interpret this to mean that we must “do things” to be saved. But Paul is instructing Christians (“beloved brethren”) how to live once God has graciously saved them ( Ephesians 2:8-9). Therefore, the working out of our salvation in fear is not to worry about our salvation ( Matthew 6:25-34 with John 10:27-30), rather it is to hate evil ( Proverbs 8:13). Thus by hating evil every facet of our faith, life and works are under the microscope – none can escape, all must be examined by the Scriptures. The working out of our salvation must flow through us and come out of our finger tips; for our good works/actions are to reflect our faith ( James 2:18). Our faith is never alone, it is a working faith. This reflects the dominion mandate of Genesis 1:26-28 and reaffirmed in the Great Commission ( Matthew 28:18-20). We are to bring every area of life on earth (no longer simply the land in Palestine) under the dominion of Christ, through preaching the Gospel and discipling all nations to obey Christ’s commands ( Matthew 28:18-20). All nations are under the authority of Christ – He is their King – ( Psalm 2, Matthew 22:41-451, 1 Timothy 6:15, Hebrews 1:13, Revelation 1:5) and we are to “colonize” them as representatives of the King through teaching (discipling) them to submit to Christ ( Matthew 28:18-20). This is not accomplished by force or the sword. Rather it is the work of the Spirit of God, resurrecting one soul at a time out of the kingdom of darkness into the Kingdom of Jesus Christ.

Upon these assumptions I will briefly analyse the popular Jungian theory in the context of modern psychology and its impact on the church. These articles will briefly assess the underlying assumptions of Carl Gustav Jung. The obvious question is why, surely he has little affect on the church because many people have never heard of him. Nothing can be further from the truth. There are many pastors/ministers who use various forms of Jungian theory in many aspects of their work, from marriage counseling to sermons. The influence of Jung has been broad sweeping and his theories are used in many (if not most) psychoanalyzing personality tests, the popular Briggs-Meyer personality test is saturated with Jungian philosophy. An example of this can be found in the Promise Keepers conference where the 50,000 attending men were issued with Robert Hicks’s book The Masculine Journey. This book is based upon Jungian theory.^[3] There are many other examples. The definition of psychology should also attract attention from believers. According to the Wikipedia online encyclopedia psychology is the academic and applied scientific study of mental processes and behaviour. They continue to indicate that the knowledge gained through this study should be applied “to various spheres of human activity, including problems of individuals’ daily lives…”^[4] MedicineNet defines psychology as “the study of the mind and mental processes, especially in relation to behaviour.”^{^[v]}^[5] The Bible speaks a great deal toward the bahaviour of men and why men behave the way they do ( Deuteronomy 11:1, 28:1, Luke 6:46-49, John 14:15, Romans 3:31, 6:13-23, 7:8, 1 Corinthians 15:21, Ephesians 2:1-9). The sinful state of man, which flows through his behaviour, and God redeeming His people are major themes throughout Scripture. Psychology seeks to address these themes. Therefore, a Biblical analysis of psychology is appropriate. There are many fields of psychology. Due to the Jungian influence and popularity within the church and in popular culture.^[6] I will seek to highlight and briefly analyse some of its underlying assumptions. My major problem to be addressed is; does the teaching of Carl Jung affirm the Scriptures?

End Notes

^[1] Imperial

China

Educational Material, Glossary, http://www.imh.org/imh/china/ed/glos.html.

^[2] Selected entries from The Oxford Dictionary of Philosophy, http://www.philosophy.uncc.edu/mleldrid/intro/odop.html.

^[3] Promise Keeper website, http://www.promisekeepers.org/about/pkhistory and affirmed by Martin & Deirdre Bobgan, http://www.psychoheresy-aware.org/pk&psych.html#pk&psychoheresy.

^[4] Wikipedia online encyclopedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychology.

^[5] MedicineNet website, http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=38858.

^[6] U.S. News asserts that “thirty-one years after the Swiss psychiatrist's death, Jung's theories are surging in popularity, becoming a cultural touchstone, a lens for processing experience, in some cases almost a religion. In churches, quotes from Jung's work spill from the pulpit. New Age publications sprinkle their pages liberally with Jungian buzzwords. Books on Jungian topics -- most recently, ‘Women Who Run With the Wolves,’ by Jungian analyst Clarissa Pinkola Estes -- are climbing the bestseller list. And while the men's movement urges men to reconnect with the masculine archetype of the ‘warrior,’ drawing on Jung's notion of universal symbols buried in the human psyche, feminist writers encourage women to explore the "goddess" inside them. Even Madison Avenue has discovered Jung: In a recent commercial, a beer drinker jokes that an appreciation of Budweiser's finer qualities may be stored in the "collective" unconscious. Says Chicago Jungian analyst Murray Stein: ‘It's a theory whose time has come.’” http://www.usnews.com/usnews/culture/articles/921207/archive_018764.htm.

Published in : Worldviews, Ethics

Keywords : Worldviews, Ethics, Psycho mumbo