Resources-Book-Why Christians

Resources

Articles

Books

Business Directory

Grocery Certificates

Member List

Teachings

	Why Christians Can't Trust Psychology
	by Dr. Ed Bulkley An internationally-acclaimed resource for Christians!
	Cost: $15.00
	Why Christians Can't Trust Psychologyis really two books in one: a fast-moving novel with vibrant characters that come to life as you read the emotion-filled story, and a teaching book that examines the myths of psychology and asks the question, "Are Psychology and Christianity Compatible?" This book doesn't merely question psychological theory. It also looks at a Biblical alternative with a close examination of the Biblical foundation for counseling, where it should take place, and how lasting change occurs. Today's search for inner fulfillment has exploded into what is now called the Recovery Movement, complete with twelve-step seminars, counseling programs, and self-help books. Thousands are looking to Christian psychology to help them attain victory over modern dysfunctions, Does that mean the Bible alone is no longer adequate for the problems faced by Christians today? Some say we need the Bible plus psychology. Others say The Bible alone is sufficient. With deep insight and candor, pastoral counselor Ed Bulkley presents the opposing sides of this issue--and offers trustworthy, biblical answers for those who long to break away from pain and guilt and know true freedom...genuine inner peace...and a fresh beginning. The pressures to find the solutions to human hurt and suffering have never been greater, Clear answers are urgently needed for the hurting--today. In Appendix A, Dr. Bulkley presents a Biblical theory of psychology. Why Christians Can't Trust Psychology is being used as a textbook in Christian colleges and seminaries across the nation, and now in other countries as well. Why Christians Can't Trust Psychology is published by Harvest House and is available in better bookstores everywhere and direct from Return to the Word at 1-888-GOD'S WORD (463-7967) for a gift of $15 or more, shipping and handling included. Call 1-888-GOD'S WORD today for your copy! Ed Bulkley, Ph.D., has an extensive counseling ministry that has served as a valuable role model for pastors and lay people nationwide. The senior pastor of LIFE Fellowship, near Denver, he and his wife, Marlowe, have four grown children. Ed is President of The International Association of Biblical Counselors and host of the national radio and television program, Return to the Word. A Review of "Why Christians Can't Trust Psychology A NavPress Review which appeared in a Special Report from Current Thoughts and Trends. Reviewed by Dietrich Gruen. Overview Ed Bulkley sheds new light--and heat--on a debate that began decades ago with the large counseling manuals of Jay Adams (Competent to Counsel, 1970, The Christian Counselor's Manual, 1973) and the fiery critiques by Martin Bobgan (The Psychological Way/The Spiritual Way, 1979, How to Counsel from Scripture, 1985). Bulkley takes readers back to the seminary classroom, the pastor's study, the recovery group, and the doctor's consultation, like never before. He does so with a very clever and refreshing technique of scripting dialogue between not-so-fictional characters. As you eavesdrop on conversations between a parishioner/client, two pastors, a psychologist, a psychiatrist, a professor, and a student, you will swear these people are real. At least their issues are. By naming names and carrying on a sincere debate with renowned Christian counselors, authors, and lecturers who rely on psychology--including Gary Collins, Larry Crabb, James Dobson, H. Norman Wright, Archibald Hart, Robert Schuller, Clyde Narramore, Minirth-Meier plus the seminaries or schools of thought they represent--everyone is drawn into this debate. Bulkley re-examines the premises upon which, and the extent to which, seminary-trained pastors rely on and refer to the "findings" of psychology. This is no academic exercise. His stated purpose is "to show that psychologically trained counselors have difficulty discerning between sacred and secular systems, and that in general, psychology does not merit the trust that Christians have placed in it." Bulkley shows from well-documented secular sources, as well as Christian ones, that "the integrationist position is scientifically invalid, theologically confused, and biblically inconsistent." The myth that psychology is scientific Though allegedly based on the medical model, psychiatry is neither scientific nor medical in practice. Bulkley cites many secular sources, more than Christian writers, that doubt the scientific validity of psychology. The universal acceptance of "diagnostic labels," "controlled studies " "statistical indications," and other such "findings" in the pseudosciences of psychology and psychiatry has intimidated many pastors into accepting a diminished secondary role in their life's calling--the cure of souls. The complexity of the human "mind" is matched only by the ingenuity of 250-plus competing therapies recognized by the American Medical Association. The plethora of "scientific" diagnoses and treatment plans in the psychological maze are mutually contradictory, making society's unquestioning trust of psychotherapy totally unwarranted The myth that psychology is effective Ironically, it is secular researchers who claim that experts with years of psychoanalytic training are no better able to understand the "emotional problems of living" than pastors or laity without specialized training. Eysenck's research, in particular, is explosive in its revelation that "psychotherapy is a general failure by the very nature of its being unessential to the patient's recovery." As to why psychological therapy is so relatively ineffective, despite its claims to be far superior to biblical pastoral counseling, the book offers five reasons: (1) Counselee expectations for instant solutions are unrealistic. (2) Assumptions about the ability of psychology to explain human behavior are widespread but wrong. (3) Motivations for seeking counsel are often mixed or skewed (4) Faith in psychological "experts" is unfounded. (5) So--called experts fail to deliver on their promises. However, the psychological industry has been effective in concealing its ineffectiveness from the public consumer. Also concealed is the finding that paraprofessionals achieve clinical outcomes equal to or more significant than those obtained by professionals. That should encourage pastors to take heart and take more seriously the role of lay counselors, and to question the counseling philosophy of any therapist before making referrals or heeding his or her advice. The myth that psychology is motivated by compassion Bulkley evaluates the long-term financial, social, judicial, family and spiritual costs of psychotherapy. The primacy of self and "victimology"--the twin psychological doctrines that undermine personal responsibility--are largely responsible for these rising costs. In the judicial realm, he argues that insanity should not be grounds for acquittal, especially in the ironic instance where heinous crimes become self-acquitting: The more bizarre the crime, the crazier, and therefore less responsible, the perpetrator. On the contrary, Bulkley argues, "appropriate punishment is far more compassionate in the long run for the victim and the criminal" than allowing pleas of insanity which allow criminals to get off without paying. On the family front, the emphasis on self and victimhood has kept many spouses from sacrificing for one another. Men and women in therapy are encouraged to stand up and say, "It's about time I did something for myself." Husbands who had nothing to do with the childhood sexual abuse of their mates are now told they have become 'surrogate abusers' for not having "entered into the pain" experienced by their wives. Spiritually, psychotherapy really takes its toll, especially in its reliance on psychoactive drugs, endless treatment, and confusing psycholabels. "Isn't it ironic that we wh ho hold forth the Bread of Life refer our people to secular counseling systems that actually enslave people instead of setting them free?" The myth of psychological labels Bulkley objects to the growth industry that has grown up around the self-serving perpetuation of four kinds of dehumanizing labels foisted on us by psychology: the excuse label the alcoholism label, the disease label, and the addiction label. Such labels are harmful when they become self-defeating and life-determining. Note the difference in these two self-descriptions. Some say 'I am an abuse victim," or I am a sex addict.' or "I am the adult child of _________________" (you on fill in the blank). Others see themselves more healthily with Christian labels, saying, "I am a child of God," or "I am forgiven by Christ," or "I am a new creation who happens to have this handicap." Seeing ourselves for who we really are in Christ makes a world of difference. "How can we be so foolish as to trade our glorious position in Christ for the pathetic labels of secular psychology ?" Whereas organically--caused disorders we readily recognize and treat medically other so--called disorders are really mental and spiritual matters involving choice. "The unproven psychological theories of unconscious drives over which a person has no control are simply mechanisms excusing irresponsible, immature, and undisciplined behavior and thinking.... God has promised that for His children there is no such thing as a drive over which a person can have no control. " By accepting the need for AA or 12--step recovery programs, our belief in the sufficiency of God's Word to lead us into eternal life and wholeness is undermined. The myth that psychology can heal the past The author takes strong issue with the practice of returning to the past to try to heal the present. The problem with the healing-of-memories theory for example, is coming under closer scrutiny since its many destructive abuses are getting media attention, thanks, in part, to the False Memory Syndrome Foundation. Still, this theory has infiltrated Bible-believing churches with the belief that victims must reopen a past wound by re-experiencing its pain in full and "lancing" it. Why then does God tell us to forget the past (Phil. 3:13--14)? Yet many will say, "Why can't we just 'spoil the Egyptians' by taking the best of both worlds and add the truths of natural revelation (from psychology) to the truths of special revelation (from Scripture)?" Good question, the answer to which takes up the second half of Bulkley's book. The compatibility of psychology and Christianity Suffice it to say, Bulkley views modern psychology with grave suspicion. It is "another gospel" which replaces the Holy Spirit and scriptural authority with psychological techniques and god-like gurus. "If the race is to be freed from its crippling burden of good and evil, it must be psychiatrists who take the original responsibility ... No one else can," says a past president of the World Federation for Mental Health. In marshaling his arguments against the integrationists who believe that psychology and Christianity should cooperate to form a more complete truth, Bulkley cites many credible secular sources who agree with him over against Christian therapists who are most vocal about integrating the two opposite philosophical systems. The secularists readily admit that "psychology as religion" promotes the worship of self, that it is hostile to Christianity, and that it can be criticized quite apart from religion. A biblical alternative to psychology The author brings insight, candor, and compassion to the debate between "nouthetic" (genuinely biblical) counselors and "integrationists" over the role of psychology in pastoral care. The former have been characterized by the latter as "Nothing Butterists" whose credo is "Nothing but grace, nothing but Christ, nothing but faith, nothing but the Word." The unloving, insensitive, and overly simplistic way that some nouthetic counselors apply biblical values has led to this inaccurate generalization, which Bulkley tries to correct. Truth is the issue, not whether therapy "works." It is always difficult to distinguish between what is "permissible but not always helpful" I Cor. 6:12) and that which is beneficial and true, but this book helps to do just that as it explores some of the deadly psychological doctrines that contradict the Scriptures and lead Christians astray. About the author Ed Bulkley, Ph.D., pastors the LIFE Fellowship near Denver and has an extensive counseling ministry. [end of review] Contents of Why Christians Can't Trust Psychology: PART 1 A Look at the Issues 1 Christian Counseling Today PART 2 The Myths of Psychology 2 That Psych. is Scientific 3 That Psych. is Effective 4 That Psych. is Compassionate 5 The Myths of Pych Labels 6 That Psych is Trustworthy 7 That Psych Can Heal the Past PART 3 Are Psychology and Christianity Compatible? 8 Psychology and Christianity 9 Psychology and the Church 10 Psychology and the Christian Counselor 11 Psychology and the Bible PART 4 A Biblical Alternative to Psychology 12 A Biblical Foundation for Counseling 13 A Biblical Place for Counseling 14 A Biblical Method for Lasting Change PART 5 Appendices A. A Biblical Theory of Psychology B. A Special Word for Pastors C. Resources

© 2006 - LIFE Fellowship is an Independent Bible Church, Affiliated with the Evangelical Free Church of America

11500 Sheridan Blvd. Westminster, CO 80020 | 303-451-5433 or 1.888.GOD'S WORD | admin@lifefellowship.org
Office Hours: 9:00am-5:00pm, Monday-Thursday | Church offices are closed on Friday

** Certain pages of our website are accessible only to members of our congregation. This is for the privacy and protection of our people. Thank you for understanding.