Some have suggested that faith makes for lazy science – “if you don’t know something, you just blame God for it – God did it therefore I believe it.” However, any serious Christian who is also a serious scientist or therapist would not follow this simplistic path.
On the other extreme some have suggested that depending on research and science is depending on “Man’s wisdom” rather than God’s, using verses like 1Corinthians 3:19 as support.[1] Both of these views handicap the therapist, and threaten to limit what is possible in therapy when Jesus Christ is invited in the room.
Johannes Kepler, an astronomer once said “I was merely thinking God’s thoughts after him. Since we astronomers are priests of the highest God in regard to the book of nature, it benefits us to be thoughtful, not of the glory of our minds, but rather, above all else. The glory of God.”[2]
In other words exploring how creation was made, how it actually works.
Science can neither prove or disprove the existence of God,[3] and research does not “prove” (or disprove) the validity of God’s Word; but knowledge of Scripture and current research can make the Christian Counselor more skilled at applying both God’s Word and psychological study to the healing clients are desperately seeking.
For example:
Scripture states “Be angry, and do not sin” (Eph 4:26). This directive is comforting in that it suggests two things:
1. That it is not only ok and normal to be angry, but God allows it. And
2. That there may be ways to express anger that do not require the person to apologize for later (in that they do not lead to tearing one another down, or causing physical damage or injury).
The question is “how” to achieve this outcome. Research by John Gottman, a therapist who has been researching couple interactions since 1976, suggests that as a person encounters stress, their heart-rate increases; and within 5 seconds of the body reaching a heart rate of 100 beats per minute, the brain enters a “fight or flight” state.[4] In this state several things happen:
· The prefrontal cortex, where we do our problem solving, begins to shut down and we are less able to think clearly or come up with solutions to problems.
· Breathing becomes shallow – which means less oxygen is getting to the brain.
· The Broca area of the brain – having to do with language – also begins to shutdown making words difficult to find, making the person feel as though they can’t find the words they need to communicate clearly when they most need them.
Scripture gives the therapist the assurance that the goal is possible, research offers one possible path to achieve it – have the client reduce their heart-rate: deep breathing exercises, take a break and listen to something relaxing, come back to the topic after the heart rate has decreased, oxygen returns, the brain turns back on, and the person often says “why didn’t I think of this before?”
The reverse is also possible.
Research suggests that when a human is hurt, the natural response is to hurt or “punish” the perpetrator by making them feel as much or more pain than the victim experienced in order to prevent the perpetrator from harming the victim in the future. While this makes intuitive sense, research suggests that it does not work, and actually escalates the possibility of more victimization.[5] But there are many questions raised by these outcomes: how do I respond instead? What do I do with the pain I feel?
Scripture suggests that when a person speaks or acts, they describe themselves – NOT the person they might be talking about, or acting against (Matt 15:18). If the client can shift the story from themselves as a victim, to the perpetrator as lashing out because of their woundedness and hurt, the client then has access to an empowered “non-defensive” stand. This is NOT to say the client shouldn’t call the police if violence is involved; but the call is made in an effort to get the perpetrator the help they need. The client is empowered rather than made to feel weak.
For the Christian Counselor there is an additional factor that makes continuing study critical. In secular counseling the power for healing is the person themselves. The therapist is the assistant to the client in finding their way in their healing journey. In Christian counseling the power for healing is the person themselves, the power of the Holy Spirit of God living in them, and the guidance of Jesus Christ as the “Great Physician.” In this scenario the therapist is the assistant not only to the client, but also to the “Great Physician.”
Just as with working with any other Physician, assisting them means constant research to be skilled to assist effectively without getting in the way or causing harm. To be the sharpest tool in the Physician‘s hand, the therapist must study both, God’s Word, and how His Word has been observed to operate in this world we were not made for, represented by valid scientific research. When scientific observation is free from the confines of evolutionary materialism, results align surprisingly well with Truths found in Scripture.
My hope is to be able to communicate examples of this connection effectively and that you will help in the process by asking questions or present challenges that these articles might raise for you. Please respond, interact. My prayer is that we help each other navigate this place that is not our home.
[1]1Cor3:19 – “For the wisdom of this word is foolishness before God. For it is written, He is the one who catches the wise in their craftiness:” See also 1Cor2:1-5. These verses are focused on people attempting to use science to disprove God, not a rejection of scientific research.
[2] Meyer: God and the Origin of the Universe
Taped at the (March 18) 2019 Dallas Science and Faith Conference at Park Cities Baptist Church in Dallas sponsored by Discovery Institute’s Center for Science and Culture. (time 5:40)
[3] “In science, ideas can never be completely proved or completely disproved. Instead, science accepts or rejects ideas based on supporting and refuting evidence, and may revise those conclusions if warranted by new evidence or perspectives.”
“Correcting Misconceptions”, Understanding Science, UC Museum of Paleontology, undsci.berleley.edu. Accessed 2/12/2024. URL: https://undsci.berkeley.edu/for-educators/prepare-and-plan/correcting-misconceptions/
[4] https://giusisilvestri.com/blog/emotional-flooding-and-what-to-do-about-it#:~:text=As%20adrenalin%20and%20cortisol%20floods,and%20talk%20at%20another%20time.
[5] Worthington, E. L. Jr., “A Just Forgiveness: Responsible healing without excusing injustice.”, (2009) Intervarsity Press, Downers Grove, IL. ISBN 978-0-8308-3701-4. p. 29. See Concept described as “Injustice Gap”
