A special thanks to Jed Jurchenko for bringing this guest blog to ChurchTherapy.com!
Be sure to check out his blog: www.CoffeeShopConversations.com
“Jed, how do you reconcile the study of psychology with your faith in Jesus Christ?” I was first asked this question ten years ago, while enjoying coffee with two close friends. The story behind their inquiry goes like this:
A few years after graduating from seminary, I began studying psychology. I quickly learned that psychology and the Bible are perceived as being at odds with each other. And there are many reasons for this. Freud, the father of modern psychology, had some interesting views. He hyper-sexualized most everything. Freud, was outspoken about being anti-faith. Although, he did soften somewhat in his later years. In fact, many of the founding fathers, held an atheistic, humanistic, worldview.
Why I Don’t Reconcile My Faith with Psychology
Today, I have the honor of serving as a psychology professor at Southern California Seminary. The psychology classes I teach have a combination of Bible majors and psychology students–making for very insightful classes. Each year, students ask me how I reconcile my faith with my passion for psychology. At this point, you may be wondering the same thing, and I’m glad you asked. The bottom line is that I don’t.
The reason I don’t reconcile my faith in Christ with psychology is twofold. Let’s begin with Freud. Freud is the father of modern psychology, and faith in Jesus cannot be fully reconciled with modern psychology. It can only be filtered. 1 Thessalonians 5:21-22 says, “Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil.” When modern psychology is filtered through the truth of Scripture, what remains are powerful relationship tools that are confirmed by science and very much in alignment with a biblical worldview. In fact, as psychology progresses, much of the conflict is dissipating. In many cases, science is confirming what God has already said in His Word.
But it gets even better. It’s important to note that Freud is not the father of psychology. He is only the father of modern psychology. The title indicates that Freud brought attention to an area of need that humanity had pushed to the side.
The Beginning of Psychology
Psychology is the science of human behavior. Think back for a moment to your high school science classes. Do you remember doing science experiments? First, the scientist forms a hypothesis, or an educated guess. Then, he or she conducts a carefully crafted experiment, in a controlled environment, in order to test the accuracy of that guess. Science is a way of:
- Using the sound minds that God has given us (2 Timothy 1:7).
- Seeking out wisdom (Proverbs 2:1-5).
Now, let’s examine the moment when psychology began. To do this, we’ll need to travel back much further than Freud. Surprisingly, the very first relational experiment takes place in the book of Genesis. Shortly after creating Adam–the very first man–God modeled relational science for humanity by assisting Adam with an experiment.
Isn’t it interesting that God could have simply created Eve? But he didn’t. Instead, God walks Adam through a scientific process of elimination. God presents every animal He made before Adam, and He asks Adam to name each one. After the final creature passes, and no suitable bride is found, God creates Eve.
Incredible!
- God could have fashioned Adam and Eve at the same time.
- God could have simply told Adam that he would not find a suitable bride within the animal kingdom–this certainly would have saved a lot of time.
But instead, God walked Adam through a process of discovery. Adam’s need for Eve was confirmed through a relational experiment, a process that we now call psychology.
Redeeming Psychology
The reason I don’t reconcile psychology with my faith in Jesus Christ is that psychology and faith don’t need to be reconciled. Psychology needs to be redeemed. When it comes to psychology, God created it and used it first. I would propose that while Freud is the father of modern psychology (and Freud truly did make some very positive contributions), God, Himself, is the the father of psychology. God modeled the use of relational science from the beginning of creation. Sadly, there was a time when modern psychology attempted to push God out of the picture. Fortunately, things are changing.
When I teach our Theological Foundations of Counseling class, I sound like a broken record. This is because history repeats itself. With the discovery of each new counseling theory, there is a moment when the founder suggests that he has discovered the answer to humanity’s problems. Then, a few years down the road, it is recognized that although the theory is helpful, it is not the final solution.
In the end, psychology confirms what God has already said. While you and I can use key principles from science to bring some relational healing, full healing will only occur on that glorious day when Christ returns.
The Power of Psychology and Scripture
I grew up within the church community. I also network extensively within other therapists. I’ve observed two unfortunate extremes. Our jails are filled with hurting people, whom the best and brightest psychologists have not been able to help. These men and women need a spiritual healing. In short, they need Jesus.
On the other hand, I’ve watched hurting Christ followers pray, study Scripture, attend church, tithe and practice the spiritual disciplines, while searching for relational healing. The end result is strong a strong spiritual life and an abundance of messy relationships. In order to thrive, these passionate Christ-followers need guidance from wise men and women who are well trained in the science of human behavior.
The imagined rift between psychology and theology has resulted in hurting people not getting the support they badly need. The good news is that we can be a part of the solution. Will you join me in redeeming psychology?
If you have found help in both psychology and Scripture, I would love it if you would leave a comment below. As more Christ-followers share their experiences of successfully integration of sound, relational science, with their faith in Christ, the perceived rift between psychology and theology will fade away.
About the Author
Jed Jurchenko is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and seminary professor. Jed lives in San Diego, California with his wife and three daughters. Jed is a speaker and author of two books that provide practical tools from the Bible and psychology for everyday life. He also loves spending time at the beach with his family, BBQing, and is an avid reader. He blogs at www.coffeeshopconversations.com, and you can follow him on Twitter (@jjurchenko).