Christian Counseling: A Straight Answer
Do You Do Christian Counseling?
I am a Christian.
The work I do as a psychologist is not Christian counseling.
Why?
I believe the Gospel of Jesus Christ, as Scripture alone gives it, has the power to turn a heart from evil toward good.
Nothing gets added to that: no program, no belief system, no next-level spiritual experience.
You'll probably call that radical evangelical Christianity.
You'd be right.
Why You're Getting a Scientist, Too
I am an -ologist … which means I'm a scientist.
Plenty of people in the social sciences say that and mean a belief system that rules God out.
Mine is the other kind.
I investigate what's true, then hold to whatever holds up.
Theology has a name for that: general revelation, the real truth God put into the created world.
The most casual look around shows you OCD, bipolar, and schizophrenia are real.
I know my Bible pretty well.
Scripture has plenty to say about soundness of mind and about anxiety.
Nowhere does it hand you a treatment manual.
Scripture Never Promised You That
I've studied how psychology and Christianity get reconciled since before grad school.
The best of it lines a therapy principle up against a verse and calls that agreement.
That's prooftexting: grabbing a brief reference to prop up an assumption you walked in with, instead of letting the passage change your mind.
At its worst, Christian counseling becomes a programmatic add-on to the Gospel.
A list gets prescribed: Bible study, prayer, confession, church attendance, sometimes politics, family structure, homesteading (which, I admire you guys!).
Bring enough faith to the good things on that list, and your emotional life is supposed to improve.
I have hunted Scripture for that promise, passionately, some would say vehemently.
It isn't there.
You Already Have a Pastor for That
Theology matters.
Christians disagree about which theology is the good kind.
If I practiced Christian counseling, I'd spend your sessions steering you toward mine (sorry, my Christian counseling colleagues!).
Meanwhile, you just want your panic attacks to go away.
You have a pastor you trust for your biblical Truth.
Driving a wedge between you and your faith community is not work I'll do.
If you need a therapist who respects your Christian beliefs, I am your guy.
Here's what won't happen: no Scripture assigned as homework, no prayer plan standing in for a treatment plan.
When it's relevant I'll say what I think about our churches, about Scripture, about right and wrong.
You just saw me do a little of that here.
If a belief of yours is costing you emotionally, I'll say so.
It's your therapy.
You'll decide what's true.
If You're Not a Christian
For those of you who aren't Christian, you have my respect too.
When my Christian biases color how I read your life, I'll say so out loud.
I'm not here to stealthily push faith on anyone.
Let's See If I'm Your Guy
The tension between Christian faith and modern psychology has forced me to test my own assumptions for twenty-five years.
It made me better at this.
I just want you better.
Email me at corypearcephd@gmail.com for a free consultation.
Email is always the fastest!
Take It Back
These problems get worse when you wait. Yours doesn't have to.
Start getting your life back today. A message through the website is always the fastest way to reach me.
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