On Wednesday Night, April 23^rd , we will try to answer the question – Should Christians seek counsel from secular psychologists?   This may at first glance seem like a “no-brainer.”  Most people would say, “If a person has serious psychological problems – of course they should go to a psychologist!  The Bible may have answers to many problems, but there have been many scientific, technological, and medical advances in the hundreds of years since the Bible was written. Christians don’t think twice about going to various medical specialists for medical problems – Why should we question going to a psychologist or psychiatrist?”

Even popular Christian 24-hour help lines that are supposedly staffed by Christian Counselors will refer their inquirers to “professional” counselors if the problem sounds more complicated than the “normal” everyday problems that all people have.

In the Bible (2 Kings 1), the Lord seems to have a different opinion concerning where the people of God should seek advice.  King Ahaziah suffered from a fall and he sent to inquire of Baalzebub, the god of Ekron about whether he would recover from his injury. The Angel of the Lord sent Elijah, the prophet, to ask the King “Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are going to inquire of Baal?”  In Isaiah 8, the people of God were again seeking counsel concerning life’s ultimate questions from pagan priests and the Lord told Isaiah to tell the people to go “to the Law and to the Testimony (aka, the Bible)” if they wanted wise counsel.

So, what are Christians supposed to do in this hi-tech world with our mental, emotional, and psychological issues?  Do we go to the Bible or to the “professionals?”

 Loading ...