Integration Or Biblical Counseling--What Is The Role Of Psychology? Series

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The debate over how we should counsel in the church is often heated and passionate. People on both sides genuinely care about people who are hurting, and can become quite upset over methods they believe do more harm than good.

Everyone agrees we should try to help those who are struggling, but the big question is, which approach is better—Integration or Biblical Counseling?

The Integration model says we should integrate secular theories of psychotherapy with biblical principles. The Biblical Counseling model, also called nouthetic1 counseling, relies on biblical principles alone.

That is not to say that the biblical counselor is opposed to the use of common sense or all human reason. On the contrary, those elements of psychology can be quite helpful. If a person has a problem with overeating, and common sense says that it may help if he busies himself with enjoyable projects during the times of day he is normally tempted to overeat, that kind of common sense can be a great help.

The Key Argument

The argument against the Integration model is not against common sense. It is against the use of the philosophies of psychology that are unbiblical. Not all human wisdom is bad—only human wisdom applied to spiritual issues that are addressed in Scripture. For example, if a person has an anger problem, that is a spiritual issue which should be addressed with the principles given in God’s Word rather than with theories about the human psyche derived from human wisdom.

The vast majority of people in the church today are convinced that the Integration model is best—that the Bible is fine for small, shallow, easy problems; but big, deep, difficult problems should be referred to the psychological professionals.

One purpose of this book is to set forth an argument for the sufficiency of Scripture for all spiritual issues.

The decision you make as to whether the nouthetic model is the way to go will have a huge impact on your life and ministry. So think this through carefully.

Integration

If you go to a Christian counselor who is an Integrationist, you will be offered both psychological theories and Bible verses. Fundamental to the Integrationists’ argument is the phrase “All truth is God’s truth.” They say, “There are plenty of important truths that are not found in the Bible. Just because an idea is not in the Bible doesn’t mean it is not helpful. There are all kinds of things not found in the Bible that are helpful. Human wisdom enables us to repair lungs and livers and brains—why not minds and hearts? Isn’t general revelation (what God reveals through the creation to everyone) just as good as special revelation (what God reveals in the Bible)?”

Biblical Counseling

In the Biblical Counseling approach, problems that involve sin and righteousness are regarded as spiritual issues instead of as merely psychological or physiological issues. Those who take this approach believe the solutions to all spiritual problems are found in Scripture and only in Scripture.

The adherent of Biblical Counseling believes that when it comes to dealing with human beings and problems of the spirit, we counselors are in way over our heads. It’s impossible for human wisdom to figure out the human spirit, and so the only wise approach is to apply the solutions the Bible gives.

Here’s one way of describing the difference between the biblical counselor and the psychologist: The psychologist is like a person at a computer who encounters a software problem and tries to fix it by opening up the back of the computer and moving wires around. The biblical counselor, on the other hand, fixes the problem by holding the Owner’s manual in one hand and pressing all the buttons it says to press. The first person might be brilliant and the second person rather dull, but it’s the second person—the biblical counselor—who will have good, sound results. The human spirit is far too complex to figure out without biblical instruction.

The immaterial part of man is extremely complex—far more complex than the body (which is itself extraordinarily complex). Scripture speaks of the spirit, soul, mind, heart, flesh, inner man, appetites, drives, will, conscience, spiritual eyes and ears, etc. Since the body is physical, we can learn through scientific study how to restore health. But the immaterial part of man cannot be observed scientifically, and so to solve its problems, the wise approach is to simply consult the Owner’s manual.

Psychologists are remarkable people. I have great respect for those who are willing to devote themselves to listening to people and helping them with their problems. The problems people seek counsel for are often very serious, and to subject oneself to that kind of sorrow on a regular basis requires unusual compassion. Most psychologists, no doubt, are extraordinarily kindhearted people.