The House That Freud Built

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©Fundamental Evangelistic Association

The House That Freud Built

Marion H. Reynolds, Jr.
April 19, 1919 - Sept. 3, 1997
©Fundamental Evangelistic Association

Once upon a time...

THERE WAS A MAN by the name of Sigmund Freud. And who was Sigmund Freud? He was one of the very early psychologists who promoted the false idea that man is a hopeless, helpless, frustrated animal trapped by life itself. According to Freud, there is a constant battle going on inside of you between socially unacceptable sexual desires-and your desire to return to your mother's womb, or else to die! In the Freudian interpretation nearly everything that a person does, becomes a disguised or distorted sexual act. Freud related everything to a "repression" of the sex drive.

In Freud's mind, moral standards are "repressive"; crimes of sexual violence are due to "repression"; the cure for man's problems is simply to remove the "repression" - that is, let the individual do whatever he pleases and presto!-all his problems disappear. Our present "permissive" society is the fruit of this satanic philosophy and revolution is the inevitable result!

Why do we have a sex revolution? What has happened to our moral standards? Why do over half of our marriages end in divorce, resulting in disaster for the children? Why did venereal disease reach epidemic proportions among our young people? Why have the HIV virus and AIDS reached epidemic proportions worldwide? Why are crimes of sexual violence daily occurrences? Why have so many people rejected their churches as their source of moral instruction?

The problem is sin - and when men reject the Word of God they are left with only the theories of men to guide them. Freud denied the very existence of sin and classed it as a sickness, technically called a neurosis. But the Bible says, "For all halve sinned and come short of the glory of God" (Rom. 3:23), and again, "There is none righteous, no not one" (Rom. 3:10). Changing the name of "sin" to "neurosis" and then offering the supposed cure of "freeing man from his repressions" not only fails to solve the sin question but actually compounds the problems. Consider for a moment some of the factors which have produced our present moral and spiritual decay:

1. The Theory of Evolution. The pseudo-intellectuals of Freud's day, as at present, were thrilled with Darwin's theory of evolution which sees man as nothing more than an evolved animal. Evolution replaced the Biblical account of creation and created the illusion that man, without God, was getting better and better, whereas he is actually getting worse and worse.

2. Sensitivity Training. Under various names, this cleverly disguised program is sweeping the United States and is gaining favor in business, educational, social and religious organizations. In reality, this is the very same Sensitivity Training, based on Group Criticism and Self-Criticism which was proudly proclaimed by Mao Tse Tung as the "Marxist-Leninist weapon today that is the hallmark distinguishing the Communist party from all other parties." It sounds so enticing when it is introduced as a method of "helping you to know and understand one another better," but its disguises can never hide the satanic use of the principles of "group criticism, self criticism and indiscriminate sexual contact" thrown in so deceptively.

3. Religious Apostasy. Our churches have been infiltrated by leaders who reject the Bible, deny the Deity of Christ and preach the doctrines of socialism in the name of Christianity. By denying the authority and infallibility of the Bible as the Word of God, they have opened the doors of the church to almost every theological perversion and subversion. No wonder so many people have turned away from their churches. The Churches have turned away from God and the Bible!

Are you living in this psychological "House that Freud Built" or will your children be living there? What are today's churches and schools preparing them for? Are the children being entertained by filthy movies, books, and degenerate music? Trying to escape reality through drugs or suicide? Brain washed through sex education in the schools? Prescribing "abortion," the "pill," or condoms to deal with the sex revolution? Casting aside Biblical morality in favor of situation ethics? Hoping for a utopia through world government and a world church? Attempting to replace the ministry of the Holy Spirit in the human heart and life through sensitivity training?

What is the answer? Is there a cure? It is not psychology, sex education, sensitivity training, new morality or even "religion." Christ alone can forgive your sin and give you joy and peace in your heart. "Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" (Rom. 5:1); "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shall be saved" (Acts 16:31).

The wise man will build his house upon a Rock - the eternal Word of God and the sinless Son of God, Jesus Christ. The Bible is the only Book which deals honestly with the sin question and Jesus Christ is the only One who can provide a cure for sin. The ideas and theories of men are subject to constant change. Many present-day psychologists now say that Freud's theories were wrong, but the damage has already been done. By contrast, the Word of God is unchangeable. Jesus said, "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away" (Matt. 24:35). You can trust the Bible! You cannot trust the words of men!

PSYCHOLOGY IS DANGEROUS-WATCH OUT FOR IT!

Psychology has increasingly become one of Satan's most effective and deceptive tactics in enticing people to substitute the changing ideas and theories of men for the eternal, unchanging Word of God. Since its organization in 1928, the Fundamental Evangelistic Association has been warning about the dangers of psychology in our publications and broadcasts. And, since the introduction of so-called "Christian Psychology," it has become even more necessary to warn about the way in which so many evangelical and even fundamental leaders are being deceived by this diabolical mixture of truth and error.

These words of warning are of necessity lengthy, but are written with a sincere desire to provide factual information and documentation concerning the whole field of psychology. Professing Christians, as well as the general public, are continually being bombarded with and brainwashed by unproven and unprovable psychological theories which are so attractive]y packaged. It is almost impossible to escape contamination by one or more of today's psychological programs unless one is fully informed about the many ways in which Satan disguises the presentations of both secular and so-called "Christian psychology."

The information in this article is the result of many years of research and personal investigation. Some of this material was prepared as a result of our collaboration with a godly woman in our congregation, Mrs. Betty Pollard who is now at home with the Lord. She was saved out of a liberal religious background delivered from the tentacles of ungodly psychological training and teaching; and shared our burden to warn all who would listen about the dangers of godless psychology and apostate ecumenism. Included in this article are reports of our firsthand press coverage of ecumenical and evangelical conferences where psychology was highly praised and advocated as essential to the future of the church and society. Unquestionably we do live in times of great stress and strain. Tension, nervousness, worry, insecurity, doubt, uncertainty and confusion abound. Where should one turn for help?

Today, it seems that most people are under the impression that the only help available for such problems is to be found by turning to a so-called mental health specialist-the psychologist, psychiatrist or psychoanalyst. In recent years, whenever some local or national calamity occurs, it is usually the psychologist who is immediately called in to counsel and comfort. Even Christians who are passing through some time of special testing or trial are increasingly turning to the "Christian psychologist" instead of immediately turning to the Word of God and to Godly pastors who can give the comfort of the Scriptures rather than the false philosophies of men. It is very sad today to see so many professing Christians looking to the dangerous mixture of truth and error which "Christian psychology" offers instead of claiming the sure promises of God for every need (Phil. 4:13, 19; Rom. 8:28; 1 Cor. 10:13).

CONSIDER THE FOLLOWING FACTS:

First -This whole "mental health" field is relatively new and filled with conflicting view-points even among those who are accepted as authorities. Also, you might be surprised to learn that many of those who practice in this field, though probably sincere, have themselves been afflicted with severe emotional and mental conflicts and have turned to the psychological approach in the hope of finding an answer to their own problems.

Second-There is no assurance of a cure. The mental health specialist will probably listen to your problems sympathetically but you can expect to pay handsomely for the privilege of letting him listen. By contrast, Christians are instructed to bring their problems to the Lord in prayer and also to "bear one another's burdens" (Gal. 6:2). Any true pastor or spiritually minded fellow believer can perform this particular function of the mental health specialist without ruining your bank balance. And by the way, the only thing the mental health specialist can tell you for sure is how much it will cost you by the hour or session. Ask any of them and they will honestly admit that they can't tell you how long you will need treatments-days, months or years-or that you will ever be cured. They don't even have sufficient data, scientifically organized, to say whether or not they have ever successfully treated a case exactly like yours before. No physician could maintain his practice on this basis, nor could anyone else regardless of his particular field. But the mental health experts are willing to experiment with your mind, your life-and your pocketbook.

Third-It is the "never-never land" of "no absolutes." The mental health specialist strives to be completely "objective" in the treatment of patients and claims that he never imposes his own beliefs on his patients. Actually, however, most of them are living in a "never never land" where there are no absolutes, no standards of right and wrong and no moral basis of judgment. In psychoanalysis, the psychoanalyst himself must be psychoanalyzed regularly, presumably to rid himself of his own problems so he won't be prejudicial in dealing with your's. How thankful we should be that our Lord Jesus Christ had no sins or problems in His life to deal with before He could deal with ours!

Fourth-The world's standard of behavior. The mental health specialists say that man must conform to the world (society) whereas the Bible clearly teaches that we must not be conformed to this world (Rom. 12:2). The standards of behavior promoted by the mental health specialists are the ones which are in keeping with the general standards of the society in which you live. Or, for the liberal psychologists, it is the one-world society they think you should live in. The goal of all psychotherapy is for you to become adjusted to the world in which you live. To them, how well you serve society is the all important thing. If you live in a permissive society, don't resist it but become permissive minded yourself. If you live in a sexually immoral society, then just adjust to these standards of conduct without any guilt feelings. Don't worry about whether or not adultery is bad or whether or not God will punish any nation which condones homosexuality and lesbianism. Get rid of guilt feelings and repressions and you will be cured, they say.

But the Bible clearly teaches that we are not to be conformed to this world, but are to be transformed by the renewing of our mind through the Word of God. The Bible is our standard (2 Tim. 3 :16). The world, the flesh and the devil are our enemies. The Bible clearly states that sin will be punished, both in this life and in the life to come, unless those sins have been forgiven through faith in the blood of Jesus Christ.

Fifth -The wrong scapegoat has been chosen. Every mental health specialist seeks to find a scapegoat to blame for your "emotional instability," anti-social behavior," "anxiety complex," "neurosis," or "depressions." More often than not the scapegoat turns out to be either your father or mother since the prevailing opinion of most mental health specialists is that a person's problems start somewhere in the first ten years of his life. Of course, the Social Psychologist will place the blame on society with the familiar reasoning, "He shot the policeman because he was tired of living in a ghetto."

What is psychology?
It has been defined as "The study of the mental processes and behavior; the emotional as well as behavioral characteristics of an individual...."

What is psychiatry?
"That field in medicine which deals with the diagnosis and treatment of emotional and mental disorders."

What is psychoanalysis?
It is "The analytic technique originated by Sigmund Freud that uses free association, dream interpretation, and analysis of resistance and transference to investigate mental processes; the theory of human psychology founded by Sigmund Freud on the concepts of the unconscious, resistance, repression, sexuality, and the Oedipus complex. A psychiatric therapy incorporating psychoanalysis."

All three of the above are closely related and intertwined; and, their theories and therapies of human behavior, like evolution, do not present scientific facts but rather the theories and speculations of evil men who reject the Word of God.

One of the amazing things about counseling, psychology, psychotherapeutic psychiatry and psychoanalysis is the manner in which these falsely so-called "sciences" have been foisted upon an unsuspecting public by mental health specialists. Those who are willing to take a careful look at this type of psychology as it really is, instead of what it professes to be, can reach no other conclusion than that it is a dangerous fraud.

In recent years, God has raised up a number of individuals who have taken the time and effort necessary to carefully research the writings and teachings of both "secular" and "Christian" psychologists, and who have produced books, periodicals and articles exposing the errors and contradictions involved in both groups.

However, of all the books and articles we have seen dealing with this vitally important subject, those written by Martin and Deidre Bobgan have been the most helpful for the following reasons:

(1)Their years of careful study and research in these fields have enabled them to provide adequate, accurate documentation which is unassailable, quoting the actual amazing, contradictory and self-incriminating words of those considered to be experts in the mental health field.

(2) Their ability to sift through this psychological jargon and explain it in plain English so that anyone can understand.

(3) The fact that their spirit is not one of vindictiveness and their necessary strong warnings are not couched in language which is personally abusive.

(4) The Bobgans, unlike many others today, have become stronger rather than weaker in their Biblical convictions, not only with regard to the field of psychology but also with regard to the dangers of modern Bible versions.

(5) Their latest book, Against Biblical Counseling: For the Bible, is a courageous presentation of a position we have taken through the years. It will no doubt cost them dearly in friends and finances, but it presents facts that all true believers need to read and act upon. We recommend those who are being confronted with these issues contact them directly at the address below. The books and publications of Martin and Deidre Bobgan certainly should have the widest possible circulation. A free sample copy of their regular publication and listing of their books and articles may be obtained by writing:

Psycho Heresy Awareness Ministries, 4137 Primavera Road, Santa Barbara, CA 93110. A copy of the above mentioned book may be obtained at a special price of $10.00 per copy postpaid.

In the Bobgan's book, Psycho Heresy-The Psychological Seduction of Christianity, they reveal some very important facts of which most Christians are totally unaware.

We quote, "Our twentieth-century culture is steeped in psychological theories and ideas. In fact, most people do not even think twice about the origin of some of the psychological ideas they take for granted. What about "Christian Psychology"?...Well-meaning psychologists who profess Christianity have merely borrowed the theories and techniques from secular psychology. They dispense what they believe to be the perfect blend of psychology and Christianity. Nevertheless, the psychology they use is the same as that used by non-Christian psychologists and psychiatrists. They use the theories and techniques devised by such men as Freud, Jung, Rogers, Janov, Ellis, Adler, Berne, Fromm, Maslow and others, none of whom embraced Christianity or developed psychological systems from the Word of God...Although Christian psychological counselors claim to have taken only those elements of psychology that fit with Christianity, anything can be made to fit the Bible, no matter how silly or even satanic it is...Christians who seek to integrate psychology with Christianity have actually turned to secular, ungodly sources for help" (pp. 4-6).

On page 102, we find these further very revealing facts "Each psychological counselor decides which of the over 250 often-contradictory psychological approaches and which of the 10,000 not-always-compatible techniques he will integrate with the Bible. Does anyone notice the contradictions in all of these integrations?"

"Even Christian psychologists chase one trendy idea after another. . .Freud is not quite as popular among Christians as Jung, Rogers, Adler, and Maslow are right now. As Berne became less popular, Ellis gained in popularity among Christian therapists. It all depends on which ideas and methods are in vogue and how well they are couched in Christian terminology. And, unfortunately the church pursues both blindly and eagerly the psychological purveyors of perverse and unproven ideas and opinions with the same kind of loyalty and naiveté as Don Quixote's servant Sancho."

Do you realize that Freudian psychology may already have entered your home through Dr. Benjamin Spock's book, Baby & Child Care, which has become the 'Bible' for thousands of American mothers in rearing their children? And, even though his book contains much true and helpful information, it is based on the false philosophies of Sigmund Freud and John Dewey. Spock's article "Don't Blame Me," in Look magazine for January 26, 1971, actually proves that he should share the blame for the youth revolution of today. After admitting that he started writing after he took psychiatric and psychoanalytic training he says, "By applying to the home care of children the philosophies of Freud and Dewey-along with some observations of my own-the book has only helped assure American parents that their children would grow up to be responsible...." Spock's false philosophies should have been widely exposed long ago.

Still another school of psychological thought blames man's problems on his physical heredity. This false theory is particularly popular right now as an excuse for sexual deviates of all kinds. The reasoning goes something like this, "They can't help it; they were born with that tendency or they lack certain hormones, etc.; or they have too many chromosomes, etc." Of course, the Bible says these sexual deviations are due to the lust of the flesh (1 Cor. 6:9-11). Thank God there is forgiveness and cleansing from these sins when one turns to Christ, but the problem can never be solved by seeking to put the blame on others.

The most recent school of thought in psychology is generally referred to as "Third Force," or "Humanistic" psychology. Abraham Maslow, former president of The American Psychological Association, who died in 1970 was the acknowledged "father" of this "Third Force Psychology," which was so named to distinguish it from the two other major theories of psychology-Freudianism and Behaviorism.

Unlike earlier psychological theories, Third Force or Humanistic psychology does hold man responsible for his own actions instead of making him a victim of heredity or environment. It is therefore deceiving many people who have accepted it as a necessary corrective to earlier psychological theories. Maslow himself was trained as a Behaviorist; became interested in Gestalt and Freudian psychology through reading; and finally repudiated Behaviorism completely when his first child was born. His own testimony was, "Our first baby changed me as a psychologist. It made the Behaviorism I had been so enthusiastic about look so foolish I could not stomach it anymore. It was impossible."

Maslow, the father of Humanistic Psychology, called it "a pregnancy within a pregnancy," because, he said, "Humanistic Psychology is itself not yet fully born as a science, let alone matured." How people can he so gullible as to welcome an untested theory as the salvation of mankind while rejecting the eternal Word of God is difficult to understand. Yet these unproved theories are being thrust upon people in every area of life-educationally, religiously, medically, scientifically, politically and morally. One of the last things Maslow wrote was the forward to a book about his theories in which he said, "One can learn from these attempts to apply a not-yet-verified theory, watching it carefully to see how well it works or doesn't work."

Why is humanistic third force psychology gaining so many new converts? Most of its chief promoters are those who have become disillusioned with earlier psychological theories. Laymen who accept it are attracted by its supposed emphasis upon love and responsibility. The big question is, "responsible to whom and responsible for what?" When men do not recognize their responsibility to God as Creator; to the Bible as the standard of behavior; and sin as the problem of human nature, where are they headed but to further confusion?

What kind of world is this humanistic psychology preparing our children for? Wrote Maslow in Pace magazine for December, 1970, "You cannot have one world without one philosophy, without a shared system of values. . . I am attempting to demonstrate that metamotivation is Marxism, Freudian, Darwinian, Aristotelian and Platonic ... an attempt at a universalistic philosophy for the whole species ... Scientists are collaborators. They don't care much about nationalism, national sovereignties and so on."

Outside of the groups sponsoring sensitivity training (mentioned and described elsewhere in this article) you are most apt to run across this third force humanistic psychology in the public schools. So apparently innocuous and appealing is this educational philosophy that many parents do not recognize it until it is too late. The following information may help you to protect your child from its harmful effects.

Schools without failure ! Schools without grades or report cards! Schools without text books! These are some of the key words and phrases which will help you to identify this new educational philosophy, based on Humanistic Psychology and now being promoted with growing success by Dr. William Glasser.

Like Maslow, Glasser found himself doubting and then rejecting much of both Freudian and Behaviorist psychology. Wrote Glasser, "Toward the end of my psychiatric training I found myself in the uncomfortable position of doubting much that I had been taught." Think of all the people who have been "taken in" by the various psychological theories in the past-and now the new breed of psychologists rejects the old theories and seeks new followers for their own untested, unproved theories.

Schools Without Failure is the title of Glasser's latest book and of his television graduate studies. At the heart of Glasser's system is sensitivity training in its most deceptive and appealing forms. Glasser emphasizes strongly that his techniques depend upon daily (for elementary) and weekly (for high school) sessions with pupils seated in a circle with the teacher. Like all sensitivity training, the major goal is to change the pupil's attitudes, values and standards.

But what values and standards does the "Schools Without Failure" program promote? Writes Glasser, "Positive approaches by teachers and open ended class discussions with no 'right' answers and greater opportunity for decision making by students create a stimulating environment for all."

Glasser would do away with grading, required textbooks and objective testing. The daily sensitivity training sessions become (1) a "cure-all" for discipline problems; (2) Chart and compass for setting educational goals; (3) a testing base to see if the brainwashing process has been effective. Pupils are encouraged to discuss family problems openly in the group sessions and gradually the impression is given that the teacher (therapist) is the only one really interested in them and the only one who will not lie to them. This may help to explain to troubled parents why their children no longer confide in them. Concerned parents will do well to see if their children have been exposed to this false philosophy in the classroom.

One of the main "talking points" of the Glasser program is relevance which is not by any means something "new," but rather an emphasis which good teachers have always made. The difference in The Schools Without Failure philosophy is that it is the immature student who decides what is relevant, not the teacher whose experience and knowledge could promote a relevance based on mature judgment rather than student whims.

The "Magic Circle" is yet another title given to psychological manipulation being used in many grammar and high schools now. It uses many of Glasser's techniques but includes heavy Freudian "avoidance of repression of harmful animalistic impulses." We are indebted to The Parents Committee for Quality Education of Memphis, Tenn. for the following easily understood description of the "Magic Circle" in action. We quote:

"The Human Development Program that was developed by the Institute for Personal Effectiveness in Children, San Diego, California, employs a method called the 'magic circle' where 10 or 12 children, with their teacher, sit in a circle and each child discusses his feelings about some thoughts or experiences he has had. 'Magic circle sessions are to be conducted

"The Human Development Program that was developed by the Institute for Personal Effectiveness in Children. San Diego, California, employs a method called the 'magic circle' where 10 or 12 children, with their teacher, sit in a circle and each child discusses his feelings about some thoughts or experiences he has had. 'Magic circle' sessions are to be conducted 20 to 30 minutes a day, five days a week, for the entire school year. The pilot program now underway in Memphis is designed for kindergarten through the third grade. Materials are being developed for 'Magic circle' sessions to be held in all grades, from kindergarten through twelve, in the coming years.

For several weeks, 'magic circle' discussions consist of each child standing in turn and relating some 'pleasant' feeling, 'pleasant' thought or 'nice experience. There is nothing new about this. Every good teacher has used similar techniques for years, in order to help children feel more secure, related and communicative. This creates a more conducive climate for learning. "But this is only the beginning of the program. It is just as essential to create a feeling of security and trust in the child toward the 'magic circle' as it is for a normal classroom situation. How else does one expect a child to 'naturally, honestly, verbally express potentially harmful impulses?' Would anyone expect a child to stand in a circle of friends for the first time, and tell 'what mother did that I dislike?' Or 'what I think boys want from girls?' (these are topics for discussion as outlined in the teacher's guide.)"

The Committee quotes the instructions given to the teachers in their teaching manual, "... Encourage the children to express their comprehension as fully as possible and preferably in such terms as 'liked' or 'disliked.' Avoid such terms as 'good,' 'bad,' 'right,' or 'wrong.'"

It should not be difficult for a mother to recognize the "magic circle" treatment from the above paragraphs, but it is also important to recognize the kinds of behavior patterns that are likely to emerge from such psychological brainwashing. Briefly, this form of the brainwashing of our children often creates;(l)The wrong kind of individualism - a distrust of others brought on by the invasion of and loss of privacy. (2) The wrong kind of values based on "Situation Ethics" and "Doing your own thing" rather than absolute standards of right and wrong. (3) A breakdown of communication between child and parent with increasing dependence upon teacher or fellow students for guidance, advice, comfort, etc. (4) A decrease in the child's ability to hold firm convictions.

The magic circle therapy in our public grammar and high schools is really a synthesis of various schools of psychology. Whether it is Dr. Glasser's "Circle" which supposedly repudiates Freudianism, or the admitted Freudian "Circle" of the Human Development Program, the two programs are identical in the following respects:

Both are actually sensitivity training sessions, involving group criticism, self-criticism, confession, group determined standards of right and wrong, and no absolutes. (2) Both are a form of psychological therapy practiced on well children from kindergarten to high school, in most cases without parental knowledge or approval . (3 ) Both insist on the format of a circle. No other seating arrangement is acceptable. (4) Both offer a false solution to the obvious need of discipline and motivation in the class-room.

Why is this information on psychological manipulation of public school students important to you, Dad and Mom?(1)You should realize that this is really a direct attack upon the family and upon your God-given responsibility and right to raise your own children rather than shifting this responsibility to the State. (2) You should realize the importance of taking time to encourage and keep your child's confidence. (3)Remember that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Having a family altar where you can pray with your children and discuss questions and problems in the light of the Scriptures will help to offset these harmful psychological programs.

Why is this information important to you, pastors, teachers in Sunday Schools and Christian day schools? (1) Recognizing that public school pupils are receiving this brainwashing, you can make your lesson plans to provide specific help to stand against the wiles of the devil . (2) As Christian teachers, you can recognize and accept the challenge to provide your pupils with a Godly example which will encourage their confidence in the Bible, in their parents and in the Lord-thus helping to offset the influence of the public school teacher who, being psychologically trained and oriented, would inevitably lead them away from the solid foundation of the Scriptures. (3) You can encourage your pupils who may have to attend public schools to keep standing up for what is right according to the Bible and at the same time to be a witness for Jesus Christ to teachers and pupils alike.

What forms of treatment are likely to be prescribed by mental health specialists in dealing with the problems of flesh, self, personality, emotions, etc.? What may we expect from those who seek man's wisdom but reject the wisdom of God as revealed in the Bible? Do the following solutions offered by mental health experts for emotional problems, etc. sound familiar? (1) Blame your parents or society for your problems and your burden will be lifted. (2) Free yourself from harmful repressed sexual desires by joining the permissive society and you will be set free. [This, by the way, has provided the rationale for the immoral and a-moral sex education classes being pushed in our public schools and explains why filthy speech IS regarded as freedom rather than sin.] (3) Don't be afraid to use tranquilizers or pep pills as a way of life-not just for emergencies-and you will find satisfaction. (4) Participate in sensitivity training and psychodrama, etc. to correct your wrong individual standards and bring them into conformity with present day societal standards and you will experience release from harmful tensions. (5) Allow your psychoanalyst to interpret your dreams and explain your subconscious motivations, etc., and you will be freed from worry. All of these supposed cures are false!

FACTS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT PSYCHOLOGICAL TERMINOLOGY

The impressive, technical language of the mental health specialists intimidates and confuses many people today. 0f course, this makes it easier to justify large fees and long periods of treatment, but what do some of these words really mean? Let's take a look at some of the most frequently used terms.

Neurosis and psychosis-These are the two main classifications into which the mental health specialists divide their patients. How scientific and mysterious these words sound. But if you will substitute "sin" and "doublemindedness" for "neurosis" and then substitute "insanity" and "demon possession" for "psychosis," you will understand that the mental health specialists have not discovered new problems - they have just renamed the old ones. Neurosis is defined in the dictionary as "an emotional disorder in which feelings of anxiety, obsessional thought, compulsive acts and physical complaint without objective evidence of disease, in various patterns, dominate the personality." In other words, it is a condition of extreme nervousness in apparently well people due to a conflict of goals brought on by a divided mind.

Among so-called "emotional diseases" falling under the classification of neurosis are: neurasthenia, hysteria, and psychathenia. Symptoms include various phobias, fears, obsessions, complexes, tics, mental and physical weakness, and psychological paralysis.

Whatever the name of the "neurotic" condition, it will be treated by a psychiatrist as an emotional disease; by the psychologist as a problem in individual behavior and experience; and by the psychoanalyst as an individual behavior problem with emphasis on the subconscious.

All three prescribe individual counseling or group therapy as a possible cure. But since it is basically a spiritual problem, none of their "cures" provide more than a false, temporary hope. The Bible describes the real cause of neurosis. "But the wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt. There is no peace, saith my Cod, to the wicked" (Isa. 57:20, 21); and further, "A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways" (James 1:8). How clear and simple is the Word of God in contrast to the complicated explanation of the mental health experts!

Of course we recognize how a lack of discipline, training or love may produce complications and problems in the life of an individual. Insisting on your own way instead of God's way for your life can indeed make you ill. But, blaming parents or society-or "adjusting" to "society's standards" instead of God's standards can never produce a cure for emotional and behavioral problems. Nor can psychology provide a cure for sin and double mindedness. Only God can do that! The cure for neurosis is given in God's holy Word. "Come now, and let us reason together saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow: though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool" (Isa. 1:18). Again, God says, "Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the Lord: trust also in Him: and He shall bring it to pass" (Psa. 37:4, 5). The only sure, permanent cure for what the mental health specialists call "neurosis" is to experience the new birth by faith in Jesus Christ and to walk in the light of His Word. God is the Author of every good and perfect gift-and that includes emotional stability and happiness. James 1:17.

What about psychosis? In simple language, "psychosis" is "insanity"-an obvious mental disorder in which the normal personality of the individual is completely lost or fragmented. "Psychosis" is given various subdivisions in psychological terminology such as manic depressive paranoia, dementia praecox, schizophrenia etc., but "psychosis" is recognized as a far more serious problem than "neurosis" and in most cases, even the mental health specialist will treat a psychotic only when the patient is confined to a hospital or sanitarium.

Demon possession or at least demonic influence may well be involved in many cases of mental derangement. Of course, this is scoffed at today by the so-called mental health experts, but many of those who are termed "psychotic" manifest symptoms and actions identical to those out of whom our Lord Jesus Christ and His disciples cast demon spirits in New Testament times.

Where serious mental disorders are evident it has been found helpful to do the following:

Consult a godly, Bible-believing pastor who will talk to the person about the condition of his soul. Many times a sinner under conviction or a saved person living in sin will manifest symptoms of psychosis or insanity.

Consult a reliable medical doctor who may be able to determine if this condition is due to physical problems such as a brain tumor, or other physical disease, malfunction or deficiency.

Recognize that confined hospitalization may be advisable for the protection of the individual and society if the first two suggestions fail to find and correct the problem.

Prayer is indispensable. Remember that the things which are impossible with men are possible with God. Luke 18:27.

Mental health specialists are making every effort to silence those who oppose and expose their diabolical theories and programs. Professor Robert A. Dahl, in his book. "Modern Political Analysis" reflects the thinking of many in the field of mental health as he describes what he calls the "despotic" or "authoritarian" or "undemocratic" personality, as follows:

Conventionalism - Rigid adherence to conventional, middle-class values.

Authoritarian Submission-Submissive, uncritical attitudes toward idealized moral authorities of the "in group."

Authoritarian Aggression-Tendency to be on the lookout for, and to condemn, reject, and punish people who violate conventional values.

Superstition and Stereotype-The belief in mystical determinants of the individual's fate; the disposition to think in rigid categories.

Projectivity -The disposition to believe that wild and dangerous things go on in the world; the projection outward of unconscious emotional impulses.

Sex-Exaggerated concern with sexual matters.

It is not difficult to see that Bible-believing Christians, patriotic Americans and all who hold to definite, unchanging standards of right and wrong would flunk this mental health test and would be considered candidates for sensitivity training or other psychological therapy. To he forewarned is to be forearmed. Don't let the mental health specialists deceive you with vain words.

What about the use of tranquilizers? The fact that psychologists are introducing thousands of people to tranquilizing drugs is another admission that psychology does not have the answer to man's problems.

The real danger in the use of tranquilizers lies in the fact that, like psychology, they provide only temporary relief and ignore the basic problem. More and more people are becoming habitual tranquilizer users, not to meet some emergency but as a way of life. They must have their pills to raise their children, meet their daily problems or hold down a job. The more people that are led to depend upon psychology and drugs instead of facing the basic problem of sin and disobedience to God, the greater will be the eventual day of reckoning.

The Bible says, "Be sure your sin will find you out" (Num.32:23). God says, "He that covereth his sins prosper... " (Prov. 28:13). Sinners need to turn to Jesus Christ for salvation and thereafter be in a position to call upon God for help in time of trouble. Christians must also realize that when they refuse to walk according to the Word of God, they cannot expect to find the answer to their problems in either tranquilizers or psychology. God often speaks to His own in the midst of and through their problems. Don't turn to a puny pill for help when the Almighty God offers to be your refuge (Isa. 40:25-31).

A warning to parents! Who is tampering with the minds of your children? No decent parent would send his child to be programmed by computers: he would not knowingly allow his child to be brainwashed or hypnotized. Yet, in the name of medicine or psychology he may be doing the same thing unwittingly through the increasing use of tranquilizers recommended by public school officials.

Recently a furor arose when it was revealed that thousands of children in our public schools are being given drugs (ritalin, dexedrine, etc.) either to quiet so-called "overactive" children or to "correct learning disabilities." Social planners, psychologists, liberal educators and some doctors are prescribing drugs as the answer to the problems of today's children when the basic problem (as with adults), where no brain damage is evident, is sin and a lack of discipline. Since there can be no teaching without discipline and since psychology rejects discipline as being "repressive," their philosophy seems to be, "If you can 't teach 'em, dope 'em. " The situation is serious beyond measure.

Will we have robots or children? An article entitled Forecast for the 70's in the January, 1969, issue of Today's Educator makes the following astounding and alarming predictions: Biochemical (drugs) and psychological(sensitivity training) mediation of learning is likely to increase. New drama will play on the educational stage as drugs are introduced experimentally to improve in the learner such qualities as personality, concentration and memory....Ten years from now, faculties will include "Culture Analysts, Media Specialists, Biochemical Therapists and pharmacists, whose services increase as biochemical (drug) therapy and memory improvement chemicals (drugs) are introduced more widely."

No section on psychology is complete without dealing with Sensitivity Training. Traditional psychology involved two persons-the patient on the couch and the psychologist in the armchair. Now, people with things troubling their minds meet in groups to "talk, walk, cry, comfort, touch. feel, etc." Very few of the people who become involved in these group sessions actually realize what is taking place. The truth is that they have become involved in sensitivity training, a clever psychological technique and tool for producing change.

WHAT IS SENSITIVITY TRAINING?

Is it a blessing or a curse? Is it of God or Satan? Should it be used by the church or exposed as a satanic deception? Does it answer problems or compound them? The answer to these questions is important, for sensitivity training is sweeping the country. The following factual information deserves your careful consideration.

Sensitivity training is really a form of brainwashing, originated by the communists and refined and renamed for American consumption. The Russian scientist Pavlov, whose experiments with the behavior of dogs and the methods of controlling their actions and reactions seems to have influenced Lenin's philosophy of controlling people through the psychological manipulations of the mind. This whole theory, of course, is based on the unscriptural, animalistic, evolutionary concept of man and it has been used for years by the communists-both Russian and Chinese-to bind their people in mental and physical slavery.

Sensitivity training programs are spreading like wildfire. In its various forms and names, it is being used by churches, schools, businesses, the Government, police and the military. It has suddenly became the cure-all for the world's ills, yet its only proven results have been these demonstrated by the use of these techniques in controlling the masses.

Sensitivity training in the United States apparently had its beginning about 1946, with the formation of the National Training Laboratories in Group Development. In 1947 the name was changed to the National Training Laboratory Institute for Applied Behavioral Science under the auspices of the National Education Association Adult Education Service. In 1962 it became a separate division of the NEA and in l967 it became an independent nonproflt corporation associated with the National Education Association. This relationship is important to understand since every effort is being made to make Sensitivity Training mandatory for all public schools. The NEA is also one of the prime promoters of Sex Education in the public schools and there is a definite relationship between Sex Education and Sensitivity Training.

A very simple definition of Sensitivity Training is: "Psychological techniques and programs designed to change the standards, attitudes and behavior of individuals." The term "sensitivity training" was apparently coined by behavioral scientists who are obsessed with the idea that a Utopian society and world can be realized through psychological means.

Sensitivity training goes by many different names to deceive the unwary. Sensitivity training techniques have always been presented under a variety of names but with the recent exposures of the true nature and character of sensitivity training, the proliferation of names is astounding. Here are some of the names which have come to our attention under which sensitivity training now masquerades: "Reality Therapy," "Conflict Management," "New Consciousness," "Psycho-Drama," "Developing Personal Potential," "Feeling Therapy." "Marathon Therapy," "Nude Therapy," "Inter-personal Relations," "Group Development," "Group Therapy," "Group Theory," "Personal Development," "Group Dynamics," "Group Confession," "Group Discussion," "Interpersonal Competence," "Interpersonal Behavior," "Conflict Resolution," "Self evaluation," "T-Group Training," "Auto-Criticism," "Prayer Therapy," "Basic Encounter Group," "Operant Conditioning," "Human Potential Workshop," "Synanon Games Club," "Cybernetics," "Mind Set," "Family Life Education,' "Body Awareness," "Cursillo Movements," "Community Relations," "Enhancement of Human Potential," "Leadership Class," "Management Development," 'Socio Drama," "Sociometry," "Truth Sessions," "Self-Honesty Sessions," "Micro-Labs," "Group Life Institute," "Team Interpretation," "Gestalt Therapy," "Role Playing," "Social Psychology," "Confrontation Groups," "Actualization Groups," "Sensory Playing," "Social Psychology," "Confrontation Groups," "Actualization Groups," "Sensory Awareness Groups," "Growth Groups." "Social Philosophy," "Personality Evaluation," "Human Relations Lab," "Cut Level Talks," etc. Of course, not everything presented under these titles is sensitivity training, but when you see any of these names it will bear investigation. No doubt still other names have not yet come to our attention, and others may be devised in the future to deceive the uninformed.

What is the real purpose of sensitivity training? Proponents of this technique claim that it will increase love and trust, open up honest communication, develop leadership and produce greater understanding and sensitivity for the feelings of others. Who could find fault with such noble goals? What actually happens, however, is that after hearing others in the group confess their wrong doings (either real or imagined) the individual is likely to feel that his own sins are not so had after all, thus paving the way for acceptance of lower moral standards. The government, the family, the home, our friends and our religious beliefs may all be torn to pieces by the group, thus placing extreme pressure on the individual to feel that his own previously held standards were too high or too unrealistic. The extreme anti-Christian character of sensitivity training may be clearly seen by the fact that their standards of conduct and morals must be based on group consensus rather than on the sure and eternal Word of God.

Sensitivity training involves group confession where the individual's problems become the problems of the group which in turn tries to find a solution. After criticizing others and being criticized yourself, doubt is introduced into the mind of each individual as to whose standards are really proper. Suppose your child were the only Christian in a sensitivity training group situation! Can you imagine how hard it would be to with-stand the attacks from all the others in this group upon his faith in Christ, his obedience to his parents and his Biblical standards of morality and decency? The extreme pressures that can be brought to bear on any individual in a small group situation should not be underestimated. It is dangerous to permit our children and youth to be subjected to such pressures.

How to spot Sensitivity Training sessions-We have already pointed out that you can't go by the name "sensitivity training" alone. In addition, it must be realized that everything practiced in sensitivity training is not bad. There is certainly nothing wrong with small groups of people getting together. The Bible says, "Where two or three are gathered together in my name there am I in the midst of them" (Matt. 18:20).

Not every sensitivity training session will use the exact same techniques. The following methods are given only because they are perhaps the most frequently used and readily observable procedures:

1. One or more people in the group, known technically as trainers, or change agents, will give the impression that they are merely stimulating free expression or openness, but will actually be manipulating the group, without their knowledge if possible.

2. Most sensitivity training sessions stress agreement upon certain ground rules which actually become the first foundation of sensitivity training, since individuals hesitate to break rules which they themselves agreed to at the outset. Such rules may simply be agreeing to stay until the session is ended; agreeing to be open and honest in all conversations; agreeing not to talk during nonverbal exercises; and in some cases the rules go so far as to agree not to object to language normally thought objectionable in the group.

3. You will probably be asked to speak of or write out your greatest problems or faults or hang-ups so the group can make suggestions as to how you can overcome these things. You, in turn, may be encouraged to criticize others in the group if you feel they are not fully open or honest in confessing their faults.

4. Non-verbal exercises may be used where individuals are asked to convey their feelings by some means other than words. This may involve the use of the eyes, facial expression or body movement, including touching each other's hands, faces or bodies in an effort to communicate feeling.

5. Periods of silence and meditation with eyes either closed or open are frequently used when the discussions seem to be developing in the wrong way or when the trainer desires to make an abrupt change in the procedures.

6. Marathon sessions are frequently used to break down "inhibitions" and encourage participants to express "their true feelings" under the stress of physical fatigue and lack of sleep.

7. Body awareness exercises are often used such as the group pushing a person down to help him feel hostility, and then helping him up to help him feel love. Or a person may be asked to fall backward, only to be caught by members of the group, to develop trust. All of these techniques involve bodily contact in one form or another.

8. Nude sensitivity training sessions are used with increasing frequency. As one leading exponent of Nude Encounter Workshop Sessions said, "Clothes accentuate feelings of guilt and separateness. Clothing can keep you from touching other people." It is not difficult to see that the time may not be far off when nude sensitivity training sessions are commonplace rather than exceptions.

Names associated with sensitivity training which you may want to remember. The list is not offered as being complete in any sense of the word, but we have found it helpful to know some of the prime leaders of this movement since they are to be found with increasing frequency in various periodicals throughout the country. Dr. Carl R. Rogers, Resident Fellow at the Center for Studies of the Person, La Jolla, California; Walter Anderson, Executive Director of the California Institute of Psycho Drama; Betty Fuller, Director of Consulting Services at Esalen; Bernard Gunther, Resident Staff Member of Esalen Institute and a pioneer in the use of Touch, Relaxation, Body Awareness, and Non-Verbal Communication; Frederick S. Perls, Founder of the Gestalt School of Psycho-Therapy; Richard Rubenstein, called by the Esalen catalog "the best-known Jewish radical theologian"; Alec Rubin, active in Experimental Church Services and Living Theater; Virginia Satir, active in Marriage and Family Therapy Research and Work Shops; William C. Schutz, Director of Esalen's Resident Program and a prime mover of Sensitivity Programs throughout the United States; Stuart Shapiro, on the staff of NTL and UCLA Institute of Industrial Relations-very active in educational circles; Lewis Yablonsky, President of the California Institute of PsychoDrama and a pupil of Dr. J. L. Moreno, the creator of Psycho-Drama; Richard E. Farson, Western Behavioral Sciences Institute; Dr. William Glasser, originator and promoter of Reality Therapy; Alan Watts, Chief Promoter of Zen Buddhism in the United States.

How beneficial is sensitivity training? Even the NTL Institute Bulletin, Vol . 2, No . 2, for April 1968 admits that "Research evidence on the effectiveness of sensitivity training is rather scarce and often subject to serious methodological problems." It is amazing that so many people should fall for an unscriptural, ungodly, unproven program such as this.

THE HISTORY OF SENSITIVITY TRAINING IN THE CHURCHES

As might be expected, the National Council of Churches has been deeply involved in sensitivity training programs almost from the very beginning. Since 1956 the NCC has sponsored an annual Spring training laboratory for "pastors and church workers who want to initiate change in congregations or their organizations, and persons who want to initiate community change." Much of the revolutionary spirit which has rapidly spread through the churches in recent years is a direct result of the so-called "small group movement" which is really another way of saying sensitivity training.

The World Council of Churches is also deeply involved in and has been a showcase for sensitivity training. As early as 1954, when the WCC set up the Ecumenical Institute, it was obvious that sensitivity training was going to play an important part in the future of the WCC. This is now clearly seen in the development of many of the newer forms of worship services which have swept the world. At the 1968 World Council Assembly in Uppsala, Sweden. Mr. William McGaw, Director of Communications at the Western Behavioral Sciences Institute, introduced what the press called the ' Touch-and-Tell Worship Service,' which was nothing more nor less than sensitivity training set within a supposed religious framework. It received world-wide publicity.

The YMCA and YWCA have been heavily involved in sensitivity training programs for several years. Of course, both organizations have long since ceased to be Christian, but they continue to exert a considerable influence upon the children and youth of our nation. The utter contempt of sensitivity training leaders for Christian principles is to be clearly seen in an article by Dr. William C. Schutz, who is an Associate in Residence and Director of Esalen Institute's Resident Program at Big Sur, California. Writing in Redbook magazine for July, 1968, Dr. Schutz stated "When a Christian organization like the YMCA puts its boys through an encounter group to develop their independence they may find some of the boys questioning Christian principles. These are not only possibilities, they happen, but they are necessary risks for individual development."

Sensitivity training -"the soft revolution." The Christian Century of December 31, 1969 in an article entitled "The Soft Revolution Explored" presents sensitivity training as an alternative to "The Hard Revolution." The author of the article, Dr. Sam Keen, was formerly professor of philosophy and Christian Faith at Louisville Presbyterian Seminary and is now a post-doctoral Fellow at Western Behavioral Sciences Institute in La Jolla. Dr. Keen is one of the chief advocates of sensitivity training in the church and his article paints a glowing picture of the experiments and workshops which have been and are being conducted at Esalen and other Sensitivity Training Centers. In spite of his obvious enthusiasm for sensitivity training, Dr. Keen, in his article admits, "With both its promise and its ambiguities, the Soft Revolution must be embraced. Although it is too soon to name it, the new spirit is moving in the world. Whether it leads toward greater wholeness or greater folly we do not know." One can only feel pity for the learned doctor who is willing to follow a path without knowing its destination. His position is typical of every church leader who has rejected the Word of God and experiments with the theories of men.

Methodist Youth Leader for spring 1970 called sensitivity training "tremendously exciting" and "utterly intriguing." The article entitled "What is Sensitivity Training?" reports four statements made by high school young people who attended a sensitivity training session sponsored by a State Council of Churches. The reports were most illuminating and followed the usual sensitivity training techniques of both verbal and non-verbal communications. Participants were asked to lie on the floor and relax to soft music. They were asked to choose partners without speaking. They were asked to write out problems on which they needed help. They rocked certain individuals in the group as an exercise in trust. It was reported that two pastors in the group who had known each other previously had to be physically restrained from violence. One young man who had difficulty in expressing hostility was given a pillow and told to beat on it as a way of getting out his hostile feelings. Participants were told that feelings are neither right nor wrong, good or bad. They just are. "Because they exist, our feelings are true for us." Such amoral philosophy is of course essential to the whole sensitivity training program, since the absolutes of God's Word are rejected in favor of the changing standards and norms of the group.

Many liberal religious leaders have become experts in the field of sensitivity training and are busily engaged in training others to become change agents in the church and in society. Some of the more familiar names include Dr. Robert Cromey, Episcopal priest from San Francisco, California, who has gained notoriety through his defense of homosexuals and drug addicts. Dr. Harvey Cox, who has been active in encouraging dialog between Christianity and Marxism; Dr. William Hamilton, whose chief fame came through his espousal of the "God is Dead" theory; Dr. William McGaw of the Western Behavioral Sciences Institute, who gained public attention through the "Touch and Tell" worship services at the World Council Assembly in Uppsala, Sweden. The late Bishop Pike was one of the most active supporters of this movement before his death. These men, however, are all from the liberal establishment. The most disturbing factor of all is to realize that those in the New Evangelical movement have also been drawn into this same program.

HOW EVANGELICALISM HAS EMBRACED PSYCHOLOGY AS THE ANSWER

Like many pastors, sensitivity training was just another program I kept hearing about until I met it first hand in the National and World Councils of Churches and in the Sex Education battle in our local school districts. But it wasn't until Billy Graham's United States Congress on Evangelism held in Minneapolis in September 1969 that I realized how this program was being pushed in evangelical churches. Developments since then lead me to conclude that sensitivity training is one of the most powerful, attractive and deceptive forces which evangelical churches will face in the years ahead.

Forty-six "Church In Action" workshops were presented at this U.S. Congress on Evangelism. At least one third of these workshops definitely involved sensitivity training techniques. I was shocked. Had this taken place at a meeting of the National or World Councils of Churches it would have been expected. But to find it presented to evangelical churches as "successful ways of reaching men for Christ in the contemporary world" was almost unbelievable. I personally attended two "Church in Action" workshops, both of which were sensitivity training sessions, pure and simple. I also discovered that these techniques were to be promoted throughout the nation by a series of National Clergy Conferences. I was told that Billy Graham's brother-in-law, Leighton Ford, was one of those vitally interested in promoting this program.

Have you wondered about the so-called new forms of worship, coffee houses, jazz communions, psychedelic worship, experimental celebrations? We learned at Minneapolis that many of these are a direct result of the gut level, in-depth experiences produced by sensitivity training sessions. And the end is not yet! They are still experimenting.

"Do Your Thing" was the title of the first "Church in Action" workshop session I attended in Minneapolis. The leader was Lyman Coleman, Director of the Halfway House, Newton, Pennsylvania, and an American Baptist minister. This workshop was a travesty on evangelism and Christianity. The two hundred or more participants-pastors, pastors' wives, youth leaders, Sunday School teachers and laymen were skillfully brainwashed step-by-step during the two-hour session until they ended up in a carnival spirit instead of a challenge to Biblical evangelism. From start to finish, this was an uproarious, irreverent, flippant, worldly mockery of the Gospel.

"Do Your Thing" worship's supposed purpose was to show how to reach young people for Christ through a coffee house experience. Participants were seated in groups of four facing inward. On the floor was a piece of paper with a large ink blot on it. In each group of four, the one who picked up the paper from the floor was to be the leader. Though the ink blot paper was not subsequently used in this session, those familiar with psychology will recognize it as the basic tool of the Rorschach test. Mr. Coleman explained that participants would be taken through a series of experiences which had to be shortened because of time limitations but which would give them an idea of the techniques which could be used in reaching youth through "Coffee House" programs.

"Role Playing" or psycho-drama technique was used. Each group of four was told to choose a hypothetical situation which would result in a dialogue between the "church mentality in its extreme" and the "secular mentality in its extreme," with a third party as mediator. Mr. Coleman suggested a possible situation where a young person who was a hippie drop-out suddenly returning to the church, requesting permission from the Youth Pastor to hold a peace rally in the church. Just at that time, the chairman of the Church Board comes in and the Youth Pastor seeks to mediate between the hippie and the Board Chairman. In each group of four, one person would play the part of the hippie; one would be the Board Chairman; one would play the Youth Pastor and the fourth person would be the director. Each person would try to think what he would say in such a situation and this would be put on in the form of a play or skit. (Those familiar with psychological techniques will recognize this as role playing or psycho drama.)

The next step involved more complications and larger "banana" groups. After a brief time working out the skits in groups of four, Mr. Coleman explained that in an actual workshop the groups would each be allowed to give their skits-but for lack of time they would have to move on to the next step. Larger groups of 8 or 12 were now formed by combining two or three smaller groups. Each small group leader then explained briefly to the larger group the situation they had planned to portray and the larger group then decided which of the skits was most challenging. Once again persons were chosen to play each part, but this time a second person was chosen for each main actor to be his "conscience." The "conscience" would stand immediately behind his actor and say what the actor really felt if the "conscience" thought the actor wasn't telling it like it really is. Those not assigned a part would listen and try to determine where the break down in communication was and what possible solutions there might be. Again, after a brief time, it was explained that time did not permit the skits to be given but that this would demonstrate techniques which could be used to solve individual problems.

Brainstorming prayer, gut-level discussion and sharing experiences. Participants now went back to the original groups of four. Slips of paper were distributed to each one on which were written 1 Corinthians 13:1-6. Each person was asked to write his own free translation of this Scripture. On the back of the paper, everyone was asked to write down what he considered to be his greatest problem or "hang up"-and then put down three suggestions for meeting that problem. Mr. Coleman stressed the importance of being absolutely open and honest-a gut-level discussion, he called it. After this, the leader explained "brainstorming prayer." Hands were to be stacked or clasped in each foursome. The leader was to begin, "Lord, I . . . " and then pray for his own needs or the needs of others in the group as they had become acquainted with them through the gut-level discussions. Anyone in the group was to feel free to break in at any time, without introduction or saying "Amen" and it was suggested that nonverbal communication was good and proper by squeezing the hand of another to show concern. After several minutes of bedlam as all prayed aloud at once, Mr. Coleman said aloud, "Amen" and the prayer session was over.

Now we are ready for the coffee house experience. Mr. Coleman explained that it was very easy and economical to transform any room into a typical coffee-house situation. Junk materials, wire, tires, antiques, odds and ends of things from garages and attics could be used to decorate the walls, etc. Music could be provided by instruments or an old piano with the top taken off to expose the sounding board and strings. Even lacking these, a record player could be used with an improvised rhythm section.

"Many of the new ministries-psychedelic worship, light shows, experimental celebrations, etc., grow out of these depth experiences-and where they do, the new thing has as much power, potential and spiritual possibilities as the old things-and with youth, more," said Mr. Coleman. He explained that through some of these new forms-folk art, folk music, dramatic pantomime, original writing, impressionistic art, light shows, etc., new styles of worship and communication and new experiences in outreach, witness and mission were developing. The leader said that after weeks of experiences such as they were having there in abbreviated form, then they would be ready to use these new forms of worship and witness.

"We will now move the coffee house to the level of worship and try to create a celebration," said Mr. Coleman. Participants were then divided into larger groups to make preparations.

Making psychedelic doodlings on acetate materials for slides for the light show was the responsibility of thirty of the participants and they tackled their task with hilarity and gusto.

Psychedelic posters to be painted with brush or bare feet brought 60 volunteers to the hallway where a long strip of brown wrapping paper awaited their attention. Only 24 brushes were available. The rest had to express their emotions on the subject of love through foot painting. They had a most hilarious time.

The volunteer rhythm section went to town on "bongo drums" which were actually cardboard boxes. Mr. Coleman had trouble keeping this group in tow. They were most enthusiastic. A bouncy tune on the record player gave them plenty of incentive.

"We're going to have a celebration," said the leader, "Go to it! Do your thing!" And the lights were turned off. The psychedelic wall poster was brought in. The psychedelic slides were shown on twin projectors. The record player and the rhythm section began. Someone read one of the original "free" translations of 1 Corinthians 13 which elicited laughter in several places due to the unusual language. And, in one corner of the room, two people attempted a dramatic pantomime to follow the reading. Confusion reigned supreme. From the actions, sights and sounds, no one could possibly have guessed that this was "evangelism."

Is this the new youth evangelism? Mr. Coleman thinks so-and evidently the leaders of the U. S. Congress on Evangelism thought so since this and the other workshops were presented as "successful evangelistic programs now operative" given for "possible implementation of similar or new programs on the parish level throughout the country." Said Mr. Coleman, "When your own kids have been through weeks of things like this, they can just naturally put their feet on the coffee table and talk about Jesus Christ coming into my life and getting rid of my hang-ups." If that is the new evangelism, then may God deliver us from it!

"Breaking Free" was the title of the second "Church in Action" workshop I attended at Minneapolis. The leader of this group, Mr. George Kinnamon, stated that he had developed at least 120 various techniques for engaging people in trying to "break free." The techniques presented at this session involved groupings of two people with both verbal and non-verbal communication stressed. Participants were asked to put on paper some symbol or mark which would convey to their partner what they really felt inside. Then, the partner had the task of trying to understand the meaning of the symbol. There was the exchanging of confidences as to problems (self criticism), and hand holding during prayer even though the pairings involved different sexes.

"Listen fully to the other person and feel from his toes, from his vibrations...what he is really saying...give yourself fully to the other person," instructed Mr. Kinnamon. "It will astound you-the depth levels you can get to-I mean a non traumatic level, but a very high spiritual therapeutic level where people are," he continued. "I want you to affirm each other. Tell your partner what you think about him, positively...Affirm that good part of the person which you see inside. . .Enable them to become the person God wishes them to be, permitting the inner person to come out." One would have thought he was attending a Christian Science or Science of Mind lecture instead of a Congress on Evangelism workshop.

"Would you close by touching each other," said Mr. Kinnamon-by holding each other's hands in an intimate kind of touch which says, 'I love you.' This is a non-verbal way of saying, 'I care about you.' We are afraid to touch each other-but there is great power in the personal touch. We think of it between a man and a woman as a sexual touch-the kind of thing where we're flirting with each other-BALONEY! All of us need to be affirmed by the personal touch."

This U. S. Congress on Evangelism became a springboard for introducing Sensitivity Training to pastors across the country. Mr. Kinnamon said that while in Minneapolis, he and a number of others who were interested in these new approaches had met with Leighton Ford, Billy Graham's brother-in-law, to discuss the possibility of holding a series of pastors' conferences across the country during 1970 to introduce "these exciting new techniques to the churches."

Christianity Today for February 13, 1970, carried a full page ad announcing "The 1970 National Clergy Conferences on the Emerging Church." Significantly, most if not all of those listed as leaders and sponsors were prominent on the program at Minneapolis. "You are invited to experience this new style of life for three days in a totally involving, person-centered conference," read the ad for the "'Emerging Church" Conference. The ad listed five New Things:

A NEW GOAL-relationships, not religion

A NEW STRATEGY-people, not programs

A NEW STYLE-vulnerability, not defensiveness

A NEW STANCE-involvement, not pronouncements

A NEW VISION-the future, not the past

What were these "emerging church" conferences like? I had planned to attend the Los Angeles area Conference to report it first hand, but found it was to be held at the Campus Crusade headquarters at Arrowhead Springs (65 miles from Los Angeles); that it cost $45.00; and that participants were expected to stay through from Monday morning to Wednesday noon. Although unable to attend the full conference, I did drive up for the closing session on Wednesday morning. There was no doubt that it had been a 50-hour sensitivity training session. The remarks of leaders and participants provided ample proof of that. Note carefully the following list of Conference leaders and sponsors:

Bruce Larson, president of Faith at Work; author of Dare to Live Now, and Living on the Growing Edge, and minister in the United Presbyterian Church.
Roger Fredrikson, pastor of the First Baptist Church of Sioux Falls, South Carolina, a church that pioneered in opening a coffee house for young adults, a halfway house for prison parolees, and other new ministries.
Keith Miller, an Episcopal layman, the author of Taste of New Wine and The Second Touch; past director of Laity Lodge, a Christian retreat center.
Bill Milliken, Director of Young Life for New York inner-city area; the author of Tough Love; consultant to the New York Urban League.
Sherrard Rice, Secretary of the Division of Christian Witness, Presbyterian Church, U. S.; the author of Let There Be Light and Glory in the Church; pioneer in the field of experimental ministries.
Gaius Thibodeaux, General Secretary of Evangelism of the African Methodist Church; past president of Alcorn College; and Director of the Research Project on the Rural Church and the Rural School in Mississippi.
Lloyd Ogilvie, pastor of the First United Presbyterian Church of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, a church that has restructured its life around small study and mission groups; author of A Life Full of Surprises.
George Kinnamon, Director of the Creative Christian Development Center in Summerville, South Carolina; consultant to business and management; sensitivity trainer; minister in the United Lutheran Church.
Gene Herr, pastor of the Pleasant Valley Mennonite Church in Harper, Kansas; former Youth Secretary for the Mennonite Church; leader in new forms of youth ministry.
Ralph Osborne, Director of Faith at Work- minister in the United Presbyterian Church; consultant to churches in the area of new forms of life, worship, and fellowship.
Ben Johnson, Director of the Institute for Church Renewal of Atlanta, Georgia; a pioneer in lay renewal and outreach; a minister in the United Methodist Church.
Bill Pannell, an associate of Tom Skinner Crusades; the author of My Friend the Enemy; militant spokesman about the unrest in the Negro world.
Lyman Coleman, Director of the Halfway House of Newtown, Pennsylvania; the author of ten books, including The Coffee House Itch, Acts Alive, Kaleidoscope, Growth By Groups, and Dialogue; minister in the American Baptist Church.
Karl Olsson, President of North Park College, Chicago, Illinois, the author of nine books, including The God Game, Passion, By One Spirit, and Things Common and Preferred; minister in the Evangelical Covenant Church.

Yes, the so-called Emerging Church definitely has a new goal, a new style, a new stance, and a new vision- but it is psychological rather than scriptural, sensual rather than spiritual. There was little emphasis on doctrine but strong emphasis on unity, making this a potential road to ecumenism. Profanity and flippancy in speech were commonplace and there was an unsettling disrespect for the things of Cod. The emotions of the participants ran the gamut of extremes from the verge of tears to a spirit of reckless abandon, and from boldness to bewilderment. The only way I know to convey the sadness and concern I felt is to quote some of the significant statements that were made at the closing sessions.

"We've changed from strict Bible study groups to koinonia sharing groups," said one local sponsoring clergyman. "We're scared because we don't know where this is going...but we've felt God as we were sharing." The session had opened with the singing of the ecumenical hymn "We Are One In the Lord," followed by prayer in which each person had been asked to touch the person next to them. "This closing session," said the leader, "was unstructured, unplanned-to give people an opportunity to express themselves as to how they felt after their experiences there." But first, Dr. Lloyd Ogilvie, one of the leaders, would make some remarks.

A memorial service for five hundred clergymen? Said Ogilvie, "We've met together here this morning for a memorial service. . .to memorialize the death of 500 clergymen at Arrowhead Springs and we're here to celebrate the resurrection...We've been through a death and a resurrection experience . . .and we are alive to celebrate life and to live life to the hilt... Something new, fresh and exciting has emerged-a new excitement, a new dynamic, a new hope for the future."

Did the disciples in the upper room gain power from sensitivity training or through the coming of the Holy Spirit? Did they use profanity in their gut-level discussions? Ogilvie continued, "And I wonder if they didn't work old Thomas over-you know, why did he think he was so (profanity) important that the Lord would have to return only for him? I wonder how long it took them to work him over? But I think something exciting happened there in the upper room as they began to share with each other; open their lives to each other; become vulnerable; confess their sins and their needs and the fact that they were all scared little boys. They had caught a vision. They saw the need of the world. And they couldn't somehow put the two together.. .and I think that the interlocking thing-the process by which they received the power was when they dared, by honesty and openness with each other, to die so that the resurrection which they had experienced in Jesus Christ became a reality to them personally."

What produces conversion-the Gospel or the group? Dr. Ogilvie said, "I got started in the Christian life through a band of people meeting in a college dormitory And the thing that hooked me was that they had an exciting dream for the world. They believed that Jesus Christ was the answer to people's needs and that He had a strategy for changing the world-and it hooked me! What fundamentalism, conservatism and. . .preaching and Bible reading and memorizing of Scripture and up-tightness never got a hold of in me, a sense of vision and a dream did "

Are we accountable to God or to the "Group"? Ogilvie continued, "And all through the years I've had a 'fish or cut bait group' with whom I've been accountable, where, at least once a week I've had to log in and say who I was, how I was feeling, where I was in my marriage and in my sex life; with my money, with my kids, with my job, with everyday life. And I know right now that there's a group of people with whom I'm ready to live or die."

Would any true believer want to rip out part o f the Bible? Is the task of the church to change the world or preach the Gospel? Mr. Ogilvie said, ". . .because there are some passages that I would sure as . . . (profanity) like to rip out of the Scripture but they're there and I can't. And the 25th Chapter of Matthew is one." In closing he said, "The keys of the kingdom have been given to us to change the world and the gates of hell cannot and will not prevail against it." What a terrible twisting of Scripture such statements are!

What about the use of profanity and four-letter words? The testimony service was presided over by Mr. Keith Miller, an Episcopal layman who has authored two books on the new psychological techniques and approaches. Said Mr. Miller, "We'd like to have you talk to us about real things...the reason I told you about the negative stuff, we want you to give us anything that's on your mind. If you just want to express hostility or get up and scream or say a four-letter word, it's your deal. We just feel that this is a time when you can say anything you want to. "

"I'm not used to all these four letter words," said one lady participant. "Do you have to use this unusual jargon in order to he successful?," she asked. Replied Mr. Miller, "No, but it helps. . .(laughter).. .but as a matter of fact it is not necessary. This is often a sign of our immaturity. . .but we are missionaries to the unblessed and this is the language of the unblessed.... From my own background, 'damn' to me was just for punctuation . . . Those of you for whom the word 'damn' would be offensive, I' ll say it three times-damn, damn, damn...Now if you don't like that, get out and go on your own deal. We're not selling 'damn' and its not necessary to be profane. . .We want you to find your own message."

How do you close a conference on "The Emerging Church"? Mr. George Kinnamon, mentioned in this report earlier in connection with the U. S. Congress on Evangelism, closed the conference in this way. "We re going to ask you to close this morning in the terms of four things:

"First of all is a commitment to each other about your own life.
"Second, a commissioning by each other to each other by putting your hands on each other and saying, "I commission you to go out and (word indistinct) . . . and I'm going to hold you to what you say" (while touching).
"Third, to give each other the courage to be what we say we're going to be in two ways:
"A. Verbally-an affirmation-say something affirmatively to the person verbally and give him or her a blessing...
"B. If you feel free enough, man, hug each other-even give each other a kiss it you like (that's the kiss of peace). We're not afraid to do this-that's the non verbal kind of thing.
"Fourth, I'm going to ask you to wrap this up by again getting into a huddle with your group-put your arms around each other and pray for each other that God will give us the strength to walk out of here and be the person He meant for us to be."

The meeting then closed with everyone forming a human chain by clasping hands in a circle and singing the ecumenical hymn, "We Are One In the Spirit." followed by a favorite hymn of Bible believers, "Blest Be the Tie That Binds," after which every one was instructed to turn around and "tell everyone you love them whoever they are."

Professor Robert Munger and forty students from Fuller Theological Seminary attended the sensitivity training sessions of the National Clergy Conference. Conference leaders praised Fuller Seminary for its "openness" in encouraging students to attend. Fuller Seminary President, Dr. David Hubbard, is a thorough-going New Evangelical and was an advisor at the Uppsala Assembly of the World Council of Churches. Dr. Hubbard is the new radio voice of the "Old Fashioned Revival Hour" which is now called "The Joyful Sound" (a more accurate name would be "The Uncertain Sound"). Fuller Seminary is now reported to be considering a change in its doctrinal statement which would weaken its previous strong stand on the infallibility of the Scriptures. The combination of all these trends is too significant to dismiss lightly.

Campus Crusade's programs, brochures and techniques sound more and more like Moral Rearmament (MRA) and less and less like Biblical Christianity. A current brochure, plugging one of Campus Crusade's movies is entitled, "COME HELP CHANGE THE WORLD." It says, "Jesus Christ, history's greatest revolutionary, claimed to be the author of a new way of life. Wherever His message has gone, new life, hope and purpose for living have resulted. You can help change the world by introducing men to Him. Changed lives equal a changed world." Such a program is unscriptural. God has not called us to change the world, but to save something out of the wreck. The church is to rescue sinners. The world is headed for judgment. The world will not be changed for the better until Christ returns!

It is obvious that "The Emerging Church" envisioned and promoted by these false prophets is unscriptural, sensual and profane. True believers should have nothing to do with it!

Can we substitute psychology for the Bible and benefit the individual or the church? Can we substitute sensitivity training for the ministry of the Holy Spirit and expect God's blessing? Of course not! Yet, that is exactly the direction in which many evangelicals are moving. Especially vulnerable are colleges, seminaries, and youth organizations which have previously been considered to be evangelical and conservative.

Our desire in this report is not to put men or organizations "on the spot," but to put all believers "on guard." If we are correct in our judgment that sensitivity training is satanic in origin and nature, then we must expect to find it presented with satanic deception-"as angels of light." A good and faithful watchman must blow a warning trumpet when the enemy approaches. How you respond is your responsibility!

Sensitivity training has a definite relationship to, and affinity for, existentialism, extra sensory perception, occult experiences, oriental religions, astrology and drugs. A look through the current catalog of any of the Sensitivity Training Centers reveals this relationship. The following subjects are given as examples Tarot, Tantra, Alchemy, Yoga, Occult Psychology, I Ching, Psychedelics, L.S.D., Hypnosis, Transcendental Meditation, E. S. P., Buddhism, Dream Realization, Astrology, Hypno-drama, Sensory Awareness, Actualism, etc.

It is shameful that tax moneys, federal grants and church funds are being used to promote sensitivity training throughout the country. It is time for concerned Christians and patriotic Americans to investigate the ways in which their money is being used to accomplish their own brainwashing. These programs must be exposed and opposed whenever and wherever they are found.

Don't be deceived by the glowing testimonies of those who claim to have been helped by sensitivity training. Being encouraged to "do your own thing" may bring temporary relief and release but a day of reckoning lies ahead. The Bible says, "Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting" (Gal. 6:7, 8).

Religious sensitivity training relies heavily on experience and minimizes doctrine, which is one of its greatest dangers. Non verbal communication (holding, touching, feeling, kissing) is an integral part of the program. When one is "liberated," "does his own thing" or "lets himself go," this is explained as a new work of the Spirit in his life, even when he lashes out in anger at another person or uses vulgar or profane language. But are such words and actions the work of the Holy Spirit? The Bible says, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law " (Gal. 5:22, 23). When I heard the profane talk of the leaders of the National Clergy Conference at Arrowhead Springs, I could not help but think of 2 Peter 2:19-"While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption.... "

HOW IS CHRISTIAN PSYCHOLOGY BEING USED TODAY?

Is it possible to take the supposedly "good things" from psychology and place them within the Christian framework? Is it possible to strain out all the impurities of evolution, humanism, socialism and the 1001 other false isms which make up the philosophy and teaching of ungodly psychologists, psychiatrists and psychoanalysts - and add this to the pure Word of God to make it more effective in dealing with man's problems?

Many Evangelicals now stress the supposed importance of psychology and, in so doing, minimizes the emphasis that should be placed upon the Word of God in meeting the spiritual, emotional, and psychological needs of the individual Christian. As the following examples of leading evangelical leaders indicate, it is now thought to be essential to incorporate psychological techniques into a ministry if it is to grow, prosper, and meet the people's needs in this present day.

Our assistant editor, Dennis Costella, was able to cover with FOUNDATION magazine press credentials the National Association of Evangelical's 50th Anniversary meeting held in Chicago, 1992. The Reverend Bill Hybels, pastor of the huge and controversially innovative Willow Creek Community Church was showcased at the conference, both in Hybels' own presentation at the convention, and also in various seminars which used his ministry as the example of how to build a successful church ministry - in this present secularized society. He gave a presentation detailing the phenomenal growth of his church. Since as many as 15,000 attend his weekend services, it is easy to understand why the NAE chose him to explain "how to" with respect to building the ministry of a local church. After listening to his presentation, it became very clear that the tremendous growth of his church can be attributed to at least two primary innovations. One, the use of worldly entertainment to attract the unchurched; and, a ministry emphasizing psychologically based principles that supposedly are effective in dealing with the problems of believers and unbelievers alike. Willow Creek has-"trained therapists [who] use biblical and psychological principles to help individuals, couples. . . "-we would ask,- "Whatever happened to Bible-based, godly, pastoral counseling?"

In 1990, Bill Hybels wrote Honest to God? Becoming an Authentic Christian which has been widely promoted by Billy Graham and other NAE leaders in spite of the fact that it exalts the false theories of humanistic psychology. Under the heading, "Different Isn't Bad," on page 70, Hybels wrote: "In the 1920's Carl Jung [an internationally renowned Swiss psychologist and psychiatrist] took a new look at the old theory that just as people are born with differing physical traits-tall or short, brown-eyed or blue-eyed, right-handed or left-handed-so they are born with differing temperament traits. In the 1950s Isabel Myers and Kathryn Briggs expanded Jung's work and devised the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator test, a tool for identifying personality types based on various combinations of inborn temperament traits.

"Please Understand Me is an in-depth look at Jung's theory and the applications made by Myers and Briggs. Lynne and I read it one year on vacation, and to say it revolutionized our marriage is no exaggeration. It dispelled the notion that there is one standard of 'normalcy' and whoever doesn't fit it is wrong."

"The theory proposes that people approach four selected areas of life in ways that are fundamentally different-but equally right. These different ways of behaving are called preferences."

Hybels' attempted mixing of godless, humanistic psychology with Biblical truth is very popular today. The result of this unholy mixture, however, is a very deceptive attack upon Biblical standards of right and wrong, truth and error. God's people must be warned no matter how successful or productive such mixtures might appear to be at the moment.

Costella also covered with FOUNDATION magazine press credentials Billy Graham's big Itinerant Evangelists Conference in Amsterdam in 1986. The purpose of this world-wide conference was to instruct evangelists from countries around the world assembled there in the "how - to's" of effective evangelism. Many good things were heard at the conference, but also the interjection of serious error and misleading counsel that will undoubtedly bear bitter fruit in the ministries of those in attendance.

A disturbing example of inconsistency between what was said from the podium and what was taught in the workshops concerned the evangelist's inner life. Very helpful, Biblical messages were given in plenary sessions on the importance of prayer and Bible study in maintaining a fellowship with God that alone could enable the believer to "do the work of an evangelist." Powerful sermons emphasized the need for daily and total reliance on the indwelling Holy Spirit to accomplish God's work in God's strength, for God's glory-tremendous and true!

But when Graham told the conference there was one workshop that was a "must, " it became evident a new course had been added to the curriculum of his Amsterdam "school for evangelists"-Psychology!

The workshop, "Your Inner Life As An Evangelist," was led by a clinical psychologist, Graham's son-in-law, Stephen Tchividjian. The press release said that this was without doubt the most popular workshop, "Every seat in his auditorium workshop was taken. A crowd of evangelists, virtually clamoring to get in, was turned away. And this was a repeat workshop."

Why all the interest? Was it the uncompromised presentation of Bible truth? No the leader was a Christian psychologist! Supposedly he could present a program to meet the needs of the inner man much more effectively than a mere Bible teacher! One of the gods of this age, psychology, triumphantly moved to the forefront of the conference.

Tchividjian pointed out, "Our relationship to God determines our self-image. How can we think well of ourselves?" he asked, "unless we have a relationship with God. We need God to say, 'You're OK.'" He concluded by saying that "when we are related to God and when we understand ourselves in the light of God's grace, we are ready to work together in the unity of the Spirit....The greatest blessing for me," he said, "is to feel the unity of the Spirit."

Much of what Tchividjian said was true and not necessarily contrary to the Word. But "Christian psychology" invariably introduces a humanistic wisdom that in many ways displaces or even denies Biblical principles that should be our only directives for godly living.

The psychological technique of "values clarification" was incorporated into the workshop "Reaching Teenagers In Europe" led by Youth for Christ worker Bob Moffett of England. The evangelists were made to walk around the packed room shouting in their mother tongues anything that would help them find three partners who spoke the same language. Next, they were told, "You [are] at the far end of a dark cave whose walls have suddenly begun to crumble." Four people were to decide in four minutes which two of them should hold the walls up in place and then die to enable the other two escape. This is the same type of psychological gamesmanship that Bible believers have been fighting in the public schools for years! What a tragedy that this satanic program was introduced in the name of evangelism to so many evangelists at Amsterdam!

What saith the Scriptures? "Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? and what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with infidel?" (2 Cor. 6:14, 15).

Since almost 100% of the accepted authorities in the field of psychology and related mental health sciences are those who reject the Word of God and deny the Lord Jesus Christ, they are of the devil and Christians should have nothing do to with them. Those who want to become "Christian Psychologists" have to study the theories and philosophies of these ungodly intellectuals in order to be accepted as "psychologists," and in the process they absorb far more of their satanic teachings than they realize.

How many ministers of the Gospel do you know today who have been bitten by the "Christian Psychology bug?" You can spot them very quickly. They soon prefer the term "counselor" to "pastor." They are continually analyzing people to see what "groupings" they belong to. They become salesmen for books on Christian Psychology and they are helping to make the field of Christian Psychology one of the most popular and lucrative in the field of Christian service.

Let's face it! Men like psychology because it titillates the flesh and puffs up the fleshly mind. People may despise the church but they will run to the psychologist. They have no use for a pastor but they look up to a psychologist. No wonder so many fundamental pastors are hurrying to be trained as "Christian Psychologists." It is a step up the ladder in the eyes of men. It takes the sting of sin, the cross and the Bible from their community image. We say this, not in criticism, but with the hope it may help to provide a Biblical perspective and corrective.

Actually, the Christian psychologist faces an impossible dilemma. If he is true to the Word of God, having studied psychology, he surely will recognize it as one of Satan's most powerful and deceptive philosophies and techniques and, as a result will do everything in his power to expose it for what it is-a freeway to humanism! But if he does this he will not he accepted among other psychologists and will lose his professional standing. So he must keep quiet about the evils of psychology and try to sift out the "good" parts and mix in enough Scripture to salve his conscience.

By contrast, a godly man, called of God to be a pastor, will be spending his time studying the Word of God so that, with the help of the Holy Spirit, he can be used to effectively help people who have problems. What might be called the "true psychology" is to be found only in the Bible which is the "Sword of the Spirit." The Word not only diagnoses man's problems correctly, but provides the only sure and lasting cure. How sad that so many are rejecting God's wisdom to follow the foolishness of men!

It is essential to recognize that the Bible and psychology represent two absolutely contradictory views of God, man, sin, the Bible and eternity. This makes it impossible to reconcile or combine the two as is being attempted in so-called "Christian Psychology." Regardless of the sincerity of people in these fields, they literally become the High Priests of Humanism. The many striking similarities between psychology, humanism, communism and liberal Protestantism clearly reveal their common satanic origin.

Space limitations prevent our detailing the many additional ways in which the deadly tentacles of psychology have captivated millions of people in recent years. There is abundant evidence to prove beyond any question of a doubt that the ministries of charismatic deceivers like Benny Hinn (with people falling to the floor at his touch or command), and Rodney Howard Browne, whose spectacular promotion of so-called "holy laughter" are of the devil, not the Holy Spirit. The relationship between psychology and satanic movements like the New Age, Women's Liberation, and heathen religions is also undeniable.

Two supposed evangelical leaders dominate the religious scene today as far as numbers and influence are concerned. They are both influencing millions of people through their books, publications, radio and television ministries. One clearly identifies himself as a Christian psychologist; the other hides his obvious advocacy of psychological heresy by professing to be an evangelical pastor. We refer to Dr. James Dobson of "Focus on the Family" and Dr. Robert Schuller, pastor of the Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove, California.

Because Dobson has taken conservative stands on several major issues (abortion, aids, etc.) many people do not realize how he is indoctrinating millions with psychological heresies. The books by Martin and Deidre Bobgan, Prophets of Psychoheresy I & II thoroughly document Dobson's duplicity as well as that of other leading "Christian psychologists" like Gary Collins, Lawrence Crabb, Jr., Dr. Paul Meier, Dr. Frank Minirth, and others, all of whom will decry certain teachings of humanistic psychology but turn right around and present these same destructive precepts in the name of "Christian psychology."

In past issues of FOUNDATION, we have fully documented the fact that Dr. Robert Schuller is a chief promoter of dangerous psychological concepts. His emphasis on self-esteem and positive thinking; his preaching of a false gospel; his denial of fundamental teachings of Scripture; and his many ecumenical connections with apostate Protestants, Roman Catholics and charismatics, reveal the fact that he is not an evangelical at all.

Nevertheless, Billy Graham and other supposed evangelical leaders still embrace him warmly and use him as a featured speaker in their conferences. Seldom, if ever, do you hear any of these evangelical leaders even mention his dubious approach to ministry, let alone expose his heretical teachings.

It has been said that psychology is man's way of dealing with his problems but the Bible is God's way of dealing with them! Man's problems today are not really new and when we turn to the theories of man for a solution, we are really saying, "The Bible is no longer good enough; the Holy Spirit is no longer powerful enough; our God is no longer able to keep His promises to us." We ought to be ashamed! How refreshingly different and simple are the solutions offered in the Word of God.

NOTE GOD'S WARNING:

"... cease from thine own wisdom" (Proverbs 23:4).

"The wise men are ashamed, they are dismayed, and taken: lo they have rejected the Word of the Lord: and what wisdom is in them?" (Jeremiah 8:9).

"For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. for it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness" (1 Corinthians 3:19).

"This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish" (James 3:15).

NOTE GOD'S SIMPLE INVITATIONS:

"If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not: and it shall be given him" (James 1:5).

"Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11 :28) .

". . . And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely" (Revelation 22:17).

Reader, your basic problem is not your mother-not your father-not your husband or wife-not society. Your basic problem is sin. The wonderful fact is, however, Christ died for us sinners! "for when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.... God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Rom. 5:6, 8). If you are unsaved, read and believe the following Scriptures: Romans 3:10, 23; Romans 6:23; John 3:16; John 1:12; John 3:36. Your burden will be lifted!

If you are saved, read and believe the following Scriptures:Romans8:28-39; l Corinthians 10:13; 2Timothyl:7; 1Peterl:5; 1Peter 4:12-16; 1Peter 5:5-11; 2Peter 3:11-18; 1 John 3:1-3; Revelation 22:12, 20. Your burden will be lifted, too.

Do you need a psychologist? No, dear friend, first of all you need to be sure you have trusted the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Saviour. The Bible says, "But my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus" (Phil. 4:19) This is God's promise and He cannot lie! It is a promise no mental health specialist can make or keep. When Jesus Christ is your Lord, then you can turn to Him in your time of special need-not to man! Jesus never fails-and He freely forgives and delivers from the bondage, burden and anxiety of sin. Whatever your problem, Christ-not the psychologist-is the answer!

- M.H. Reynolds, Jr.
[reprinted from the FOUNDATION magazine, Volume XV, Issue 5, Sept-Oct 1994]

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