In His Name Devotionals
THERAPY VS REPENTANCE
In His Name Devotionals
THERAPY VS REPENTANCE
The crisis of sexual abuse raises a series of troubling questions. However, there is a much broader issue to consider that isn’t peculiar just to Roman Catholics. In fact, it’s an issue that is fairly common in the religious world.
Curtis Bryant (director of inpatient clinical services at a Maryland hospital) wrote: “Initially, the church viewed sexual offenses as sins to be confessed rather than a sickness to be treated.” Here’s the issue: are deviant, aberrant, and damaging behaviors such as this one properly the concerns of church or clinic? Clergy or psychologist? Repentance or therapy?
So which is it? How should Christians view not only sexual abuse but violence against spouses, drug abuse, gambling addiction, and dozens of other behaviors? For that matter, who can help most with a deteriorating marriage or troubled parent-child relationship? To whom should you refer someone who is obviously very distraught or anxious?
Does it seem obvious to you that repentance and therapy need not be mutually exclusive?
Churches have been inexcusably naïve at times in offering prayer and platitudes to people who could have benefited from professional treatment, medication, or hospitalization. Christians are frequently known to refuse such assistance because they have been taught to see “shrinks” and take “pills” for spiritual failure. Would you consider or perhaps agree that there responsible use might be seen as a divine blessing?
Clinicians have been inexcusably arrogant at times by ignoring or undermining the spiritual dimension of someone’s life. In addition to psychotherapy, Scripture, prayer, worship, and community make an immense contribution to the total well-being of people in the image of God. Would sound teaching and loving fellowship not be therapeutic?
Emotional challenges are not moral evils. Moral evil must not be trivialized as maladjustment. Frequently the need is not to choose between repentance and therapy but to have wisdom to understand the need for both.
