The Gospel Coalition on Psychiatric Medication – A truly baffling article
The Gospel Coalition (TGC) is a hugely successful, influential, US movement and network of Churches and Christians, headed up by some very big hitters. They also host a multi-author blogging platform.
They have been variously described as: missionary passionate, Gospel focused, Reformed, conservative evangelical, Calvinist leaning, ecclesiastically restrictive, exclusivist, complementarian, dogmatists.
In view of this I was somewhat intrigued to note TGC engaging the topic of Psychiatric medication in a blog post entitled: Psychiatric Medication and the Image of God
The article is written by Jeremy Pierre, an assistant professor of biblical counseling at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.
I’ve read the article several times now and fully acknowledge that this may be a failing on my part, but rarely have I read something so confused and generally baffling.
The question is posed at the beginning of the article:
How should Christians think about psychiatric medication?
And the answer to this is to be derived by looking at two aspects of what it means for people to be made in the image of God.
It continous with a brief look at psychosomatic unity followed by our God-given position of dominion over the created order.
But then it gets a little odd as the next section is headed up:
First, psychiatric medication does not address the main dilemma in human trouble: sin.
and continues:
….Medication cannot produce the obedience of faith.
And
Psychiatric medication should never been used in hopes of producing behavior that Scripture calls obedience, because obedience flows from faith.
And bringing in the ‘dominion’ theme:
Thus, dominion with regard to the human brain and psychiatric medication is not bringing about the coming of the kingdom through chemically perfected people.
I have never heard any Christian ever suggest that psychiatric medication be used as an agent against sin, nor for the bringing forth of obedience through faith, nor for bringing about the Kingdom.
Is this bizarre or what?
I had to smile at the “chemically perfected people” comment.
Is this what the author suspects Christian folk believe about psychiatric medication?
There follows a small treatise on the connection of the physical and spiritual and we are duly advised to consider how the physical is affecting the spiritual, and vice versa. In the next section we’re alerted to the fact that the brain has a possible hindering effect on the soul.
I had occasion to speak with my learned friend Tim on this topic and this is his comment:
My experience together with the things I have learned tell me that the mind and the body (of which the brain is a part) are two separate things. I know that there are those that disagree with me but I am absolutely set on that score, and the evidence supports me. So when I look at things that go wrong with the body, whether it be in the brain or anywhere else in the body, that is where doctors can help us out. I look at it this way. The body is the car and the mind is the driver. Sometimes the car breaks down and things in it don’t work properly. That is where the mechanic i.e. the doctor, steps in to try and fix things. For example if the steering breaks down then no matter what the driver wants to do the car simply will not/cannot do it. Then the steering gets fixed, or not as the case may be. The time comes when the driver no longer needs the car and he/she is free. Do you see what I mean? So as far as medication is concerned then I support it, as our brains, imperfect and part of an imperfect body, do not always function as they should do, no matter what your mind is telling it to do. After all, we’d do the same thing for any other part of the body that didn’t work properly i.e. go to the doctor, wouldn’t we?
I’ll leave off now with the conclusion of the article:
Scripture is sufficient for solving man’s ultimate need for redemption in Christ, peace with God, and the future renewal of the entire created order. And proclaiming the gospel is the primary way we exercise dominion. Psychiatric medication may be understood as a legitimate outworking of the dominion function, but merely as an imperfect attempt to mitigate sin’s effects on the present physical order. It cannot solve mankind’s primary problem of sin.
Applying this teaching practically is no simple matter. The psychiatric medication industry is largely driven by naturalistic assumptions and compelled by profit margins, and mental illness has been stigmatized in many of our churches. Thinking about how to navigate the process practically would require a discussion beyond the present one.
I’m left with no doubt in my mind that the author is not a fan of the psychiatric world. He either totally misunderstands psychiatric medication and serious mental illness, or presumes his readers do.
I find it highly ironic he finishes the piece with a cursury mention of mental illness stigma within the church, whilst the premise of the article is generally negative about the very medication these same folk rely upon.
Very odd indeed.
Tags: Mental Health, Science & Medical, Theology Doctrine Philosophy
September 25th, 2012 at 9:36 pm
Totally agree with you webmaster. It seems to me that the author is making many assumptions based on very imperfect knowledge. I think it’s sad that people in authority within the Church, or outside, should take it upon themselves to pronounce so dogmatically about something that can have such a devastating effect on people’s lives.
It seems to me that we have to keep trying to help people really separate the concepts of mental ill health and sin. If mental ill health is a malfunction of the physical brain, then why not regard it as no different from a more physically visible sign of ill health or disability? Would this author make a connection between learning difficulties and sin? I do hope not!
September 25th, 2012 at 9:48 pm
“I have never heard any Christian ever suggest that psychiatric medication be used as an agent against sin, nor for the bringing forth of obedience through faith, nor for bringing about the Kingdom.”
I have. I was in a Sunday School class, and the discussion was about assurance of salvation, and the interim pastor of our church at the time suggested that those who unduly struggle with the accepting the assurance of their salvation would benefit from psych meds. This seemed to me a bizarre means for dealing with a sin of unbelief.
On the Cripplegate blog here http://thecripplegate.com/depression-and-serotonin/, in the comments section on an article on Depression and serotonin some pastors shared stories of counseling members. One wrote, that he was told while “once counseling a young woman, “Prozac doesn’t take away my sin—it just makes it easier to live with.” Don’t alarm bells go off when you hear stuff like that?
I am not immune to the sufferings of mental illness. I have suffered both as a child of a Schizo-effective mother, and I am a woman who suffered post-partum, and has children given various diagnoses. I know the issue is complex, and I don’t believe in easy answers. But Christians have the Great Physician. We have the Gospel, and we have the ‘one-anothers’ that this benighted industry completely lacks.
I wrote more about it here: http://thenface2face.wordpress.com/2011/10/09/bad-physic-or-the-great-physcian-a-dialogue-on-christians-and-anti-depressives/
September 25th, 2012 at 10:15 pm
I’m pretty baffled that you consider this TGC article to be baffling. I came away from the article thinking that the author supports the use of medication when necessary, instead of stating that it should never be used (as many NANC counselors believe).
I agree with your friend Tim’s comments–do you think they are at odds with Pierre’s? It doesn’t appear that way to me.
In response to your statement: “I have never heard any Christian ever suggest that psychiatric medication be used as an agent against sin, nor for the bringing forth of obedience through faith, nor for bringing about the Kingdom.”–I don’t think Pierre was saying that a Christian who’s counseling a brother or sister would suggest that medication would do these things, but he was bringing to light that some people might take them with this intention (namely to fight against or ignore sin). As someone who takes anti-depressants, I believe that there are people out there who take medicine to numb themselves to their guilt, sin, or a natural grieving process, BUT there are just as many people whose “steering ” needs fixing, and God has allowed physicians to create medication to help their fallen bodies in this fallen world. The problem is that many Christians (in leadership roles especially) believe that the former reason is the only reason people take medication.
So, I guess I’m confused. I was overjoyed in response to Pierre’s article, as it (to me) signaled the church is slowly making progress in this area, but I guess you came away with a completely different take on it?
September 25th, 2012 at 10:26 pm
OK. You hooked me webmaster and I had to find out more. I was most curious to know what biblical counselling at the SBTS was. The website does not enlighten us except with an article called “A proposed definition of biblical counseling”. So I read the article, and it was heavy going, but eventually I reached some slightly more helpful material. Wow! It seems to me that the writer has a view of psychotherapy that is almost 100 years out of date. His main sources from secular counselling are Freud and Jung, who to most present day secular therapists are historically significant but that is all. We’ve moved so far beyond all that. I honestly cannot recognise the therapeutic methodology that he so roundly attacks.
And that to me is a problem. He’s putting up a false straw man, and then shooting it down. It worries me that people are taken in by this, and that they might not therefore be inclined to seek the best available pharmaceutical and psychotherapeutic help.
September 25th, 2012 at 10:34 pm
I think the clue is in the title of “biblical counselling”. Christian counselling of this sort usually focuses on uncovering hidden sins and repenting of them to remove spiritual blockages. If someone is using secular medicine then it removes some of this control from them.
That may just be my jaundiced experience talking though.