Of Shepherding Sheep (Pt 2)
(Beware the False Standard)
Alright, now that we have “stirred the pot” and hopefully piqued your interest, we need to set about explaining why Humanism and Rationalism are so dangerous and why adopting their methods will spell disaster for the Church.
2. Secular Standards are Poison:
The absolute problem with Humanism and Rationalism is that they are, at heart, Secular or Anti-God. Thus, not only should they not, but they simply cannot inform the Christian. The Secularist’s basic presupposition, in Nietzsche’s words, is, “God is Dead”! On the contrary, the Christian’s basic presupposition, in Schaeffer’s words, is, “He is there and He is not silent”!
Thus, we are faced with two mutually exclusive systems.
As each piece of knowledge in each system is based upon the one presupposition, there can only be agreement between the systems when the adherents of the systems are inconsistent with their presupposition. For example, I have heard David Attenborough, an evolutionist, talk both of ‘creation’ and ‘design’. How does an evolutionist, whose base presupposition denies the existence of God and in His place posits that the worlds exist through time, chance, and chaos, ever use the terms ‘creation’ and ‘design’? Similarly, I hear Christians use the term ‘luck’. How do those who believe in an all Sovereign God use such an inane term?
Therefore, it is only when we are inconsistent to our basic presupposition and to our worldview that we can find any common ground with the opposition.
This then means that if we supplement our elders with secularly trained people, we are immediately compromising. As Brother Posthuma rightly asked, “How can someone who is not one with us in faith even begin to comment on let alone promote such matters [of the intimacies of the Christian life]?”[1] The answer is, “They cannot!”
Some will baulk at this. There will be Christian counsellors who have now spit their coffee all over this article as an involuntary reaction to what they have read. Nonetheless, like Brother Posthuma, we must push on. Jesus said, “He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters.” This means that in all of life there is no neutrality. We often use the old adage, ‘to sit on the fence’, meaning that a person has no position on a particular point or is refusing to take sides. This, however, is not a possibility when it comes to Christianity. We are either for Christ or against Christ – ethically, philosophically, spiritually, and physically.
Let’s pause here and take a breath. Some of our readers may be struggling with the terms and concepts that they have just read. This may be, to them, nothing short of highfalutin gobbledygook. So, please, let me simplify things with explicit teaching from Jesus. Our Lord gave the following wisdom and guidance so that the Church would be equipped to face challenges in all ages. Says our Lord: “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit.”[2]
What I wish you to see is the inherent philosophical principle in Jesus’ declaration, namely, that an object cannot contradict its true nature. The wolf may dress as a sheep, but in the end, its actions will be lupine[3] not ovine.[4] Two trees may share similar foliage. They may look alike to the eye, but an examination of the fruit will bring instant identification. Similarly, each piece of fruit bears within itself the seed that will duplicate the inherent nature of its own species.
Let us now apply this to the case before us. Elders are men who are both born again and appointed to office by the Spirit of God. They are so because they are to govern in a spiritual[5] manner over the Kingdom. As such, their inherent nature is that which is born from above and draws upon the three Persons of the Trinity for all aspects of their ministry. No matter what detail of their lives we would examine, we should see clearly that the root extends into and draws its nourishment from “the river of the water of life … flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb”.[6]
In opposition to this, the Secular counsellor comes to the Church offering us a ‘truck load’ of Humanistic ‘wisdom’ that has proceeded forth, not from the mouth of God, but from experts, research, and academia. This ‘wisdom’ is highly credentialed, flowing forth from prestigious universities. It can be seen to be used to great effect in the world. There is even an introductory offer with a free set of steak knives! So, why delay? Let us grab hold of this offer and do ourselves a good turn! Besides, helping out our overworked elders and our burdened brethren can only be a good thing, right? After all, what harm could it do?
Well, it could kill! Yes, in fact, it will kill. (Do I hear more coffee being sprayed?) Okay, let’s go back to Jesus’ words – wolf = wolf; sheep = sheep; good tree = good fruit; bad tree = bad fruit! When the Secularist comes to you, he does so without the knowledge of God[7]; he does so without the wisdom of Christ[8]; and he does so without the power of the Holy Spirit.[9] His root is not extracting nourishment from the river of life, but from the pit of Hell. He is of his father the devil, whom Jesus pronounced to be a murderer and liar.[10] Why then would we invite such a one into the midst of God’s people, mistakenly believing that any good could come from the words he would speak?
Let me be frank. Would you invite a local prostitute to give your daughters lessons on how to apply makeup and do their hair? Would you invite a homosexual to give your sons lessons on health and obtaining a suave dress sense? Methinks not. I am confident that I would hear much dissention and many rumblings and words akin to, “These do not have the mind of Christ. They have no place in the Church and certainly no place instructing our children.” To which I would reply, “Preach it, Brother!”
Why, then, the gross inconsistency in our thought processes and actions? Why is it that Christians and Churches seem to think that secular counsellors can be of any assistance whatsoever to the Church? Why do we either invite into our midst or send our people out to those who imbibe of a poisoned root and who, by their nature, must bring forth poisoned fruit?
Why does life insist on receiving counsel from death!
3. The Christian Counsellor or Beware the Lupine in the Ovine:
In speaking of the Secularist and his inability to say anything to the Church, we may have received a few hearty, “Amens!” However, we must now move to the more sensitive and controversial area and address the so-called Christian Counsellor.
As Brother Posthuma noted, this area needs to be treated with sensitivity because it has become very popular for Christians to consult counselors of all types.[11] However, like every pastoral situation, the need for sensitivity cannot override the demand for God’s truth to be spoken. Thus, straight talk should not be construed as insensitive talk.
As we broach this subject, I would ask that you remember what has just been said about Secularism, for it is extremely relevant at this point. You see, most Christian counsellors take on that title after some study within the realms of the secular. That may be a degree, a diploma, or some other course. It may have even come from a “Christian” college.
The question for us, however, is not that of the external, but that of the data on which the external is built. Thus, you may well have a fine Christian man who genuinely seeks to serve his brethren. Having seen or experienced hurt and pain, he decides that counselling would be a boon. To achieve this, he heads off to an institution to be trained. Here, we encounter the problem. If the institution is purely secular the young man will be saturated in ungodly data. If the institution is Christian, there are no guarantees that it is God’s truth that flows through that institution.
There are many in the Church who peddle nothing but baptised secularism. That is to say that these people take the latest and greatest secular idea, rip a verse or two from the Bible (verses out of context add more aroma), feed it through the pepper grinder, then sprinkle it generously over said idea. Then there is the obligatory quick prayer, followed by a little holy water, and “voilà!” the latest concept in Christianity. The final product is rushed off the assembly line and hurriedly pressed into service. Many doe not question such practices because they either stand in awe of the prestigious establishment peddling such concepts or they themselves do not have the Biblical knowledge to adequately critique the concept.
The problem is that, regardless of the model, you end up with lupine in the ovine – your sheep smells and acts wolfy!
When a Christian seeks to become a good counsellor by following the ideas of the world, studies secular counseling techniques, or has been trained in the secular sciences, then he is trying to live as though neutrality exists and is achievable. He is found to be vigorously pursuing the impossible, namely, the melding of two contrary worldviews. This is nothing short of a fool’s errand. It is a sheer impossibility. The futility of this comes from Jesus’ mouth – “No man can serve two masters”!
In essence then, the young man returns to his home to begin counseling. People trust him because he is a Christian. However, like Snow White, they are unaware that inside the fruit on offer there is poison. The amount of poison will depend on how much Humanism was imbibed, but poison there will be.
You see, the Christian’s counsel is only as good as his conformity to Scripture – the Biblical data. In this he is like the preacher. We believe that the preacher preaching truth preaches God’s Word. To the degree that he is unfaithful, so that word ceases to be the Word. Thus, the Christian may counsel, but whether he is indeed a Christian counsellor depends on whether or not the counsel given is thoroughly Biblical.
Let me illustrate with reference to Christian education. Many, if not most, Christian teachers gain their qualifications through a secular system.[12] Does the fact that the State says that they are now qualified as educators mean that they will be Christian educators? Many would say, “yes”, but they would be mistaken. To be a Christian educator is not simply a case of being a Christian with a teaching degree. No, no, no! A Christian educator is a Christian, yes, but a Christian with a sound Biblical worldview; who teaches from the presupposition that God is; and, as a consequence, passes all facts through this one true paradigm.
I recently went for a job at a Christian school. I sat across from the principal and outlined this theory as Christian education. He was amazed. His reaction told me that he had never heard such a thing before. Yet, here he sat as the principal of a prominent Christian school. His concept, like that of so many, was that a Christian with a teaching degree equalled Christian education.[13]
This said; let us take the analogy back to counselling. A Christian may well counsel, but true Christian counselling is found in the content of the counsel and not in the adjective used to describe the counsellor. One would hope that adjective and content would go together, but, alas, it is not so.[14] Therefore, all Christian counsellors, to be worthy of the title, must first prove that their counsel is Christian – that which belongs to Christ!
This then begs the question, who should provide the examination in which the counsellor is proven to be bona fide? The only Biblical answer available is, “the elders”.
Thus, unlike our good Brother, it is my contention that we do not open the gate to Counselling, Christian or otherwise, in the Church, nor wait for a superfluity of the “university trained”, but rather return to a studied application of God’s appointed means, the elder. The first step in this process is to lock the gate, apply a padlock, and post a large sign that reads, “Do not open. Trespassers prosecuted!” This must be done because we cannot build esteem for the institution of eldership whilst actively undermining it. Such is to work at cross purposes. It is to be the “double-minded” man condemned by Scripture.[15]
In prophetic voice, the question becomes, “How long will we hesitate between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him.”[16]
[1] Volume 61, No 7; 8 Feb 2014. Pages 166.
[2] Matthew 7:15-18.
[3] Wolf like.
[4] Sheep like.
[5] By using the term “spiritual”, we do not intend any type of dualism or include any suggestion that the elder’s governance does not extend to the physical. The term is used in the sense that the elder’s wisdom, motives, ethics, and power are other worldly. Theirs is the power of the coming age – the Age of the Holy Spirit. These are of the Kingdom that has come in Jesus Christ. These are of the Kingdom of God. They have nothing to do with the principalities and powers of this present age.
[6] Revelation 22:1.
[7] That is, a true and intimate relationship with God.
[8] Colossians 2:2-3.
[9] Romans 8:9&14.
[10] John 8:44.
[11] This has tragically become the norm as more and more Christians have abandoned the Biblical concept of sin and embraced the humanist model (Medical model) of blame shifting.
[12] This is almost universal now as the Secular hierarchy insist on tickets for almost everything, including profession registration.
[13] It will not surprise you to hear that, later in the interview, another on the panel insisted that they had to teach evolution in order to comply with regulations and provide a good education.
[14] In essence, a so-called Christian counsellor can give rubbish advice if his data is coming from a poisoned stream. On the other hand, the secular counsellor could pull out some gems if they, contrary to their nature, offered Biblical wisdom. I have a Christian friend who criticised the position outlined in this article. He contended that he had heard a secular counsellor who had given good counsel. On further evidence, said counsellor was found to be a Jewess who took seriously the writings of Moses.
[15] James 1:8.
[16] 1 Kings 18:21.
