| The book, Deceptive Diagnosis: When Sin is Called | | | | is understandably disliked by the world. Moreover, what |
| Sickness, explores the major shift in how Christian | | | | is alarming and tragic is the opposition Christians have |
| evangelicals view and deal with sin. The authors, Dr. | | | | for the doctrine of sin. There was a time when sin |
| David Tyler and Dr. Kurt Grady, believe that the | | | | was clear and definite. But who can say that is true |
| Church stopped calling sinful and deviant behavior "sin," | | | | today? Vagueness characterizes what we think of sin. |
| and started calling it "sickness" beginning in the mid | | | | Sin is sin, but it is sickness too and Christians must |
| 1960's. The sexual sinner Apostle Paul wrote about | | | | consult the "experts" who are trained in detecting |
| became the sex addict. The thief became the | | | | these things. There is no clarity of view, no definition of |
| kleptomaniac. The drunkard became the alcoholic. The | | | | position and the language is confused. In fact, any |
| rebellious child became afflicted with "Oppositional | | | | attempt to recognize a clear distinction between sin |
| Defiant Disorder." A family in which the husband will not | | | | and sickness is branded as being anti-Christian and |
| work, the wife will not keep the home, and the children | | | | unloving. The apparent glory of Christianity today is in |
| will not obey is no longer considered sinful; it is | | | | its vagueness. |
| dysfunctional. The liar became a compulsive liar. The | | | | Tyler and Grady promote the case that labeling sin as |
| gambler became a compulsive gambler. The "deeds of | | | | sickness is seen nowhere more clearly than in the |
| the flesh, which are immorality impurity, sensuality, | | | | fields of clinical psychology and psychiatry. From the |
| idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of | | | | world's perspective, clinical psychology and psychiatry |
| anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, | | | | are the answer to the mental and emotional problems |
| drunkenness, carousing" (Galatians 5:19-21) were all | | | | of man. The word "psychology" actually means "the |
| redefined using psychopathological words. | | | | study of the soul." Sigmund Freud, in what was lauded |
| Tyler and Grady believe the landscape of | | | | as breakthrough scientific exploration, cast aside the |
| evangelicalism today is very disturbing. Christians have | | | | study of the soul and redefined psychology in terms of |
| jettisoned their commitment to the Bible and embraced | | | | human behavior. Freud placed practical theology in the |
| psychology. Biblical definitions and categories have | | | | crosshairs of psychology through his underlying |
| changed and a new vocabulary has emerged within | | | | premise that man's problems are based in man and |
| the Church. Behaviors and attitudes once regarded as | | | | are solved through man and man alone. He knowingly |
| sinful have undergone a dramatic change. Sin is called | | | | or unknowingly created a religion around man with |
| sickness and confessing sin has been replaced with | | | | theories that are in direct opposition to God's word. |
| recovering from sickness. The word "sin" has nearly | | | | Today's mental health industry is largely built upon |
| disappeared from our vocabulary. As such, the impact | | | | Freud; some 250 to 450 counseling theories are in |
| of the Gospel to a non-believer is less pronounced and | | | | practice worldwide. They are either directly Freudian, |
| the need for progressive sanctification in the believer is | | | | built from underlying Freudian philosophy or are built in |
| minimized. Although we try to make ourselves feel | | | | opposition to Freud |
| better by calling sin by another name, it is always there. | | | | In man's attempt to run from sin, he also reduced |
| It never fully goes away. | | | | man's lifespan thus sparing him from a miserable |
| "Deceptive Diagnosis" claims that in 1946 the federal | | | | existence mired in sin. Since the Garden, man has |
| government took responsibility for promoting | | | | continued to run and hide from God, shift the blame for |
| American's mental health. Some of the initiatives | | | | his behavior onto others, and cover his sin so no one |
| included the National Mental Health Act (1946), the | | | | will see how miserably depraved he is. The Diagnostic |
| National Institute of Mental Heath (1949), the National | | | | and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) is |
| Mental Health Study Act (1955), and the creation of the | | | | man's attempt run, hide, and cover-up. A collection of |
| Joint Commission on Mental Illness and Health (1955). It | | | | sins or sin-related behaviors have been composed into |
| was believed that American society would be | | | | convenient lists, labeled as diseases, explained to the |
| dramatically transformed with the building of new | | | | lay public using fundamentally flawed research tied to |
| mental health centers, the incorporation of training | | | | unproven chemical imbalances...and the list goes on and |
| programs as well as countless locations disseminating | | | | on. |
| mental health principles. On February 5, 1963 President | | | | The authors believe we have witnessed a severe |
| John F. Kennedy delivered a national speech on mental | | | | blow to the body of Christ as a result of the DSM and |
| health. He referred to mental health as the nation's | | | | the disease-oriented culture it has helped to create. |
| number one health problem. In order to confront what | | | | Believers everywhere they are sick, diseased, |
| was considered a mental health care crisis, Kennedy | | | | genetically predisposed to illness, etc. Those same |
| signed into law the Community Mental Health Centers | | | | believers have been led away from the language and |
| Act on October 31, 1963. This gave Federal | | | | direction of the Bible and into themselves. Progressive |
| Government backing to the diseasing of America and | | | | sanctification is a foreign concept to many today. |
| calling sin sickness. In 1977 President Jimmy Carter | | | | Becoming more like Christ each day does not require |
| organized the Commission on Mental Health. The | | | | medication; it requires submission, humility, reconciliation, |
| agency studied the state of the nation's mental heath | | | | forgiveness, and most of all repentance. It requires a |
| and concluded a quarter of all Americans needed | | | | steady diet of God's Word, an environment bathed in |
| mental health services. In the 1980's an eruption of | | | | His presence, and consistent work for His Kingdom. |
| twelve step programs provided a disease label for | | | | Evangelism begins with believers becoming sanctified |
| virtually anyone who wanted one. The television talk | | | | and developing a burden for the lost. Those wayward |
| shows capitalized on and added to the success and | | | | souls do not need more therapy nor do they need an |
| growth of the disease model. From Donahue to Oprah, | | | | excuse for blame shifting. |
| common everyday people and celebrities alike pour | | | | Dr. Tyler and Grady's book challenges the worldview |
| out their heart-wrenching stories of codependency and | | | | of today's church. Statistics tell us church membership |
| other addictions, disorders and compulsions. No | | | | has been steadily decreasing year after year. Sunday |
| segment of society was exempt. Therapeutic holidays | | | | School, which was once popular, has also been |
| such as National Depression Screening Day, National | | | | declining in attendance. Prayer meetings, missionary |
| Anxiety Disorder Day and National Eating Disorders | | | | groups, and fellowship meetings in general are weak |
| Awareness Week were created. Local malls provided | | | | and feeble. Today, because of poor attendance, many |
| a convenient venue on these special days where | | | | churches have cancelled mid-week and Sunday |
| people could be diagnosed and learn more about their | | | | evening services altogether or have limited preaching in |
| disease. For those who were too busy to go to the | | | | favor of other activities where the activity is the focus |
| malls, a program of mental health education and | | | | and the gospel is absent or only alluded to by |
| screening for early detection and intervention was | | | | association. Mega churches are growing in prominence, |
| available online or by telephone. | | | | but they are generally marketing driven entities short |
| The authors' of Deceptive Diagnosis believe that if a | | | | on doctrine and long on a feeling orientation. Thus, the |
| person thinks he is morally fine though physically sick, | | | | church as a whole is declining in attendance and in its |
| he will not repent. If one's bad behavior is a disease, he | | | | knowledge and commitment to Scripture. |
| will not go to Christ for cleansing. If, on the other hand | | | | The authors believe that the critical necessity for an |
| one decides to call sinful behavior, sin, he has made a | | | | accurate diagnosis of a person's problem is |
| major shift in his perception of reality. He has | | | | fundamental to solving, or curing, the pathology. If the |
| acknowledged, like the prodigal son, something is | | | | diagnosis is wrong, the treatment is likely to be not only |
| wrong with himself. Confession of sin requires | | | | ineffective, but also potentially dangerous. Dangerous in |
| responsibility on one's part. | | | | the sense that the original problem is not addressed |
| Tyler and Grady believe that evangelicalism has | | | | and that the wrong treatment carries with it the |
| opened its gates to a Trojan horse by introducing the | | | | potential for side effects or other unwanted results. |
| teachings of modern psychology. Some Christian | | | | Psychology and Worriers Anonymous will not solve |
| psychologists have become so beloved that to criticize | | | | man's problem. Psychology may help man feel better |
| them would be almost like criticizing the Bible itself. | | | | about himself, but Jesus is the only hope for his sin |
| While their intentions may be good, intentions are not | | | | problem. Jesus Christ is the Great Physician who |
| the issue. The issue is whether today's Christians are | | | | possesses the cure to the most serious, life |
| mixing men's ideas with the Bible. Amazingly, most of | | | | threatening problem man faces: his inability to deal with |
| today's Christian leaders who rightly cry so fervently | | | | his sin and separation from a Righteous and Holy God. |
| against so many false teachings are saying little if | | | | The book "Deceptive Diagnosis" lays the problem on |
| anything about subtle shifts in biblical interpretation that | | | | the front door step of the Christian church and it's up |
| undermine the faith of millions. In many cases, it reflects | | | | to the church repent and turn back to the Bible as the |
| a lack of awareness and understanding of the | | | | sole source for truth. |
| teachings of psychology. | | | | Johnny is a counselor at the Gateway Biblical |
| The book states there is a tendency today is to forget | | | | Counseling and Training Center, Fairview Heights, Illinois. |
| the roots and ignore the essentials. The doctrine of sin | | | | |