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THINK ON THESE THINGS (Philippians 4:8)

1& quot ; THINK ON THESE THINGS & quot ; ( philippians 4:8) A Critique of Telling Yourself the Truth, by William Backus & Marie Chapian and The Lies We Believe, by Chris Thurman Much current & quot ;Christian& quot ; counseling is heavily rooted in Freud, promoting archaeological digs into the hidden recesses of one's past and strong encouragement to see oneself as a victim of the sins of others. In contrast to this increasingly popular approach, other Christian authors have opted for the cognitive techniques developed primarily by Albert Ellis, founder of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT).1 Two key examples are Telling Yourself the Truth and The Lies We Believe (abbreviated as TYT and LWB).

1 "THINK ON THESE THINGS" (Philippians 4:8) A Critique of Telling Yourself the Truth, by William Backus & Marie Chapian and The Lies We Believe, by Chris Thurman Much current "Christian" counseling is heavily rooted in Freud, promoting archaeological digs into the hidden recesses of

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Transcription of THINK ON THESE THINGS (Philippians 4:8)

1 1& quot ; THINK ON THESE THINGS & quot ; ( philippians 4:8) A Critique of Telling Yourself the Truth, by William Backus & Marie Chapian and The Lies We Believe, by Chris Thurman Much current & quot ;Christian& quot ; counseling is heavily rooted in Freud, promoting archaeological digs into the hidden recesses of one's past and strong encouragement to see oneself as a victim of the sins of others. In contrast to this increasingly popular approach, other Christian authors have opted for the cognitive techniques developed primarily by Albert Ellis, founder of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT).1 Two key examples are Telling Yourself the Truth and The Lies We Believe (abbreviated as TYT and LWB).

2 Both Backus and Thurman give credit to Ellis for his ideas. However, it should be noted at the outset that Ellis is an aggressive atheist who believes that religious faith is grounded in & quot ;irrational& quot ; ideas and is evidence of mental instability. (See Discernment Publications' critique of Ellis in & quot ;Exposing the Roots& quot ; series.) At first glance, the cognitive approach may appear consistent with biblical teachings about renewal of the mind. Personal responsibility is a critical emphasis, in opposition to the prevalent & quot ;victim& quot ; theory that permeates too much modern counseling. However, as we shall explore more fully, there is nevertheless a wide chasm between the REBT of Albert Ellis and scriptural truth.

3 In addition to Albert Ellis, Thurman quotes and credits M. Scott Peck, a popular author who espouses New Age theology rather than Christian faith. He also considers Carl Jung & quot ;one of the leaders of modern psychology& quot ; (p. 165, LWB) and cites him favorably. Backus quotes stoic ruler Marcus Aurelius as a key source for his teachings (p. 16, TYT). Ellis' own writings reveal roots in modern existentialism (Sartre, Heidegger) and aberrant theology (Tillich). Backus naively believes that this eclectic mixtures leads to biblical truth: & quot ;..the findings of psychological researchers as well as the probings of the greatest minds of history bring us to the truths set forth in the Holy Scriptures and the principles we share with you.

4 & quot ; (p. 9, TYT) 1 According to the most recent information from the Institute for Rational-Emotive Therapy, directed by Albert Ellis and located in New York, Ellis' therapy is Rational-Emotive-Behavior Therapy. Formerly it was simply Rational-Emotive Therapy (RET). 2 Can we truly call Albert Ellis one of & quot ;the greatest minds of history& quot ;? This man demonstrates nothing but hatred for our faith, arrogant atheism, and blatant disregard for God's righteous standards. Sin impacts the mind in addition to all other aspects of man. An unbeliever, despite whatever intellectual brilliance he may possess, cannot lead us into biblical truth. Still, Backus claims that his way & quot ;will work for you now& quot ; (p.)

5 23, TYT). The stated purpose of Telling Yourself the Truth is & quot ;to help you possess the happiness you desire and to be the person you'd like to be& quot ; (p. 10, TYT). Note that the focus is on what you desire rather than on what God desires. This self-focus runs throughout the writings of & quot ;misbelief& quot ; psychology and is consistent with Ellis, but not with the Bible. A major premise of this approach is that our thoughts determine our emotional responses. In the introduction to The Lies We Believe, Frank Minirth states: & quot ;On an intellectual level and, most certainly, on an emotional level, we all wrestle with lies; and our response to them may very well determine our happiness or sadness, peace or worry, and mental health or mental disorders.

6 & quot ; (foreword, LWB) Scripture does emphasize the thoughts and the renewal of the mind. Every thought is to be taken captive in obedience to Christ. Emotions do not constitute the entire inner man, and certainly they are related to man's thoughts. However, the inner man also encompasses desires, will, imaginations, and such. Even more importantly, man worships either the creation or the Creator. The Holy Spirit, not self, is the primary agent for godly change--sanctification. Some of THESE basic biblical facts are glossed over in this reductionistic approach that promotes significant long-lasting changes solely through self-induced changes in thinking, termed & quot ;self-talk& quot ; by THESE authors.

7 The simplistic & quot ;A-B-C-D-E& quot ; approach of Albert Ellis is one that Thurman borrows and promotes (p. 55, 81 LWB): A = the event B = what you mentally tell yourself about that event, your & quot ;self-talk& quot ; C = your emotional response to this & quot ;self-talk& quot ; D = truthful & quot ;self-talk& quot ; E = your new, more appropriate emotional response to & quot ;A& quot ; 3 Backus advocates a similar exercise, & quot ;three steps to becoming the happy person you were meant to Locate your Remove Replace misbeliefs with the truth.& quot ; (p. 15, TYT) It is surely important to know and believe the truths that God has revealed in Scripture. There are truths about God and truths about man. One of THESE important truths, again, is that sanctification is a work of God's grace through His Spirit and Word.

8 & quot ;Misbelief& quot ; therapy bypasses the work of the Spirit, places only scarce attention on God's Word, and promises profound changes through the work of self, through the flesh. Presuppositions Certain basic assumptions form the foundation for the counseling approach promoted in THESE two books. One of THESE is an emphasis on the power of truth in our thought life: & quot ;Once we yank the irrationalities and lies from our thoughts and replace them with the truth, we can lead satisfying, rich and fulfilling emotional lives.& quot ; (p. 16, TYT) It is further assumed that emotions are produced by thoughts. Backus cites stoic ruler Marcus Aurelius, who: & quot ;..saw that human emotion is not just a product of chance circumstances, but is determined by the way people THINK .

9 & quot ; (p. 16, TYT) The converse of THESE assumptions is that emotional disturbances are created by wrong thinking: & quot ;Misbeliefs are the direct cause of emotional turmoil, maladaptive behavior and most so-called 'mental illness.' Misbeliefs are the cause of the destructive behavior people persist in engaging in even when they are fully aware that it is harmful to them.& quot ; (p. 17, TYT, emphasis added) & quot ;Most of our unhappiness and emotional struggles are caused by the lies we tell Your emotional life hangs 4in the balance. It directly reflects whether your mind is dominated by lies or truth.& quot ; (p. 23-24, LWB) Faith and & quot ;psychological laws.& quot ; Backus believes that his cognitive approach works because it is grounded in psychological & quot ;laws& quot ;: & quot ;.

10 Its effectiveness depends upon very explicit psychological laws which are as universal as the law of gravity.& quot ; (p. 25, TYT) The power ascribed to thinking is similar to the popular & quot ;faith movement& quot ; of some Christian Backus notes that & quot ;Jesus kept telling people to believe, believe& quot ; (p. 27, TYT). Explaining further: & quot ;'Faith' is a noun that refers to the act of believing. Jesus' statement clearly teaches that we can expect certain THINGS in our lives to take place as a direct result of how we believe.& quot ; (p. 27, TYT) Jesus did, of course, tell people to Him! The faith of which He spoke was specifically a faith in Him as Messiah, Lord, and Savior.


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