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Emphasis added
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[NOTE: This article was
originally published in 1993. It was rediscovered recently while
sorting old papers. It is timely and applicable to the current
series Herescope has been running on the
early history of the Emergent/Emerging church movement. The
context of the early Emerging Church culture was Humanistic
psychology with all of its tenets and practices, which were
being imported into the evangelical and Protestant churches
indiscriminately and wholeheartedly at the time.]
Dr. Carl Rogers is the
founder of what is termed client-centered or person-centered therapy. It is
difficult to distinguish his impact upon the field of psychotherapy from his
overall impact upon American society. Enormous transitions were made in the
1960s when Rogers, among others, pioneered the advance of psychotherapeutic
techniques and philosophies into schools and society. Rogers propelled his
methods and ideas outside of the stifling confines of the authoritarian
counseling office, which was still largely functioning in a Freudian mold at the
time. He was at the forefront of the immensely popular
encounter group
movement, which rapidly transformed churches, schools, businesses and personal
lives. His use of language, his style, and his ideas have so thoroughly
permeated the culture, that it is now difficult to distinguish them.
It is important to understand Rogers from a Christian
perspective. The task is arduous, and one risks oversimplifying and
overgeneralizing the issues. The sheer volume of published works by Rogers, his
critics, and researchers, as well as his continuous revisions and updating,
force one to carefully narrow the focus of any analysis. This post will attempt
to focus on some of Rogers basic underlying premises and compare and contrast
them with Scripture. Because his ideas have penetrated the culture so
thoroughly, it is difficult, if not impossible, to unravel them. Yet the basic,
foundational ideology is preserved in Rogers counseling theory and practice,
from which all other ideas and techniques emerged.
In order to understand Dr. Rogers, it is essential to go
back to his basic counseling theory. It is here that one will find detailed
accounts of his view of the basic nature of man. Rogers background plays no
small role in this, for he broke psychological and religious ties with his
family to come to his own beliefs. He was influenced by the views of
John Dewey,
Sigmund Freud and
Soren Kierkegaard.
One can clearly see the influence of both modern
Humanism and
Existentialism upon
Rogers. Further, his view of man is based, in part, upon
Phenomenology, which uses personal, subjective knowledge as the foundation
for an abstract, scientific psychology of human beings.
At its core, Rogers viewed the nature of man as
intrinsically good, trustworthy, and rational. It is from this foundation that
Rogers built his entire premise: that man has an inherent tendency toward
actualization, growth, health, adjustment, independence, and autonomy. Each
aspect of Rogers philosophical and practical counseling system is based upon
the view that man is progressing towards
self-actualization.
When this is thwarted, man develops mechanisms to cope, which ultimately result
in the need for counseling. Everyone has their actualizing tendency thwarted,
especially in early life, especially by their parents; therefore, everyone is a
potential candidate for therapy. This explains the nearly institutionalized
societal belief that everyone needs counseling.The theory that one is damaged when their actualizing
potential is stifled explains the rapid rise of preventative measures and
self-esteem programs that intervene early in a childs life, or during periods
of crisis. Rogers views have significantly impacted child-raising theories and
practices, and have provided fertile ground for social reformers. According to
Rogers, parents impose boundaries on behaviors that the child finds satisfying
or pleasurable, thus forcing the child to become untrue to themselves. The
imposition of parental values upon the child is viewed by Rogers as a negative;
it can cause the child to develop a self-concept that is incongruent with many
organismic experiences based upon his/her actualizing tendency. An experience
that the child thought was satisfying then becomes associated with loss of love
and a diminished self-esteem. This creates what Rogers terms
incongruence,
resulting in anxiety, and sets defensive mechanisms in operation.These ideas about self-esteem, promulgated by
Dr. Carl Rogers and
Abraham Maslow (in his
well-known Hierarchy
of Needs), have so thoroughly penetrated both secular and Christian society
that they are rarely called into question or challenged. They became part of the
popular cultures worldview, and were subsequently mainstreamed into churches
via revised Sunday School curricula, bestselling books, and other religious
media. In the wider culture, Rogers’ basic ideas gave rise to the self-centered,
self-focused, self-gratifying Me Generation, which quickly degenerated into
utter hedonism.The Christian view of the nature of man directly
contradicts the Rogerian belief in the natural goodness of man. The Bible
teaches, For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.
(Romans 3:22) Man is not innately good, but rather his nature has been altered
irreparably by the Fall. His condition is irredeemable, except for Gods
provision of His Son, Jesus Christ, and His finished work on the Cross. Man
cannot overcome his basic fallen nature. His ultimate problem is not his early
life, or his past, or the thwarting of his actualizing potential. Mans problem
is sin, and he cannot save himself.
In the Scripture there are only two conditions of man,
saved and lost. All are sons of Adam and are affected physically, emotionally
and spiritually by the Fall. Man is guilty. When that guilt is assuaged at the
Cross by the shed blood of Christ, man is profoundly changed. I am crucified
with Christ; nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the
life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the So of God, who
loved me, and gave himself for me.
(Galatians 2:20) Redeemed man, then, has a reference point for his guilt.
Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with Him, that the body of sin
might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.
(Romans 6:6)
Regenerate man is much more than a formerly guilt-ridden
personality; he is a new creature. Therefore if any man be in Christ,
he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become
new. (2 Corinthians 5:17) Unredeemed man
is guilty. Scriptures make is abundantly clear: the only way to overcome guilt
is through repentance and confession of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.
Regenerate man is then indwelt by the Holy Spirit, a fact
that means nothing to Humanists. It is the indwelling Holy Spirit that enables a
man to change his thoughts and behaviors. For is ye live after the flesh, ye
shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye
shall live. (Romans 8:13) The daily,
moment-by-moment process of sanctification is what transforms the Christian into
the likeness of Christ. This process includes the mind: And be not
conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind,
that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
(Romans 12:2)
The Great Permissiveness
Man, in both moral and mortal dilemma about his basic
condition of sin, encounters a permissive Carl Rogers who believes in no
absolutes. Moral behavior is defined without parameters because of Rogers
inherent belief in the basic goodness of man. Rogers believes that man will
always hearken to congruence, to the good, to the best for Self, to the
actualizing tendency. Therefore, the typical, traditional Rogerian counseling
session has no external regulations because Self is seen as the center, the
regulator, the final criteria for behavior. Self will find a way.
Behavior that is inconsistent with self-concept is
categorized as incongruence or dissociation
according to Rogers. The self-concept is always fundamentally good, but ones
life experiences can alter ones perception of Self. If the Self is not valued
and given consistent unconditional positive regard, then this creates
anxiety. Counseling is the process
whereby the behavior becomes congruent with the self-concept, thus relieving
anxiety. (Note that the behavior does
not become congruent with the external criteria of Scripture.) Therefore, the
role of the counselor is to be the permissive, empathetic, compassionate
assuager who
allows the authentic Self to begin to actualize. Self is catered to and Self
thrives. Ideal relationships, then, optimize self-concepts and do nothing to
thwart the actualizing tendency by putting up barriers.
The Scriptures, however, make it clear that man is in need
of barriers. Man must resist sins and the temptation to sin. Neither yield
ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves
unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments
of righteousness unto God. (Romans 6:13)
Ten essential barriers are spelled out in the Ten Commandments. The Scriptures
make it abundantly evident that sin starts in the heart: But I say
unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed
adultery with her already in his heart.
(Matthew 5:28) Mans proclivity to commit sin is a key Christian doctrine which
flies in the face of the actualizing tendency doctrine of Carl Rogers.
Removing barriers and restraints upon human behavior only serves to increase the
likelihood that man will engage in sin.
If one rejects Rogers underlying premise that man is
inherently good, then it follows that one must also question the rest of Rogers
foundation. Clearly, Self is
not to be catered
to. Self is supposed to die! Always bearing about in the body the dying of
the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.
(2 Corinthians 4:10) And, again: Therefore we are buried with Him by
baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory
of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
(Romans 6:4)
Self-esteem teaching and
preaching fails to take Self up Calvary road to the Cross. It allows wiggle
room for sin, just like Rogers permissiveness. Gods grace is not to be
confused with permissiveness. Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to
be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.
(Romans 6:11) Permitting sin ushered in a new era of tolerance. The church
eventually adopted a hybrid of Rogers’ self-esteem gospel, teaching that man is
basically good, but in need of a bit of tweaking, revamping, gentle prodding,
technical assistance and wooing.
Scripture teaches that man is created in the image of God.
Man bears that image and it was not eradicated by the Fall. Man occupies a
unique position in creation, and in the heart and mind of God. Man has worth
because God has imputes him worth. For God so loved the world, that He gave
His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but
have everlasting life. (John 3:16) The
Existential and Humanist views of man, which influenced Carl Rogers, create a
void which denies the special nature of the creation of man. Scripture
repeatedly demonstrates that there is a profound and unique difference between
man and other creatures.
This Existential void was easily and rapidly filled by
Eastern mystics, who see man as indistinct from the rest of creation. Christian
theology, influenced by Eastern mysticism, then gives rise to the belief that
mans only uniqueness is one of role that he is merely a steward over the
rest of creation. And in this context, a heresy rapidly gained ground teaches
that man is self-actualizing into an image-bearer, a co-creator, approaching
godhood.
The Nondirective Church
Rogers feelings-oriented ideas and practices quickly
filled a vacuum in the impersonal, unresponsive Protestant churches of the
1960s. Rogerian techniques profoundly and rapidly influenced pastoral counseling
across the entire theological spectrum, and appeared to create a real
breakthrough in ministering to peoples needs.
The
focus shifted to meeting my needs and exploring feelings.
Feelings quickly took precedence over facts. Feelings reigned supreme, and
biblical doctrine was the baby thrown out with the bathwater.
Christian leaders embraced these techniques
indiscriminately, without recognizing or acknowledging the underlying foundation
which denies absolutes. But, Rogers insistence on the counseling practices that
use compassion, empathy, genuineness and openness, arose out of a very different
theological construct than Christianity. Rogers use of these techniques evolved
out of his belief in mans need for unconditional positive regard and his belief
that man is his own ultimate moral authority. Rogers advocated for a
controversial morally neutral position. In his world there were no sinful
behaviors in need of rebuke (see Titus 1:13, e.g.).
But Scripture makes it clear that ministering is far more
than simply exhibiting compassion and empathy. For example, Now we exhort
you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the
weak, be patient with all men. (1
Thessalonians 5:14) In fact, the case could be made that one should avoid too
much empathy and openness: but yet I would have you wise unto that
which is good, and simple concerning evil.
(Romans 16:19)
Another Rogerian technique,
nondirectiveness,
also substantially altered Christian ministry. Rogers use of nondirectiveness
in counseling was founded on his belief that man is inner-directed. He conceived
the therapists role in nondirectiveness as eliminating barriers to actualizing
and allowing the client the freedom to explore new boundaries of self expression
and awareness. A popular corollary to this is the assumption that the client
will not open up unless there is a climate of acceptance and tolerance.
Non-directive counseling eliminates traditional
authoritarian structures. It creates an artificial climate of acceptance which
fails to account for the very real barriers imposed by Scripture.
Nondirectiveness is accepting, warm, compassionate, but non-confrontive and
never controversial. Nondirectiveness substantially fails to warn, admonish, and
exhort. It fails to hold one accountable for sinful behaviors. It fails to
direct ones focus to the Cross and repentance. For godly sorrow worketh
repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world
worketh death. (2 Corinthians 7:10)
Nondirectiveness is glorified passivity. At its worst, it permits a person to do
unthinkable deeds, or roam into gross error or terrible danger without warning.
Nondirectiveness is the prophetic trumpet giving an uncertain sound (1
Corinthians 14:8).
Rogers can be credited with breaking societal barriers and
redefining what constitutes a normal individual. The definitions of mental
health were utterly changed. The path to self-actualization superseded
rationality. Societal mores and codes of personal conduct were turned upside
down. In this sense, Rogers was wildly successful in setting up a competing
system to that which had previously governed society. Man had been governed, in
the first half of the 20th century, (for the most part) by societal
norms and rules of conduct that were heavily influenced by the Christian ethic.
Carl Rogers, and an entire movement that erupted after him, left society and the
Church dangling precipitously on some new
affective ropes.
Moral, rational man was out. Getting in touch with myself was in. Moral
decency and codes of conduct went by the wayside. The touchy-feely self-esteem
rhetoric quickly manifested itself in a huge glut of educational tools, popular
media entertainment, self-help books and government-sponsored social programs.
In the church, a profound shift took out solid biblical
exegesis and foundational knowledge about the Scriptures. The void in biblical
understanding was filled by how to cope and self-esteem materials. Nowadays
Rogers beliefs are intertwined like tentacles around traditional Christian
doctrines. This is due to the fact that most seminarians never received solid
training on the dangers of intermingling values and beliefs with Humanist
psychological leaders such as Rogers. Rather, by the mid 1980s most seminaries
had set up counseling and psychology programs of study which variously
incorporated Humanistic foundations into Scripture, resulting in a mishmash that
was, at its core, still Humanism.
Humanism then rapidly gave way to the modern mysticism that
is so prevalent today. If one is on a search for more self-fulfillment, in the
context of no boundaries, and in a permissive atmosphere of nondirectiveness, it
is only logical that the spiritual lusts will then rise up and seek
self-actualization and fulfillment. In Scriptures this is known as spiritual
adultery and idolatry.
Since the 1960s, vast amounts of books and literature, and
massive national Christian ministries have been built on Carl Rogers’
foundations. The modern church is only vaguely aware of the impact his ideas
have had on their faith, their use of language and terminology, their view of
Scripture, and their ideas about the basic nature of man. It is claimed that
many people have been helped. But, at what cost? And where did it lead? Rogers
shifting anchor of Self pulled many away from the Solid Rock that is Jesus
Christ.Rogers foundation, once laid, set the stage for the total
transformation of the evangelical church.
The Truth:
Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers:
for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? And what communion
hath light with darkness? (2 Corinthians
6:14)
*Sarah Leslie received an
M.S. in counseling where she was trained in Rogerian psychology and counseling
techniques (which she repudiated by God’s grace). The original version of this
article was published in the Free World Research Report,
January 1994, p. 9. For more information on this topic. see all of the many
books and articles available from
PsychoHeresy Awareness Ministries. For further interesting reading on this
topic, see the article
“Third
Force Psychology in the Classroom.”
© 2009 by Discernment Group
Source article:
http://herescope.blogspot.com/2009/08/reinventing-clergy.html
change
http://www.herescope.blogspot.com/
Index to other articles by Discernment Group
Emerging “Christianity” – Part 1