Vazquez Counseling

Many people believe that theology and psychology are mutually exclusive. Nothing could be further from the truth. Because so many of the early psychological theorists were atheists or agnostics, many Christians believe psychology is not from God. Likewise, because psychology is considered a science, and many scientists believe that theology has no place in science, many people who study psychology believe that faith is incompatible with the study of the human mind.

The thing is, science will never usurp God because He created science. The Truth of God is completely consistent with physics, biology, astronomy, psychology, and any science that man has discovered. God wouldn’t be God if anything in His Creation contradicted anything about Him. Mankind did not create the sciences; God did. He spoke everything into being, including the sciences.

When I was in graduate school, studying clinical psychology, we studied all the early theories of psychology, and we learned that many of the early thinkers in psychology were in fact atheists or agnostics. Because I went to a Christian university, our professors were Christian, and they taught that these theorists discovered the truths of the human mind that we all accept now. As they put it, all Truth is God’s Truth, regardless of who discovered it.

I have found that Biblical counseling is very effective, even for my non-Christian Clients. When I use the Truth of Scripture with my Clients, I rarely use the references of the Biblical chapter and verse where that Truth came from. That’s because I don’t need to. The Truths of God are effective for counseling because He knows us better than anyone.

Psychologists who dismiss theology do their Clients a great disservice. Likewise, Christians who deny that psychology has validity, cause great harm to people who are struggling with their mental health. I believe a balance should be struck between theology and psychology. I don’t pretend that everyone believes in God. But I do believe that Christians should seek counsel from therapists who understand Biblical principles. Don’t get me wrong, I understand that non-Christian therapists can help people. And the reality is that the concepts of good listening, empathy, unconditional positive regard, and a non-judgmental approach are clearly consistent with Christianity.