For one of my Biblical Counseling classes, I wrote a review for Deceptive Diagnosis by David Tyler & Kurt Grady. I really liked the book, so I thought I would share the review. I also included a link if you are interested in the book.
Dr. David Tyer and Dr. Kurt Grady's book Deceptive Diagnosis: When Sin is Called Sickness effectively address the problem growing in the church that accepts the avoidance of personal responsibility. In today's news, bringing in consulting psychiatrists and psychologists to figure out why tragedy struck (as in a school shooting), trying to figure out the influences that could create a person that would do such a horrible newsworthy thing. Society notes, "that guy is sick in the head!" The sin gets labeled as sickness, and now the one doing the evil things also becomes a victim. "This interpretation views man as a victim who is sick rather than a sinner who is responsible to God. It eliminates the necessity for repentance" (Tyler and Grady, p. 2).
The authors begin by discussing how psychology has redefined terms, and the church has accepted it instead of using the language of the Bible. Accepting the authority of the world's system is the root problem; this creates a "hybrid Christianity" filled with compulsions, low self-esteem, phobias, addictions, dysfunctions, and is not biblical. The phrase in the book that is the most convicting on this topic is that "Christian men and women are more familiar with the psychological labels and jargon of our day than they are with Scripture" (Tyler and Grady, p. 3). Phobias and anxiety are common in Christian discussions, and no spiritual aspect or repentance is involved. The authors do not ignore the problems and point out, " We also speak these things, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words" (1 Corinthians 2:13, NASB). Christians are to be taught by the Spirit and not to rely on human wisdom.
Christians are to be taught by the Spirit and not to rely on human wisdom.
Tyler and Grady present that in the 18th-century, man became "enlightened" with scientific approaches, which meant there was no need for God. This worldly idea of "enlightenment" appeals to man because we are in our sinful flesh, and the problem is that many do not rely on the Absolute Truth of the Word of God. Instead, there becomes an eclectic approach of combining the biblical and secular world views because therapists want to use whatever they think works (Tyler and Grady, p.51). Using worldly wisdom helps the Christian psychiatrist remain relevant in a worldly system. The Bible speaks on this in Galatians 5: 7-9, " You were running well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth? This persuasion is not from him who calls you. A little leaven leavens the whole lump" (ESV).
The authors stress here that the worldly view does not have God. Satan plans to take what God said (like in the Garden of Eden) and change it into something else. The world plans to take God out of the equation; sin does not become sin if God does not exist. The authors show that "enlightenment" has neutralized the Word of God in the church by creating the world's language and own solution. "Grace and forgiveness can only be adequately experienced when man's wickedness and sin is understood" (Tyler and Grady, p. 23). The trap is becoming habituated to sin and trying to eliminate guilt. Sanctification is putting off sinful habits and putting on biblical ones dealing with the real problem.
Using scripture and real-world examples, the authors clearly define what "deceptive diagnosis" means and the dangers behind what the church has accepted. Tyler and Grady point out that "Jesus did not say out of a sick heart, but out of an evil heart comes sin" (p. 10). Psychology's jargon is used to label people as sick when "mental conditions" are subjective. Physical tests measure diseases like AIDS or cancer, and Christians accept alcoholism and other immoral behavior in the same category of sick with no physical test. No longer is behavior righteous or unrighteous, but sick or healthy. With a clear argument, the authors plainly state that the Holy Spirit treats the heart, and there is hope in that (Tyler and Grady, p. 43).
If the evolutionary model was correct, society should be getting better, not worse.
In pointing out the two competing views of Evolution versus the Bible, Tyler and Grady say the proof that the Bible is correct is that socially the world is in the wrong place, even with all the self-help from the evolutionary psychology model. The world has divorces, war, crime, and economic problems because the world is fallen. If the evolutionary model was correct, society should be getting better, not worse. In making these points, Tyler and Grady show that the worldview is trying to have people live guilt-free lives when repenting of their sins is needed. The world wants a biological approach that can excuse problems instead of dealing with the spiritual issue.
Deceptive Diagnosis does an excellent job of showing how messed up the church is by mixing its counseling with psychology. Chemical Imbalance Theory and other claims of "mental illness" are treated as fact because the world claims it is an informed scientific perspective. The premise is that the brain functions as a complicated chemical factory that sometimes does not function properly, and the counselee needs to get it restored because they are sick. However, correlation does not mean causation, "If we are able to locate a particular biological marker associated with a given alleged mental disorder, it is tempting to say the marker is the cause of the disorder" (Tyler and Grady, p. 102). Tests can not tell if the behavior caused the biological change. Accepting the causation as fact are the views of people who are opposed to God. This book opens the reader's mind or strengthens convictions of the rejection of Christian psychology based on this model.
the correct Diagnosis would be to repent and get right with God.
The ending of Deceptive Diagnosis presents multiple scriptures about the inerrancy of God's word, its sufficiency, all our needs met, restoring the soul, and being complete in Christ Jesus. The authors put it, "We must come to understand the fact that God knows us infinitely better than we know ourselves. He provided for us a guidebook for life" (Tyler and Grady, p. 103). They conclude that the Bible should be used to deal with problems. Psychology may make humanity feel good about itself and living in sin. However, the correct Diagnosis would be to repent and get right with God.
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