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