"I’m not sure how to apply what I’m wanting to talk about here, but it seems to be a big problem I’ve started to notice. Many ministry kids grow up being told they’re living in a glass bowl, and many times they are. They feel like they have to be perfect all the time. They learn early on to put on a face showing how they’re strong, and spiritual, and how their family has it all together. They never get attached to friends like many other kids do either because they move around, travel from church to church ministering, or because they’re afraid that if anyone finds out the truth about them and their family then the gossip will get around.
Too many times the father and sometimes the mother are so involved in ministry and counseling everyone else in the church that they never realize that they’re children are wearing this mask and hiding what they really are.
When they become disappointed or hurt they have no one to talk to about it so they just hold it all in. They go to church and hear preaching that tells them psychologists are of the world and are anti-christian so if they need to talk to someone, they need to just go to the pastor. They’re told that if they’re feeling depressed they need to minister to others and their depression will go away. They hear over and over not to become bitter against those that have hurt them and just to forgive them but never figure out how to fully forgive someone."
We'll just let Sharon Osborne speak to that, if we may. After all, she's certainly spent her life trying the counselors of the World.
"I've lost count of the number of them that have been in this house,' she says cheerily. 'I've had therapists. Ozzy's had therapists. The kids have had therapists. They've all trooped in and out. I like to think that I've taken something from all of them, but, at the end of the day, how do you know?
'What I do know is that none of them has given me any sense of serenity, and that's what I crave. I like the idea of that acceptance and calm that religion brings.' "
Of course Mrs. Osbourne has that part wrong. It isn't religion, it is Jesus Christ.
Interesting post but I think you are missing the point of the post. they asked for advice on how to counter the problem and all you do is lambast them. No good advice.
ReplyDeleteThey need to know that people care and that they can talk to someone about what they are going through without ending up as a sermon illustration which is what alot of xifb pastors do.
It was late when I wrote that and maybe I could have said what I meant a little clearer (I never claimed to be a writer), but, the very next sentence continues the context. Let me try to clarify:
ReplyDeleteThey go to church and hear preaching that tells them psychologists are of the world and are anti-christian so if they need to talk to someone, they need to just go to the pastor and no one else. That pastor then tells them told that if they’re feeling depressed they need to minister to others through the church ministries which only include the bus route, and visitation, and their depression will go away.
In other words, they have a pastor who doesn't care about why they're depressed, and thinks the cure all is the bus route and handing out tracts with a 123 gospel on them and the numbers that will produce. That is a problem and the pastor needs to get an education about emotions and depression, or needs to be willing to send certain cases to a good, CHRISTIAN psychologist.
First of all BK, I want to express my respect for you. You are someone I always enjoy speaking with.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I would like to honestly tell you that it was terribly sad and hard for me to watch you allow the worldly drinkers, smokers and players at the FFF encourage you along THEIR path.
Their actions can allow one to safely conclude that misery loves company.
I realize you are young and feel very deeply that fundamentalism, that claimed to have the answer for everything, has somehow failed you. But trust me on this, anything run by men, or humankind in general is always going to fail people.
And people will always fail themselves. And those that they love. It is the human condition. Also known as the sin nature.
Pastors and others will try and help, just like psychologist will try and tell you something to do that will help.
At times, the pastor will fail. But that doesn't make the world's methods right.
However, God is never wrong, and Jesus Christ doeth all things well.
Does He ever cause or allow people to suffer from depression for reasons known only to Him? Yes.
Maybe the pastor doesn't have all the answers. But we know for sure that the world's systems never has the answers.
Even in Paul's day did we see that something falsely called science was disruptive to those of the faith community.
1 Timothy 6:20 O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called:
21 Which some professing have erred concerning the faith. Grace be with thee. Amen
I hate to see someone such as yourself start to believe that the world has the answer for problems that Christians face, because it doesn't.
Here is a truism; as long as you are drawing breath, there are going to be problems and plenty of them.
But there is still a balm in Gilead.
"The Ministry of Rescue and Recovery" http://www.biblebelievers.com/R-R.html
"PSYCHOHERESY? What is that?"
http://www.psychoheresy-aware.org/bigissue.html
Fullcourt, I don't really like you, but that was a great reply to Trina.
ReplyDeleteFullcourt, I do not know if this Mrs. Osborne is a friend of yours or just and aquaintance but rather than rail on her and others who are hurt maybe you should reach out to them and try to comfort them
ReplyDeleteWhere did anyone rail here?
ReplyDelete