Trojan Horse: The Secular Mental Health and Addiction Recovery Industries
To begin, let’s define secularism.
Secularism is a principle that promotes the separation of religion and government. In essence, secularism claims to create a fair and just society where everyone can coexist peacefully, regardless of their personal beliefs. Secularism promotes the idea that religion should be separate from public life and governance. This can conflict with biblical teachings, which encourage Christians to make Christ and His redemptive work known, thereby empowering believers to be active participants in societal matters.
Secularism’s attempt at neutrality is actually diminishing the influence of biblical morals and ethics in public discourse. Secularism has led many believers to remain silent about their convictions or compromise their biblical worldview for something else entirely. Many Christians who serve in the mental health and addiction recovery industry have either adopted secular frameworks to ‘fit in’ with the industry or have been ostracized due to their Christian beliefs.
In a secular framework, the authority of biblical texts is undermined, as secularism values human reason and experience over divine revelation in the Bible. This is interesting, because secularists contend that we cannot accept divine revelation on the basis of subjective interpretation and beliefs, but are the ones who promote subjectivity in all other aspects of human experience (such as morals, truth, etc).
The growing emphasis on mental health and wellness, largely driven by secular psychology, has led some churches to adopt practices and understandings that may overlook spiritual dimensions of suffering and sin, favoring a more secular approach to healing.
Many pastors, ministers, and family members do not know how to deal with certain struggles, such as addiction and mental health issues, which is why the clinical industry can be so helpful to the Church. Often, though, people are referred to secular agencies and clinicians, who do not hold to a biblical worldview. It is not to say that they have nothing to offer because they do not operate from a biblical worldview, but their help and guidance could be a Trojan horse of unbiblical ideas and modalities for healing, if we are not careful.
This is also why it is urgently important to address the worldview implications of secularism in the mental health and addiction recovery industries, given that the study of secular psychology and the clinical industry are positioned to introduce secular frameworks into the church and have already done so.
It is not as if the acceptance of secularism stops with mental health and addiction recovery; it will permeate the entire worldview.
We aren’t Christians in certain places and secularists in other places. We are either fully Christian or not.
“A little leaven leavens the whole lump.” (Gal. 5:9)
Unfortunately, many young believers who have studied secular psychology, social work, or clinical counseling have not emerged on the other side with a biblical worldview. Biblical worldviews will be addressed later in this article.
Secular narratives that have been adopted that are antithetical to a biblical worldview:
(1) most, if not all, mental health and behavioral struggles are from biological causes,
(2) scientific and clinical evidence has the final authority on truth,
(3) the agnostic ‘Higher Power’ concept in recovery groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous is a neutral stance to meet people where they are,
(4) the belief that holding people accountable to objective standards or as capable of making choices and being morally responsible is harmful and lacks compassion,
(5) that we must remove the discussion of immaterial realities, such as the reality of the soul, sin, moral responsibility, God, and the afterlife, to remain fair, therapeutic, and to prevent stigmatization, and
(6) that secularism is a neutral stance.
Studies have observed that Christians are beginning to adopt some of these secular narratives as more sophisticated, accurate, and compassionate (Smither, Reeves, and Reynolds, 2024).
For starters, all Christians must recognize that all truth is God’s truth. This includes the study of neuroscience, mental health, addiction recovery, and medical discoveries. These fields of study are helpful and necessary, but they are not the final authority, nor do they explain the entire story.
Fields of study such as neuroscience cannot explain the immaterial world, and it needs to stay within its own lane, cognizant of its limitations. When neuroscience functions as a totalizing theory, intruding into the domain of other areas of knowledge (such as philosophy and theology), it has a distorting effect and ultimately undermines the nature of science itself (Moreland, 95).
The forefathers of psychology:
1. Wilhelm Wundt (1832-1920), who is often referred to as the "father of psychology," believed that psychology should be a distinct scientific discipline. He emphasized the importance of empirical methods and introspection as a way to study conscious experience. Wundt believed that the study of the mind could be approached scientifically and that consciousness could be broken down into basic elements (reductionism), similar to how chemistry breaks down matter. Wundt was raised in a Christian environment, but his work in psychology emphasized empirical methods and science over religious or metaphysical explanations. His approach was more aligned with a scientific worldview rather than strict adherence to religious doctrines.
2. William James (1842-1910) was a proponent of pragmatism and functionalism, which focused on the purpose of consciousness and behavior rather than its structure. He emphasized the adaptive functions of mental processes. He believed that psychology should study the functions of the mind in real-world situations, and he was interested in how mental processes help individuals adapt to their environments. James had a complex relationship with religion. He was raised in a Unitarian family (not a Christian one) but was deeply interested in various religious experiences and philosophies. He explored spirituality and mysticism, particularly in his work “The Varieties of Religious Experience,” where he examined the psychological aspects of religious experiences without necessarily endorsing any particular belief system.
3. Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) founded psychoanalysis, focusing on the unconscious mind's role in behavior and personality. He believed that early childhood experiences have a significant impact on adult behavior. Freud emphasized the importance of unconscious processes, defense mechanisms, and the impact of repressed memories on mental health. He introduced concepts such as the id, ego, and superego. Freud was of Jewish heritage, but he was an outspoken critic of religion, viewing it as an illusion and a form of psychological defense. He believed that religious beliefs were rooted in human psychology and served to fulfill emotional needs rather than being based on truth.
4. John B. Watson (1878-1958) was a key figure in the development of behaviorism, which rejected introspection and focused on observable behavior as the only legitimate subject of psychological study. He believed that psychology should be based on observable behavior, and he argued that all behaviors are learned through interaction with the environment, dismissing the influence of internal mental states. Watson did not place much emphasis on religion in his life or work. He was primarily focused on behaviorism and empirical study and often expressed skepticism towards religious beliefs. His approach was more scientific and secular.
5. B.F. Skinner (1904-1990) developed radical behaviorism, emphasizing the role of reinforcement and punishment in shaping behavior. Skinner believed that behavior could be understood and controlled through the manipulation of environmental variables. He advocated for the use of operant conditioning techniques in education and therapy. Skinner identified as an agnostic and was critical of traditional religious beliefs. He focused on behavior and environmental influences, often avoiding discussions of spirituality or religious matters in his work.
6. Carl Rogers (1902-1987) was a central figure in humanistic psychology, which emphasized personal growth, self-actualization, and the inherent goodness of people. He believed in the importance of the therapeutic relationship, empathy, and unconditional positive regard in fostering personal development and healing. Rogers was raised in a Christian family and maintained some influence from his upbringing throughout his life. However, his humanistic approach to psychology emphasized personal growth and self-actualization rather than specific religious beliefs. His focus was on the individual's subjective experience and potential.
7. Abraham Maslow (1908-1970) is best known for his hierarchy of needs, which illustrates human motivation as a progression through different levels of needs, from basic physiological needs to self-actualization. He believed that individuals have an innate drive towards personal growth and fulfillment and that understanding this drive is essential for psychology. Maslow was interested in spirituality and often discussed the concept of self-actualization in a way that resonated with spiritual and philosophical ideas. While he did not adhere strictly to any particular religion, he valued the insights that various spiritual traditions could offer regarding human potential and well-being.
8. Jean Piaget (1896-1980) was a developmental psychologist who focused on how children develop cognitive abilities. He believed in constructivism, which posits that knowledge is constructed through interaction with the environment. He believed that cognitive development occurs in stages and that children actively engage with the world to form their understanding of it. Piaget was raised in a Protestant household, but that does not necessarily mean he was a Christian. Most of his work in psychology was largely empirical and scientific. He focused on cognitive development without heavily integrating religious beliefs into his theories.
9. Lev Vygotsky (1896-1934) emphasized the social context of cognitive development and introduced the concept of the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD). He believed that social interaction is fundamental to cognitive development and that culture plays a critical role in shaping thought processes. Information on Vygotsky’s religious beliefs is limited. He was raised in a Jewish family in Russia, but his academic work was primarily secular, focusing on the social and cultural influences on development.
The founders of modern-day psychology adopted a more secular and scientific approach to psychology. Their religious beliefs, if present at all, often informed their understanding of human experience but did not dominate their scientific inquiries. Please note, that this portion of the article is not to suggest that these brilliant minds had nothing to contribute to our understanding of the human experience due to their secularist philosophy on human behavior and psychology, but we should all be aware of the intellectual and philosophical foundational building blocks of what we have today.
Many Christian counselors can utilize these theories and apply them biblically, but many counselors (‘Christian’ counselors included) and other leading voices are not doing that.
“I believe in science.”
The objection to Christianity that many have succumbed to is that scientific discovery is not compatible with the Bible and Christianity, which is primarily on the basis of philosophical scientism.
Scientism is the philosophy that science is the sole or optimal path to comprehending and/or knowing and measuring reality. This philosophy posits that any concept or experience that cannot be empirically tested or observed falls outside the realm of worthiness. Scientism does not accept philosophy as a way to measure reality, but it is itself a philosophical perspective.
While science undeniably plays a crucial role in deciphering various elements of our universe, the extreme stance of scientism suggests that scientific knowledge is superior to other valuable forms of understanding, such as philosophy, theology, religion, ethics, or insights gleaned from personal experience.
Adherents of scientism often overlook essential human experiences, such as ethics, morality, and spirituality, viewing them as irrelevant unless they can be substantiated scientifically. This mindset can create a narrow view that overlooks the depth of human existence. This can be problematic when treating someone with mental health or behavioral struggles, since the entire person is not being addressed (moral guilt, the need for spiritual forgiveness, etc.)
In contrast, the Scriptures affirm the significance of aspects beyond scientific scrutiny. For instance,
“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” (Proverbs 3:5-6)
We must hold onto the importance of trust and faith, which often extends beyond empirical understanding and evidence.
“For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.” (1 Corinthians 1:25)
While science is an essential tool for understanding reality, adopting a worldview that considers it the only essential tool can limit our perspective and inhibit our ability to consider other aspects of addiction, behavior, and mental illness… that cannot be seen on a brain scan, such as morality, sin, the soul, and the demonic.
Leading atheists such as Richard Dawkins and Stephen Hawking have made it their life’s work to “disprove” the existence of God. One famous work of Richard Dawkins was his book called The God Delusion, where he purports that "Christianity is reactionary and anti-science."
What many do not realize is that it is the preconceived philosophies and worldviews of the interpreter, researcher, clinicians, and scientists that lead to atheistic conclusions.
Their commitment is to materialism, secularism, and atheism... not truth. They will bend the results or reject them outright if it does not align with naturalism or evolution.
“We take the side of science in spite of the patent absurdity of some of its constructs, in spite of its failure to fulfill many of its extravagant promises of health and life, in spite of the tolerance of the scientific community for unsubstantiated just-so stories, because we have a prior commitment, a commitment to materialism...Moreover, that materialism is an absolute, for we cannot allow a Divine Foot in the door.”
- Richard Lewontin, Biologist
Naturalism derives from scientism, and is the belief/worldview that the natural world is all that exists and that everything can be explained by natural laws and processes, and rejects supernatural explanations.
The Church needs to stop allowing herself to be influenced by 'scientism', abandoning our biblical worldviews to the philosophies of those who are void of the Spirit and want nothing to do with God. Douglas Groothuis, our generation's leading Christian apologist and professor of philosophy, states,
“While some have pitted faith against reason, the Bible does not endorse blind leaps of faith in the dark, but rather speaks of the knowledge of God gained through various rational means. Instead of a leap of faith, it commends a well-informed and volitional step of faith (Groothuis, 96).”
Historically, Christianity has been closely tied to scientific discovery. The Christian church started universities and the advancement of study, which contributed to the scientific revolution. It was not “an eruption of secular thinking” but was the culmination of academic progress that came from the medieval scholastics at these universities. In fact, science reached its peak during the Scientific Revolution in the 1700s and 1800s in the Christian West (Ibid., 99).
- Isaac Newton, Johannes Kepler, and Galileo all believed in a singular God and were professing Christians. “They did not view the Bible as inhibiting science, but as being compatible with the best investigations of nature (Ibid, 100).”
- Galileo even stated that the Bible did not contradict natural science (Ibid).
Biblically, the Word of God tells us that all of creation is made through the Word of God (or logos “logic” of God), so anything we find in scientific discovery should never contradict what we know to be true in the Bible. Since God has made it possible for humans to discover aspects of creation and since the natural world is awaiting human comprehension, it is evidence that it pleases God for us to investigate the inner workings of the natural world (biology, neuroscience, cosmology, etc.).
“The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork (Psalm 19:1).”
This scripture indicates that God has written his attributes through what has been made, and then He further reminds us,
“For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So, they are without excuse (Romans 1:20).”
The fact that God created the universe to be explored through scientific inquiry is one way humans can see the glory of God in a tangible way. The study of science is not antithetical to Christian belief, but rather should be pursued because of belief in God, who is known and discoverable through His Creation.
For example, we can see that addiction is harmful to the soul because it also kills the body and hijacks the brain. This does not mean it is primarily a ‘brain disease’, but we can know it is evil because of its physical effects.
Christian philosopher Victor Reppert agrees, “the necessary conditions for rationality cannot exist in a [scientistic] naturalistic universe.” Reppert says this because a purely naturalistic framework cannot measure human rationality, consciousness, morality, and the soul.
To illustrate the incompleteness of human observation, which attempts to explain all of reality, even our material brains are unable to process all the information provided to us. In an NPR article discussing unconscious bias, Pragya Agarwal, a behavior and data scientist, stated that,
“The human brain can process 11 million bits of information every second. But our conscious minds can only handle about 40-50 bits of information a second (NPR, n.d.).”
This suggests that a significant amount of information is not being processed by the material brain, resulting in millions of bits of information being overlooked. Therefore, we cannot rely solely on our material brain processes. Other disciplines, such as theology and philosophy, should influence and guide our interpretation of empirical evidence, as they provide insight into aspects of reality that cannot be directly observed.
However, the church allows scientism into its conversation all the time, such as turning to the secular industry for ‘education’ and help. These educators and counselors come in to teach the staff and the leadership on mental health, addiction, suicide prevention, etc., by people who have already been influenced by the secular industry, who have unknowingly reduced the value of being human down to neurological impulses and pathology, which rejects the reality of the soul, which ultimately rejects moral agency, the afterlife, and the reality of God.
How so? You ask. By education and teachings such as “addiction is a brain disease, not a moral failure.”
Just to use addiction recovery as an example, once this belief is accepted into the church’s or the pastor’s belief system, they have unknowingly allowed into their worldview framework “philosophies of this world”, such as secularism, scientism, and naturalism. People are drawn to these because they appear sophisticated, educational, and modern. If this is not corrected or interrupted, it then leads to an increased hostility towards biblical Christianity and its teachings.
Eventually, you begin to hear people challenge the concept of sin, good/evil, and even biblical marriage. You begin to witness the eye roll towards biblical teaching of sin and the narrow path to Christ. You begin seeing professed Christians get offended or annoyed by people who preach the gospel to hurting people, believing they are ‘harming’ them. You begin to hear recovery ministers say, ‘I recovered through Christ, but someone else may not.’
Robert B. Reich, former professor at Harvard University and Secretary of Labor in the Clinton administration, said this,
“The greatest conflict in the 21st century…is between those who believe in science, reason, and logic and those who believe that truth is revealed through scripture and religious dogma (Ibid, 38).”
It begs the question, if religion is just that – dogma – where then do you get your reason (agency) and laws of logic and natural processes to determine this?
“Scientism is often a boastful position, but logically fails, undermining true scientific inquiry, and is self-refuting (Moreland, 50).”
Historically, the church has struggled to respond to various philosophical propositions because they are not readily apparent unless one knows to look for them. Philosophies of this world often enter without notice, such as scientism and postmodernism. Scientism has been previously discussed, but postmodernism is the belief that truth cannot be defined and that all truth is relative (not absolute, such as the moral law in scripture). Postmodernism removes any definite lines between good and evil, right and wrong, and truth and lies.
Postmodernism and relativism are dangerous, and I would go even further to suggest that relativism (please see ‘What is Relativism'?) are even potentially the culprits for creating mental disorders. Even though many secular psychologists and clinicians work with clients from a postmodern perspective, the relativism in postmodernism (such as there is no objective truth) can lead to extreme cognitive dissonance, delusional thinking, and psychopathy in our modern world if the logic of these philosophies are played out consistently. Postmodernism has emerged in the cultural conversation without notice, and the Church did not know how to respond to it for a considerable time.
The Church now has a better understanding of how to respond to postmodernism, but many Christians still have a way to go in recognizing its influence and repenting of its effects. Many professing Western Christians have abandoned biblical Christianity, as Barna’s recent study suggests that only 3% of adults have a biblical worldview, based on the “seven cornerstones of the biblical worldview.” They are:
An orthodox, biblical understanding of God.
All human beings are sinful by nature; every choice we make has moral considerations and consequences.
Knowing Jesus Christ is the only means to salvation, through our confession of sin and reliance on His forgiveness.
The entire Bible is true, reliable, and relevant, making it the best moral guide for every person, in all situations.
Absolute moral truth exists—and those truths are defined by God, described in the Bible, and are unchanging across time and cultures.
The ultimate purpose of human life is to know, love, and serve God with all your heart, mind, strength, and soul.
Success on earth is best understood as consistent obedience to God—in thought, word, and action.
This information was obtained from the American Worldview Inventory (AWVI), an annual survey that assesses the worldview of the U.S. adult population (aged 18 and over). A project of George Barna and the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University, AWVI is an annual tracking study begun in 2020 that measures both beliefs and behaviors across eight categories of worldview application.
“Statistically, we see that if this base is not solid, a person’s worldview will be an inconsistent and unpredictable mess,” Barna said. “Since worldview is our decision-making filter, a person who has a weak foundation will be characterized by a life that is a constant struggle.”
A decline was seen in the acceptance of the existence of absolute moral truth, from 32% in 2020 to 25% in 2023.
Here are a few notable findings among practicing Christians:
61% agree with ideas rooted in New Age Spirituality
54% resonate with postmodernist views
36% accept ideas associated with Marxism
29% believe ideas based on secularism
These ideas have been introduced through various mechanisms, one of which is secular psychology. The secular mental health and addiction recovery industry has influenced the church by leveraging Christian virtues, such as compassion, long-suffering, humility, and kindness. Secular views almost always introduce New Age spirituality and postmodernism as well.
The Church should consider these narratives critically, recognize their influences, and weigh them against scripture. Many of the mega-narratives in the industry have not only proven that they do not align with a Biblical worldview but are exaggeratedly positioned as unquestioned truths within this industry. Many secular positions are harmful for several reasons: (1) it does not treat the entire person (guilt, sin, moral injury), (2) it reduces humanity's identity down to being a brain with neurobiological impulses, which is condescending to the worth and value of humanity, and (3) it removes agency, personal responsibility, and the need for Christ. Ultimately, it removes the pathway to salvation, true freedom, and true joy.
Not only should a worldview analysis be conducted for the church to consider, but it is also important to highlight why a biblical worldview is necessary for complete healing and human flourishing.