PSYCHOLOGY

The writings of Promise Keepers is heavily into psychological concepts and practices. Emphasis is placed on coming to Jesus for comfort-not forgiveness of sin. Obedience to the Bible is downplayed; obedience to fellow human beings is urged. Psychological counseling is recommended.

Here is an example of this thinking, which teaches that it is after we "feel better about ourselves as men" that we are ready to accept and love God: "We men who struggle with guilt, pride, or apathy are prodigal sons. The father is God. We need to experience the same kind of fatherly love and forgiveness in order to feel better about ourselves as men. When we do, we'll want to commit ourselves to love God and to share His love with others. "-William Gaultiere, What Makes a Man?" in Twelve Promises that Will Change Your Life, p. 31. [Like several other recommended books, different authors wrote the chapters.]

PSYCHOLOGICAL COUNSELING

Promise Keepers encourages its men to go for psychological counseling: "Do you have problems that are ruining your relationships? I strongly urge you to consider taking counseling. . If you had a painful childhood and it controls your life each and every day, get help! "-Don Osgood, in Twelve Promises that Will Change Your Life, p. 97.

Promise Keepers' books, which consist of a variety of psychological concepts, include those by Robert Hicks, Gary Smalley, John Trent, James Dobson, Bob Beltz, and others.

INNER CHILD

According to current psychological theory, everyone has a "little child" within himself. By regressive therapy and similar devices, we must return and find him. Hicks says we must also talk to him regularly! But, in trying to make contact with this so-called "inner child," you might be communicating with a demon.

The search for the "inner child" forms the basis for both Freudian and Ericksonian psychology and hypnosis. Here is a passage from one of the Promise Keepers' recommended books:

"The concept of the inner child is not new, but it has become increasingly popular. From Freud to Erickson, Homey and Sullivan, all have talked much about the child within. The child within is the real or true self who has never had the freedom to develop properly. It is the part of us that is ultimately alive, energetic, creative, and fulfilled but that has been put down by parents, institutions, education, religion, politics, the media, or significant early-childhood trauma. The theoretical aspects of the concept are sound. .

"Some therapeutic techniques that have been found to be helpful are those John Bradshaw has popularized. In order to 'heal the shame that binds,' he encourages the victim to heal the memories by reestablishing contact with the child within, even talking to it." -Robert Hicks, Failure to Scream. pp. 155-156.

What foolishness! This imagined "little child within" is said to be weak and frail from being "put down," yet at the same time it is supposed to be the only energetic, creative, part of the person. Yet this myth is used as the reason for making contact with spirits.

It is positively dangerous to read Promise Keepers' books.

SELF-LOVE

We earlier noted a statement by Gaultiere, in which he said that we could not accept and love God, until we first "feel better about ourselves as men." Smalley and Trent, writing in the Promise Keepers' book, What Makes a Man? said this: "The degree of self-control you have in your life is in direct proportion to the degree of acceptance you have for yourself. Put another way, if you don't value yourself, you won't 'pull in the reins' on actions and attitudes that will affect you for the worse."-Gary Smalley and John Trent, in What Makes a Man? pp. 44-45.

CONTACTING THE SPIRITS

We earlier mentioned the quoted recommendation that each man should regularly talk to his "inner child." Hicks also says frankly that we must talk to inner spirits as well-before we can have healing from our problems. According to this Promise Keepers' recommended book, you need to talk to the spirits if you ever want to improve your way of life.

"I am convinced more than ever that when we talk about healing, we are talking about something that is very mysterious, if not mystical. It is the human spirit that has been wounded in trauma. To facilitate healing in the deepest parts of the unconscious as well as the conscious, we must make contact with this spirit. It takes a spirit to make contact with a spirit." -Robert Hicks, Failure to Scream, p. 166.

It is not contacting inner spirits that is needed in order to get rid of sin; it is coming to Christ in forgiveness, and, in His strength, obeying the Word of God.

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS' METHODS

The methods used by Alcoholics Anonymous to solve problems -do not even acknowledge that the God of Christians even exists, much less naming the name of Christ or calling on Him for forgiveness and help. The AA simply uses group friendship and belief in some kind of "higher power." In the Promise Keepers' book, Daily Disciplines for the Christian Man, Bob Beltz says that promise-keeping men should use AA methods to solve their problems.

On page 9 of that book, he explains that a man cannot conquer his problem until he calls it a "disease:' But sin is not a disease; it is disobedience to the Ten Commandments.

THE PROMISE KEEPERS' CONFESSIONAL

Hicks explains that it is telling our problems to other people that enables us to get rid of them. This is worldly psychology in the extreme. Frankly, it is equivalent to the Roman Catholic confessional. Hicks agrees:

"The recovery movement, beginning with Alcoholics Anonymous, has created a climate that is needed for healing to take place. Support groups have been successful because they create a climate in which any emotion or statement can be aired without critical evaluation. What is created is an atmosphere of gracious acceptance. What the Catholic Church. . has known for centuries is now being used by almost all therapists in their support groups. Healing takes place when we hear others reveal their hurts, sins, and struggles and when we reveal our own in a context of acceptance and affirmation." -Robert Hicks, Failure to Scream, pp. 25-26.

In the above statement, Hicks says that it is when we accept our faults that we have conquered them. He says that then we have healing.

But there is no mention of eliminating the problem or no longer indulging in it. He does not even call it "sin."

PERMISSIVENESS OF SIN

In one of the chapters of the book, Seven Promises of a Promise Keeper, Gary Smalley writes about a 19-year-old boy who returns on vacation from college, with an earring in one ear. His mother is horrified, but he tells her he could not get on the swim team without piercing his ear and putting one on. Recognizing the symbol as the homosexual badge inviting contacts, she fears what the father may say when he arrives home from work.

But, as Smalley continues on with his little story, the father enters and is not upset in the least. He says the boy can do as he pleases, and that he, the father, when he was younger did not always do right; so that makes it okay for his son to err.

Smalley concludes by praising the father for his toleration, and he says that all fathers reading this book should do the same thing when they find their children are doing wrong (pp. l05-l06).

Promise Keepers calls this "sensitivity training," not sensitivity to discern sin and put it away, but sensitivity to make light of it, in order to soothe feelings. "Conflict resolution" is considered more important than defending moral principles. This is to be done, not be adhering to Scripture, but by "sensitive intuitiveness, " "listening skills, " and being alert to "unconscious signs" and "dysfunctional problems, " in order to enhance "meaningful relationships." The men are to be "non-confrontive, " and they are told that Jesus was non-confrontive also.

Everything is reduced to modern psychology. Sin is no longer sinful; it is just a "rite of passage" to more sins, which should also be tolerated.

"Instead of jumping all over teenagers when they have their first experience with the police, alcohol, sex, or drugs, we could look on this as a teachable moment and a rite of passage. Perhaps the true elders could come forward and confess their own adolescent sins, and congratulate the next generation for being human. Then they could move on to the all-important issues of forgiveness and restoration, but on common ground with the young person, as a fellow sinner!" -Robert Hicks with Dietrich Gruen, Study Guide to the Masculine Journey, p. 32.

When you go to Promise Keepers, you may be expecting one thing, but the end result may not turn out as well as you had hoped. You would do better to go to God, open the Bible, and pray as though your heart would break till you find forgiveness, acceptance, and peace with Him.

Share this paper with others. They need to read it also. Promise Keepers was started as a good idea. But it foundered on a concern by the leaders to have fellowship with men of every type of belief and a willingness to send them back home to be taught by any type of modernistic teaching.

We need to be on guard, as we enter the final end of time. Every device will be used to confuse the people of God-and keep them from fulfilling their mission.

"God calls for a spiritual revival and a spiritual reformation. Unless this takes place, those who are lukewarm will continue to grow more abhorrent to the Lord, until He will refuse to acknowledge them as His children.

"A revival and a reformation must take place, under the ministration of the Holy Spirit. Revival and reformation are two different things. Revival signifies a renewal of spiritual life, a quickening of the powers of mind and heart, a resurrection from spiritual death. Reformation signifies a reorganization, a change in ideas and theories, habits and practices. Reformation will not bring forth the good fruit of rightousness unless it is connected with the revival of the Spirit. Revival and reformation are to do their appointed work, and in doing this work they must blend." - 1 Selected Messages, 128