Christian Living

Rescuing Lives

by Jeff Drinnan
04/05/21
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During the early days of the recent pandemic, some good came out. I remember reading about a household, instead of watching sports, which was in hibernation, on Sunday they watched the "Jesus" movie. Although it isn't as good as gathering with the saints in a real church service, it was a good step to honoring what Sunday is about.

Sight & Sound Theatre, which recently streamed their production of "Jesus", right before Easter, is bringing the gospel to the world. The gospel is what everybody needs, especially with the rapidly increasing secularization of our culture.

"Bucks County is moving forward with plans to open a mental health facility to help those in crisis", reads the lead in an article on Levittownnow.com. A few years ago, a friend asked me why are people today so messed up?

The problem is the spritual bankruptcy in our country today. Without God, there are no absolutes, no measure of right or wrong. Our society is becoming rudderless, and the compass must have been thrown overboard.

In spite of the church in America loosing some salt and light, Christians have been reaching out to help rescue people in a sinful world. Sight & Sound, with their live theatre, where humans and animals walk down the aisles during the production as well as their DVDs and live streaming is one way to reach people with God's Word.

Secular society doesn't have the correct means to help people with mental problems, mainly because they don't have a Christian world view. Mental illness is a misnomer. Although people make themselves sick, the root of the problem is not medical. All you can do is relieve symptoms. Of course, people, including myself, can get cranky when they are not feeling well, but that is not the heart of the matter. It really is a matter of the heart. When my daughter was in preschool, the teachers taught the children about having a "dirty heart" when we do wrong, when we sin.

Reading Jay E Adams' "Problems Solving Them God's Way" brochure I was reminded of the war for people's hearts and minds between the worldly mental health industry and the church. Dr. Adams is the father of the Biblical Counseling movement. He expressed in his seminal book "Competent to Counsel" that the church should stop palming off people with problems to modern secular psychology.

Meetings of faith groups to help people conquer their addictions, hurts and hangups have been springing up. Basically, it is people helping one another and offering the hope of the gospel. In Bucks County, PA where I live, there are meetings every day of the week. There are also special events.

There are residential drug rehab faith based programs throughout the country.

The cancel culture doesn't like faith based programs, which have been very successful in rescuing people from sin. In Bangor Maine, the governor declared drug rehabs essential, but the pastor who leads a faith based program was told they could meet, but could not open a Bible, etc. As a sister, who is going to be a counselor in a faith based residential drug rehab program in New Jersey told me, when a program is government sponsored, it can impose it's rules such as banning faith in the programs. She is headed to an institution that is privately funded, so it is free to excersise faith. Unlike the days in the past, where teachers read the Bible and recited the Lord's prayer, public insititutions have become inimical to Christianity.

It's no surprise that a culture contrary to God wants to stop people from practicing their faith, including employing devious means to condition people from staying away from church. Some churches have not been holding services while others have. And even those that have, some people have been brainwashed into not coming. Many people in the church I attend have chosen fear over faith. We sent letters to people who haven't been around in awhile. I suggested we put a picture of a chicken on the letter.

We don't need more worldly mental institutions. We need places that have Christian belief as its base.

Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung related a story where he visited an insane asylum with an "intelligent layman", who remarked that the inmates were just like the rest of us, only their problems are greatly magnified.

King David was "going nuts" as a result of sin. After committing adultery and compounding this sin with other sins, David wasn't right, but after confessing his sins to God, he was forgiven and found joy.

"Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven,
Whose sin is covered.
Blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity,
And in whose spirit there is no deceit.
When I kept silent, my bones grew old
Through my groaning all the day long.
For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me;
My vitality was turned into the drought of summer.

Selah

I acknowledged my sin to You,
And my iniquity I have not hidden.
I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,”
And You forgave the iniquity of my sin." -Psalm 32: 1-5