Soul Physicians: A Theology of Soul Care and Spiritual Direction is a “counseling resource” written by Dr. Robert Kellemen of RPM Ministries. I have been blogging through this book, chapter by chapter.
We are emotional beings. God created us this way. Dr. Kellemen asks the question, “Why did God create us with feelings? Emotions often seem more a curse than a blessing”. It is true that there are those in Christendom that encourage the suppression of emotions, sometimes to the extent that we would be better off without them! The body is viewed no differently in many Christian circles. “The flesh is evil”! Have we “…forgotten that when God paused to ponder His image bearers, He pointed out that they, emotions and bodies included, were ‘very good’”? In chapter 13 of Soul Physicians, Dr. K explores this aspect of emotions and bodies, as he describes them, “singers and actors”.
“Like our Creator, we are Singers who experience deeply”. (p.200) “God is an emotional being. Father gets angry. Son weeps. Spirit grieves. The Trinity emotes”. Here are some points that Dr. K brings out about emotions:
- All emotions, positive or painful, open doors to the nature of reality. Emotions link our inner and outer world.
- Our emotions reveal our deepest questions about God.
- Our emotions are God-given. In themselves, they are not sinful. They are beneficial, even beautiful.
How does the author define “emotion”? Dr. K defines emotion as our God-given capacity to experience our world and to respond subjectively to those experiences. This capacity includes the ability to react internally and experience a full-range of both positive (pleasant) and negative (painful) inner feelings.
Dr. K gives the reader a basic formula for understanding emotions: “Our external situation plus our internal perception leads to our emotional response”. [ E.S + I.P = E.R ] The chart that he provides makes this formula very easy to digest:
- Negative Action (E.S.) + Biblical Belief (I.P.) = Legitimate Painful Emotion (E.R.), such as, sorrow, sadness, etc.
- Negative Action (E.S.) + Un-biblical Belief (I.P.) = Illegitimate Painful Emotion (E.R.), such as hatred, despair, etc.
- Positive Action (E.S.) + Biblical Belief (I.P.) = Legitimate Positive Emotion (E.R.), such as, Joy, Peace, etc.
- Positive Action (E.S.) + Un-biblical Belief (I.P.) = Illegitimate Positive Emotion (E.R.), such as, pride, self-sufficiency, etc.
There is much to be explored in this arena of emotions. I will extend the posting on this particular chapter to several posts. These will cover Mood Order, Disorder and ReOrder and discussion of our flesh. Let me draw this post to a close with this statement from Dr. K:
The key to our emotional reaction is our perception of the meaning behind the event. Thus, events determine whether our emotions are pleasant or painful, but longings, beliefs, and goals determine whether our emotional reaction is holy or sinful.
I appreciate Dr. Kellemen’s balanced approach on emotions and the role they play in our God glorifying lives. As always, there is too much information given in his book to reproduce in a blog post. I encourage biblical counselors to purchase and review for themselves, Soul Physicians, and put into practice much of what Dr. Kellemen has to offer.
