Spanky Sproul 2: WTF is Happening, In More Ways than One

[ViolaSebastian]

Wait, so she got counseled by RC and then they started dating? Uncool, RC, uncool. (And you know, against every counseling-related code of ethics I've ever read...)

[Howl]

11 hours ago, ladyamylynn said:

http://mcmansionhell.com

Have fun!

That was 10 minutes of my life that I will always cherish and I may have to go back to visit!  Awesome sauce!

[bea]

There’s a McMansion Hell tag on Tumblr, too.
I mean. If you have extra time.

So Spanky was “counseling” her....before they dated? As they were dating?
Is Spanky a licensed counselor or just able to help people because Jesus?

[Howl]

20 minutes ago, bea said:

just able to help people because Jesus

I took some time to read over the information for the Center for Biblical Counseling at Christ Church Moscow, ID (Doug Wilson's outfit; Doug Wilson is RC's spirit animal) and these "counselors" could be in a position to do an incredible amount of damage to suffering people, with no option to refer that person to secular counseling when they are out of their depth, or even to know when they are out of their depth. 

This is #2 from the Standards of Conduct  section of the Center for Biblical Counseling at Christ Church, Moscow, ID (Doug Wilson's outfit): 

Spoiler

Biblical counselors must reject any secular counseling intervention that is at odds with Scripture. Secular counseling therapies add nothing essential to the understanding and resolution of counseling problems, though secular institutions can provide assistance to biblical counselors when situations like hospitalization become necessary for extreme and urgent care. Such interventions are only effective when they are consistent with Scripture and ineffective when they are at odds with Scripture. In themselves they are unnecessary and insufficient for the counseling needs that people face. Biblical counselors do not engage in these interventions or make referrals to counselors that do.

I'd put this in the What Could Possibly Go Wrong? category.  The are endless paragraphs in addition, but I'll just add a few that make me feel like a rat crawled across my face in the middle of the night.  On the face of it, this one seems good, and would protect the privacy of those being counseled.  However, what they are saying is that Elders and others in the church, like your spouse, your children, your parents could become privy to your problems.  

Spoiler

Biblical counselors must maintain and communicate the biblical standards for confidentiality. Trust grows in relationships where all parties have clear expectations regarding the confidential nature of private information. Biblical counselors seek to maintain trust and integrity by keeping personal information as private as possible. Biblical counselors protect the reputation of their counselees by avoiding reckless and unnecessary disclosures of personal information. Biblical counselors must also make clear to their counselees that a commitment to biblical authority requires the disclosure of certain kinds of information to certain parties. A biblical commitment to protect counselees from harm as well as commitments to the authority of the home, church, and or state may require disclosure of information that counselees would otherwise prefer to remain private.

Let us say, as a hypothetical, that a woman goes  to counseling over marital issues, including abuse, is wondering about continuing in the marriage, in a church that believes this: 

Spoiler

Biblical counselors must help their counselees submit to legitimate authority in the context of the home. God has called husbands and fathers to exercise spiritual authority in the home, seeking the welfare of those in his care. God has also called wives to be submissive to their husbands and children to be submissive to the authority of their parents. These authority structures are an incredible blessing when discharged faithfully. Biblical counselors will help family members honor these sources of authority appropriately throughout the various stages of life.

Pretty good chance she'll be ratted out to her abusive husband, right? And the Elders will be all over it like white on rice.  Or a teenager goes for counseling.  You can see where the danger lies. 

[hoipolloi]

13 minutes ago, Howl said:

I took some time to read over the information for the Center for Biblical Counseling at Christ Church Moscow, ID (Doug Wilson's outfit; Doug Wilson is RC's spirit animal) and these "counselors" could be in a position to do an incredible amount of damage to suffering people, with no option to refer that person to secular counseling when they are out of their depth, or even to know when they are out of their depth. 

Think this is what fundie "Christians" call nouthetic counseling, a fraudulent & dangerous "field" that has demonstrably done far more harm than good.

Julie at SSB has had a couple of posts on this, focusing on specific cases. Wartburg Watch has many more posts on it -- this post provides a useful overview.

[Howl]

1 hour ago, hoipolloi said:

Think this is what fundie "Christians" call nouthetic counseling,

Yes, that's the correct term, although I'd personally add three letters: notauthentic 

 

1 hour ago, hoipolloi said:

a fraudulent & dangerous "field" that has demonstrably done far more harm than good.

Yes, and knowing that the text I quoted is from a Doug Wilson outfit, the application of biblical counseling is guaranteed to be damaging to women and a soft pass for men, for the most part.  Any man who wants to be truly kind to his wife or other women will be beaten about the head with a heavy bible until he understands Wilsonian headship or leaves. 

[Palimpsest]

22 hours ago, ladyamylynn said:

http://mcmansionhell.com

Have fun!

That. Is. Brilliant!  

[bea]

Wow, [mention=17940]howl[/mention], thank you.

(Recently, a friend of mine who had filled out a referral form for counseling service got a call from one. In passing, they told her they were Christian counseling service. My friend, who is a scientist and an atheist, took a moment and googled the practice. Apparently, they are unlicensed Biblical counselors. She called somebody else.)

 

[FundieFarmer]

I went to a Christian college for psych for two years. The first year it was fine- but a bit loose on facts that involved Freud, or anything the school disagreed with. I’d taken psych 100 as senior AP class so I noticed some things were off, but a 19-year-old, I didn’t really know the significance.

 

But then I got into my Abnormal Psych class (which is, for some godforsaken reason, what they called the study of major depressive disorders, personality disorders, etc). The prof was big on nouthetic counseling, pushing all of its terrible dynamics. We were shown one senior‘s capstone project on how shortcomings of faith and depression are correlated; she titled it after a hymn about how darkness hides God’s face. It was...something.

 

I noped the fuck out of there (transferred AND switched majors). As somebody who’s had both faith-based and secular counseling, I can tell you without a doubt which worked better. Still not over how horrible that school of thought on counseling is tbh.

 

 

[DomWackTroll]

Darnell at a Ligonier Ministries banquet in Atlanta. What is going on with the hair and sideburns? I'm getting Porter Wagoner vibes (yes, I'm old, okay?!). 

 

[Georgiana]

21 minutes ago, DomWackTroll said:

Darnell at a Ligonier Ministries banquet in Atlanta. What is going on with the hair and sideburns? I'm getting Porter Wagoner vibes (yes, I'm old, okay?!). 

 

He looks like the dad from Jimmy Neutron.

  

[Howl]

The *surf's up!* cresting wave hairdo takes some time in front of a mirror, product, a blow dryer and a serious relationship with a very understanding hair dresser.  Plus the vest.  Dear Rufus, the vest.  And the white button trim on the suit.  That. 

[Carm_88]

Wow! That hair! How long did he spend in the mirror? 

[Howl]

37 minutes ago, Carm_88 said:

Wow! That hair! How long did he spend in the mirror? 

I know, right?  Kinda fundy Fabio vibe.  Did he ever get married?

[Marian the Librarian]

"The higher the hair, the closer to God." 

He's still single, AFAIK.

[MamaJunebug]

“Fundy Fabio” must be a post count title. 

[ophelia]

3 hours ago, Marian the Librarian said:

"The higher the hair, the closer to God." 

He's still single, AFAIK.

Without this ridiculous hair and his fundie-based ignorance he could be handsome. Or maybe I'm just desperate and hormonal. Not a good combination.

[elsiedindin]

Didn't know Darnell cosplayed.

 

[tankgirl]

I keep seeing Steve Carrell playing Uncle Arthur, in the Bewitched remake.

[MamaJunebug]

17 hours ago, DomWackTroll said:

Darnell at a Ligonier Ministries banquet in Atlanta. What is going on with the hair and sideburns? I'm getting Porter Wagoner vibes (yes, I'm old, okay?!). 

 

Dont given Evil Jakey G too much credit for the cool ‘do. Chances are his hair just has a cowlick growth pattern that inclined it to do this. Check out the video link about a Buddhist  priest whose hair, when not shaved, does the same cocky flip-up and you know a Buddhist priest is not about the gel,  I tried to get a screenshot but the video is well worth watching. 

https://www.ksdk.com/mobile/article/news/local/making-a-difference/st-louis-bakery-offers-second-chance-to-ex-cons/63-468303077

[Howl]

Sadly, I'm guessing Natty is a Trump humper.  He's rocking a blue suit, red tie and white details.  There's something about him and his clothes that wants you to know "I'm a God fearing patriot."  My gay-dar is pinging faintly, but I'm not really sure.  But Natty likely isn't sure, either. 

[hoipolloi]

1 hour ago, Howl said:

Sadly, I'm guessing Natty is a Trump humper. 

Oh, almost certainly -- Natty is a GA GOP State Committeeman. Like most of his fellow travelers, he's not going to be bothered by any pissant "morals" issues.

 

[starfish]

Gay he may be, but I can still see him with a Botkin bride by his side 

[Howl]

6 hours ago, starfish said:

Gay he may be, but I can still see him with a Botkin bride by his side 

In his dreams.  Would the Botkinettes ever abandon Daddy? 

[CrossingRivers]

On 5/12/2018 at 2:02 PM, Howl said:

I took some time to read over the information for the Center for Biblical Counseling at Christ Church Moscow, ID (Doug Wilson's outfit; Doug Wilson is RC's spirit animal) and these "counselors" could be in a position to do an incredible amount of damage to suffering people, with no option to refer that person to secular counseling when they are out of their depth, or even to know when they are out of their depth. 

This is #2 from the Standards of Conduct  section of the Center for Biblical Counseling at Christ Church, Moscow, ID (Doug Wilson's outfit): 

  Hide contents

Biblical counselors must reject any secular counseling intervention that is at odds with Scripture. Secular counseling therapies add nothing essential to the understanding and resolution of counseling problems, though secular institutions can provide assistance to biblical counselors when situations like hospitalization become necessary for extreme and urgent care. Such interventions are only effective when they are consistent with Scripture and ineffective when they are at odds with Scripture. In themselves they are unnecessary and insufficient for the counseling needs that people face. Biblical counselors do not engage in these interventions or make referrals to counselors that do.

I'd put this in the What Could Possibly Go Wrong? category.  The are endless paragraphs in addition, but I'll just add a few that make me feel like a rat crawled across my face in the middle of the night.  On the face of it, this one seems good, and would protect the privacy of those being counseled.  However, what they are saying is that Elders and others in the church, like your spouse, your children, your parents could become privy to your problems.  

  Reveal hidden contents

Biblical counselors must maintain and communicate the biblical standards for confidentiality. Trust grows in relationships where all parties have clear expectations regarding the confidential nature of private information. Biblical counselors seek to maintain trust and integrity by keeping personal information as private as possible. Biblical counselors protect the reputation of their counselees by avoiding reckless and unnecessary disclosures of personal information. Biblical counselors must also make clear to their counselees that a commitment to biblical authority requires the disclosure of certain kinds of information to certain parties. A biblical commitment to protect counselees from harm as well as commitments to the authority of the home, church, and or state may require disclosure of information that counselees would otherwise prefer to remain private.

Let us say, as a hypothetical, that a woman goes  to counseling over marital issues, including abuse, is wondering about continuing in the marriage, in a church that believes this: 

  Hide contents

Biblical counselors must help their counselees submit to legitimate authority in the context of the home. God has called husbands and fathers to exercise spiritual authority in the home, seeking the welfare of those in his care. God has also called wives to be submissive to their husbands and children to be submissive to the authority of their parents. These authority structures are an incredible blessing when discharged faithfully. Biblical counselors will help family members honor these sources of authority appropriately throughout the various stages of life.

Pretty good chance she'll be ratted out to her abusive husband, right? And the Elders will be all over it like white on rice.  Or a teenager goes for counseling.  You can see where the danger lies. 

This is the exact model that every “Christian” councilor has used from my experience. I had sought counseling for my “uneasy-ness” within myself. (I didn’t have words to describe accurately at the time.) After about 18 months, I stopped going because things weren’t getting better, rather worse. Later, as I was leaving that church cult, I found out everything that I had discussed in my sessions was common knowledge amongst the #blessed crowd, ie the pastor’s favorites. When I saw an secular counselor, years later, I was diagnosed with PTSD and anxiety. You know things that don’t exist because Jesus or something.