Welcome the the forum. Glad to have you. On the subject of psychology with respect to Christianity, there is a website that exposes the error of supplanting the word of the cross with human psychology. It is called PsychoHeresy.
http://www.psychoheresy-aware.org
They do not reject of condemn the entire field of psychology. I will let them explain it better than I can by giving an excerpt from their book, PsychoHeresy:
Multitudes of Christians view psychology with respect and awe. It is paradoxical that at a time when more and more secular psychological researchers are demonstrating less and less confidence in psychological counseling, more and more Christians are pursuing it in one way or another. Christian counseling centers are springing up all over the nation offering what many believe to be the perfect combination:
Christianity plus psychology. Furthermore, Christians who are not even in counseling look to what psychologists say about how to live, how to relate to others, and how to meet the challenges of life. But what are the roots of all of this psychological advice? Is psychological counseling, with all of its variations and combinations, part of the seduction of Christianity? See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ (Colossians 2:8).
The world offers all kinds of ideas that clearly stand in opposition to the Bible. However, the greatest problems for Christians are not those of clear contradiction, such as direct denial of God or blatant atheism. Jesus warned: Watch out and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees (Matthew 16:6).
Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough? (I Corinthians 5:6). One of the most subtle and dangerous deceptions today is a slow-acting, poisonous leaven which is permeating the church. The leaven easily entered the liberal branches of Christendom under the guise of science and medicine. It gave people something to hang onto as their faith in the inspired Word of God flagged. The leaven then spread to conservative churches, Bible colleges, and seminaries. In their desire to help the sheep and expand church growth, many pastors have been adding that same leaven to the Word of God. They have been taking what appears to be good for the bleeding sheep and feeding it to the entire flock in one form or another. The leaven has been like a food additive which seems to have positive benefits, but which eventually weakens the flock.
WHAT IS THE LEAVEN?
What is this insidious leaven and why would seminaries and pastors who truly care for their flocks be promoting this leaven in the church? The leaven is psychology. Psychological leaven consists of secular theories and techniques which are “according to the tradition of men.” They are man-made ideas which offer substitutes for salvation and sanctification. When we speak of the leaven of psychology we are not referring to the entire field of psychological study. Instead,
we are referring to that part of psychology which deals with the nature of man, how he should live, and how he can change. It involves values, attitudes, and behavior. We will be using the words psychology, psychological counseling, the psychological way, and psychotherapy interchangeably when referring to, such man-made systems of understanding and treatment. Because testimonials of success and happiness abound, many eagerly follow the promises of the psychological way. However, we will be taking a hard look at what psychological systems for understanding and helping people really have to offer. We all hear and read about testimonials that claim marvelous help from psychology. However, few hear or read about the failures. The research that will be cited later in this book will illustrate the fact that psychological explanations about life and psychological solutions to life’s problems are questionable at best, detrimental at worst, and spiritual counterfeits at least. Although some have recognized the contradictions, failures, and false promises, many continue to think in
psychological terms and turn to psychology for answers to life. Our twentieth-century culture is steeped in psychological theories and ideas. In fact, most people do not even think twice about the origin of some of the psychological ideas they take for granted.
WHAT ABOUT “CHRISTIAN PSYCHOLOGY”?
But, how does all of this relate to the church? Just because secular psychologies out in the world reek of anti-Christian bias, contradictions, and failures, does it follow that psychology in the church is also contaminated? Unfortunately what has been labeled “Christian psychology” is made up of the very same confusion of contradictory theories and techniques. Well-meaning psychologists who profess Christianity have merely borrowed the theories and techniques from secular psychology. They dispense what they believe to be the perfect blend of psychology and Christianity. Nevertheless, the psychology they use is the same as that used by non-Christian psychologists and psychiatrists. They use the theories and techniques devised by such men as Freud, Jung, Rogers, Janov, Ellis, Adler, Berne, Fromm, Maslow, and others, none of whom embraced Christianity or developed a psychological system from the Word of God. The Christian Association for Psychological Studies (CAPS) is a group of psychologists and psychological counselors who are professing Christians. At one of their meetings the following was said:
We are often asked if we are “Christian psychologists” and find it difficult to answer since we don’t know what the question implies. We are Christians who are psychologists but at the present time there is no acceptable Christian psychology that is markedly different from non-Christian psychology. It is difficult to imply that we function in a manner that is fundamentally distinct from our non-Christian colleagues ... as yet there is not an acceptable theory, mode of research or treatment methodology that is distinctly Christian.
Although Christian psychological counselors claim to have taken only those elements of psychology that fit with Christianity, anything can be made to fit the Bible, no matter how silly or even satanic it is. Each Christian therapist brings his own individual psychology borrowed from the
world to the Bible and modifies the Word to make it fit. What they use comes from the bankrupt systems of ungodly and unscientific theories and techniques. Christians who seek to integrate psychology with Christianity have actually turned to secular, ungodly sources for help. And, because these unbiblical, unsubstantiated theories and techniques have been blended into the dough, they are well hidden in the loaf. Thus many Christians honestly believe that they are using only a purified, Christianized psychology. Instead, we are left with a contaminated loaf, not with the unleavened bread of the Word of God. A. W. Tozer declares:
At the heart of the Christian system lies the cross of Christ with its divine paradox. The power of Christianity appears in its antipathy toward, never in its agreement with, the ways of fallen men.... The cross stands in bold opposition to the natural man. Its philosophy runs contrary to the processes of the unregenerate mind, so that Paul could say bluntly that the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness. To try to find a common ground between the message of the cross and man’s fallen reason is to try the impossible, and if persisted in must result in an impaired reason, a meaningless cross and a powerless Christianity.
All of the books of PsychoHeresy's ministry are available for free in PDF format. Here is the link to download the free books:
http://www.psychoheresy-aware.org/bksonline.html
I suggest you start with "PsychoHeresy: The Psychological Seduction of Christianity" and "The End of Christian Psychology".
