PER:Book Reviews  by Donald G. Matzat March 1987

   1st book is "PSYCHOHERESY" - The Psychological Seduction of 
Christianity by Martin and Deidre Bobgan.

   Forward -------

   Experts in the secular world are increasingly expressing their
disillusionment with psychotherapy and exposing both its impotence to
help and its power to harm. At the same time growing numbers of
Christians are awakening to the staggering fact that many church
leaders, though well intentioned, are feeding psychotherapy's deadly
poison to the Body of Christ. Alarmed by the accelerating
psychologizing of Christianity, a larger segment of the church than
most leaders realize is looking for definite answers to specific
questions.

   In my travels I am repeatedly confronted by those who want to know
exactly where and why the teachings and practices of specified
Christian psychologists are not Biblical. No one is better qualified to
provide such answers than Martin and Deidre Bobgan, and this is exactly
what they have done in the following pages. In so doing, they have
rendered a great service to the church.

   The careful and scholarly yet readable critique the Bobgans have
provided is not intended to judge the hearts of the individuals they
name nor to destroy their reputations. The only purpose is to examine
popular and influential teachings in the light of science, logic and
Scripture. Issues, not personalities, are dealt with. Christian leaders
should be held accountable for what they say in books, magazines and
pulpit or on radio and television. Certainly no one can object if what
he has stated publicly is quoted or questioned publicly. If any church
leader is granted immunity from challenge or correction, then
Reformation was in vain and we are back under the unscriptural
authoritarianism of a Protestant popery.

   Those who intend to influence the Body of Christ by what they say
can hardly complain when others who disagree check their teachings
against the Bible. Issues vital to the church and daily Christian
living must be dealt with openly. For too long the false claims of
Christian psychology have gone unchallenged. If its teachings are valid
and Biblical, then its proponents have nothing to fear from a factual
and Scriptural analysis of its tenets; and if its precepts are in fact
false and dangerous, then lovers of God and truth will be grateful when
error is exposed.

   In this their fourth book the Bobgans have provided a valuable
service for us all. The wealth of research material they have gathered
makes fascinating and at times shocking reading. A vivid and important
picture is presented of both secular and Christian psychology that will
be informative and challenging even to students of the subject. The
following pages will not only hold the interest of but intrigue and
broaden the horizons of the average reader, and will serve as a
valuable reference handbook for everyone. I heartily recommend this
important volume.

   Dave Hunt, author of numerous books including Beyond Seduction and
coauthor of The Seduction of Christianity.

   2nd book is "INNER HEALING" - Deliverance or Deception? by Don
Matzat.

   Forward

   -------

   This book presents a critical evaluation of the teaching and
ministry known as inner healing, soul healing, or the healing of
memories. My purpose in writing this book is threefold: to provide
information about the questionable concepts from the field of
psychology that undergird inner healing; to raise questions regarding
the potential problems and confusion created in the merging of these
concepts into the body of Christian teaching; and to present a biblical
alternative to inner healing.

   With the exception of the last few chapters, in which I share with
you that biblical alternative, I did not "enjoy" researching and
writing this book, for it is a critical evaluation of a teaching that
is being promoted within the body of Christ by well-intentioned
Christian teachers. I do not enjoy criticizing brothers and sisters in
Christ Jesus by scrutinizing what they teach. If I did, I would need to
examine my own heart and be reminded that "love does not rejoice in the
wrong." I offer this reminder to you the reader.

   Those who teach and promote the ministry of inner healing will
probably criticize this book and view it as the cause of division and
controversy within the body of Christ. But on the other hand, I believe
that a great deal of the confusion and controversy surrounding the
inner-healing ministry could have been avoided if the inner- healing
teachers would have openly shared the sources behind their teachings.

   While the authors who write the books advocating the inner- healing
ministry clearly indicate that they use concepts from the field of
psychology and that they appreciate the insights gained from
psychology, they do not come clean and reveal their specific sources.
Why is this? Are the inner-healers teachers afraid that if the body of
Christ knew the sources of their teaching, the teaching itself would be
rejected? If they had initially been forthright in revealing the
sources, and if they also had provided an acceptable rationale for the
use of concepts drawn from the field of psychology as a foundation for
a Christian ministry offering a healing spiritual experience, the
months of research that went into the writing of this book would not
have been necessary. Christians themselves, on the basis of the honest,
open information provided by the inner-healing teachers themselves,
could have made up their own minds as to the validity of the
inner-healing ministry within the body of Christ.

   If God's people want to understand the basis of inner healing they
are forced to plow through the theories governing human behavior
proposed within the field of psychology. Not many within the body of
Christ have the desire or perhaps even ability to understand the
variety of ideas which make up psychology. We cannot discuss inner
healing on the basis of Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Romans, or
Ephesians. Rather, we are forced to understand Freud, Jung, Missildine,
Berne, Rank, and the like.

   Researching the inner-healing technique is not an easy task. In
addition to the fact that sources are often hidden, it is very
difficult to discover clear definitions in the writings of the inner-
healing authors. It is generally known, for example, that all refer to
the technique of visualization is used by inner healers. They all refer
to the method, speaking of "visualization prayer," "faith- imagination
therapy," "consecrated and committed imagination," or "active
imagination." Why? What is the purpose of using imagination? Where did
the idea originate? Is it based upon Scripture? If not, which school of
psychology utilizes visualation as a therapeutic technique? These
questions often go unanswered. Clear definition is often lost in verbal
piety and the sharing of personal testimonies.

   I have attempted to do as honest a job as possible of research and
evaluation of the various psychological concepts undergirding inner
healing. I have sought to explain these concepts, many of them quite
complex, in understandable terminology. I am not writing for the
trained counselor or theologian, but for the average Christian who is
seeking some insight into the existing problems surrounding the inner-
healing ministry. I am beginning with the assumption that those who are
reading this book have had some exposure to the ideas presented within
the various schools of psychology. My purpose is not to destroy the
inner-healing movement as such, but rather to point out what is behind
inner healing. If such exposure does bring harm to the inner-healing
movement, so be it. I do not believe that any legitimate movement of
God within the church is damaged by bringing it into the light of
public scrutiny, since their major motivation is the welfare of God's
people.

   I do not wish to build a reputation on the practice of criticizing
the teachings of other people. I hope that you will find within these
pages helpful insight which is drawn from the Word of God and which
will help you to live and walk in Christ Jesus. It is also my fervent
prayer that, as a result of the reading of this book, you will commit
yourself to remaining securely within biblical boundaries in your
pursuit of truth and life-changing experience. To this end, may God be
praised!

   - Donald G. Matzat March 1987
