Is the Christian Experience Crutch?

In one sense, the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the biggest crutch in the world. Crutches are a blessing to anyone who needs them. A person unable to walk without their support is usually quite grateful to have them. In this sense, the Gospel is certainly a wonderful “crutch” for those who could not “walk in the Spirit” without them. God offers this “crutch” to all of the spiritually crippled members of the human race. Since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23), everybody needs the crutch of the Cross in order to deal with the sin problem that affects us all. While everybody is dealing with some psychological issues, the Gospel deals with the root cause of psychological issues, the “sin syndrome,” which expresses itself in all sorts of human dysfunction.

Unfortunately, many people attempt to find relief in therapy, drugs, self-help books or human potential seminars. They attempt to find relief in things that have no lasting value.

Some critics such as Ted Turner openly assert that Christianity is a “religion for losers.” In one sense, they are right. Christianity is for losers. Jesus said he came to call sinners to repentance, just as a physician is called to care for the sick. Jesus deals with all the losers in this world.

The problem with such critics is that they have a lofty opinion of themselves and seem to be blind to their own shortcomings. Their tendency to regard Christians as emotionally disturbed, feeble minded and naïve stems from the faulty assumption that they are somehow superior. Yet, some of the biggest critics of Christianity inevitably encounter difficulties in this life that expose their own personal weaknesses.

Such erroneous views imply that only dysfunctional types become believers and only abnormal, even delusional people go to church. That view does not square with the way things are. Some of the most emotionally stable individuals are those who have a strong faith in Jesus Christ. Numerous studies show that people who attend church consistently are generally happier, enjoy better health and live longer than those who don’t.

The Gospel of Jesus Christ does address psychological issues. It is not a band-aid that covers the problem. It is not an anesthesia that masks the pain. The Gospel is God’s scalpel that removes the malignancy of sin, the root cause of human disorders.