If you were told you had a disease by a medical practitioner, you would probably think that some medical treatment would be in order. Well the psychiatric industry has once again come to the rescue of the church. It is constantly coming up with labels to explain human behavior and than calling it a disease.
People who are considered antisocial aren't merely antisocial. They're suffering from "Antisocial Personality Disorder" and require pharmacological treatment. So the person in church who seldom says “hello” and sits by himself in the corner of church is a sufferer of a “disorder” and needs medical treatment. All the sermons in the world will not help such a person.
Children are no longer unhappy or throwing a temper tantrum, they are suffering from "Temper Dysregulation Disorder with Dysphoria." All this is designed to comfort parents into thinking that there is some logical medical explanation for their kid’s abnormal behavior. And of course, once the diagnosis has been made, then simply pop the kid a pill and everything will be fine.
As a pastor, I find this particular disease reassuring: "Oppositional Defiant Disorder" (ODD), which includes anyone who disagrees with authority. Know of anyone who does not listen to authority in your church? That person suffers from “ODD.” What you need to do now is get such a person to the psychiatrist who then will prescribe the right pill so that a spirit of submission will take over the spirit of opposition to authority.
All this time, I thought that ODD was a spiritual matter, not physiological. This now helps to explain in my mind two unanswered questions: First, why using the bible to combat the spirit of rebellion only confuses those who are sick and makes them even sicker by saying such things as, “My authority is God. I listen only to Him.” I have always wondered where such things come from. Now I am beginning to see.
And second, this also helps to explain how ODD spreads. You see, I was told that people with ODD were rebellious toward authority and chose to be that way. Now with this new insight and information from medical science, I understand now that those with ODD are actually sick and can’t help themselves.
So what should I be now doing as a pastor?
1. I should have more compassion for those with ODD. They can’t help it themselves. They are suffering from a disease.
2. I should consult frequently with a psychiatrist or take the time to take some psychiatry courses so I will be better equipped to make a proper diagnosis.
3. I should not be threatened by those with ODD. They don’t mean any harm. They are just acting out an inner biological disorder.
4. I should stop being so naïve to think that the bible is sufficient in handling the issues of life. The bible can help in some ways, but the bible itself needs help.
5. I should stop calling rebellious behavior sin. Doing so makes the questionable behavior a moral issue, but we know now that it is a medical one.
6. I should not encourage the discipline of bible verses memorization as a means to keep one’s life pure and focus on God. What sick people need to do is not memorize and apply bible verses, but pop a pill.
7. I should encourage ODD sufferers to start their own small groups to help other ODD sufferers to come clean and seek help.
I always thought that when Paul said, “Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools” (Rom. 1:22), was directed to idol worshipers who were trying to understand God without going through Christ. Now I am beginning to see how Paul may have had pastors in mind for not understanding their people better without going through medical science.
Hmmm, I wonder if I am coming down with a slight case of ODD?
