"What is a church?" Is it a magnificent, towering building? Or a group of people who have been saved and set free by Jesus Christ from their sins? Or is it a religious organization?
"The church should be like a rescue station, saving those who are drowning", said Dr. Wang Xuefu, who quoted the analogy of Rev. Howard Clinebell, Ph.D., a professor of counseling in the United States.
Dr. Wang, the director of Zhimian Institute of Counseling and Psychotherapy, Nanjing who holds a Ph.D. in literature from Nanjing University and Master of Psychology and Counseling from Andover Newton Theological School in the U.S., stated that many people were drowning in this world which was like the sea, and unable to extricate themselves. Though there were so many wounded, weak, and helpless souls on this earth, churches should be like "rescue stations" to save them.
The biblical picture that "Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching people" impressed him.
He said, "I have provided psychological counseling for injured people for more than 20 years. I am acutely aware of my limitations and know sometimes we really can do nothing."
Only Jesus came to this earth to show mercy to people in all cities and villages, he confessed.
Once, a patient he received stated that he felt as if Dr. Wang was like the protagonist of "Blood Battle on Hacksaw Ridge", struggling to find out if there were survivors on the battlefield. Hearing this, he was very touched.
"We (Christians) are like those who go to the battlefield to check for survivors, saving as many as we can," Wang stressed.
He called on the church to pay more attention to people with mental disorders, as the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 has led to many cases of mental illness.
- Translated by Abigail Wu
教会是什么？
是那些富丽堂皇、高耸入云的教堂？
还是一群从罪中被耶稣基督拯救释放的人？
还是一个宗教团体组织？
可能每个人都有自己对教会的理解和概括。近日，一位基督徒、心理学家王学富博士谈到教会时，分享了自己的想法。
“教会像救助站。”南京直面心理咨询研究所所长、南京大学文学博士、美国安多弗·牛顿学院心理学与辅导硕士王学富博士引用美国辅导学教授祈连堡牧师（Rev. Howard Clinebell, Ph.D）的这个比喻说到，“教会应像救助站，拯救那些溺水的人”
王学富博士谈到祁连堡博士的比喻说，在这个如同大海的世界里，很多人溺在其中无法自拔，而教会像一个个的救助站，去帮助拯救那些要失丧的人。这地上有多少的灵魂是受伤的、软弱的、无助的，而“耶稣到各城各乡去看他们”，这是王学富博士印象比较深刻的圣经画面。
他说：“我做了20多年的心理学辅导，接触了很多受伤的人。我非常清楚自己的有限。有时，我们真的做不了什么。”而只有耶稣来到这个地上是真的去到各城各乡去看望、怜悯这地上的人。
有一次，一个他接待的患者对王学富博士说，感到王博士就好像《血战钢锯岭》的那个主人公，在战场上努力地去寻找是不是还有活着的人。听到这样的话，他很受触动，“我们（基督徒）就像那去战场上寻找还有没有活着的人，救一个是一个。”
他特别提到，2020年因为疫情的缘故，有不少被激发出了心理疾病的案例，他呼吁教会对对心理疾病的人更多关注和关怀。
https://www.christiantimes.cn/news/34846/%E4%B8%80%E5%BF%83%E7%90%86%E5%AD%A6%E4%B8%93%E5%AE%B6%E5%88%86%E4%BA%AB%EF%BC%9A%E2%80%9C%E6%95%99%E4%BC%9A%E5%BA%94%E5%83%8F%E6%95%91%E5%8A%A9%E7%AB%99%EF%BC%8C%E6%8B%AF%E6%95%91%E9%82%A3%E4%BA%9B%E6%BA%BA%E6%B0%B4%E7%9A%84%E4%BA%BA%E2%80%9D
一心理学专家再次呼吁：“教会应像救助站，拯救那些溺水的人”
"What is a church?" Is it a magnificent, towering building? Or a group of people who have been saved and set free by Jesus Christ from their sins? Or is it a religious organization?
"The church should be like a rescue station, saving those who are drowning", said Dr. Wang Xuefu, who quoted the analogy of Rev. Howard Clinebell, Ph.D., a professor of counseling in the United States.
Dr. Wang, the director of Zhimian Institute of Counseling and Psychotherapy, Nanjing who holds a Ph.D. in literature from Nanjing University and Master of Psychology and Counseling from Andover Newton Theological School in the U.S., stated that many people were drowning in this world which was like the sea, and unable to extricate themselves. Though there were so many wounded, weak, and helpless souls on this earth, churches should be like "rescue stations" to save them.
The biblical picture that "Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching people" impressed him.
He said, "I have provided psychological counseling for injured people for more than 20 years. I am acutely aware of my limitations and know sometimes we really can do nothing."
Only Jesus came to this earth to show mercy to people in all cities and villages, he confessed.
Once, a patient he received stated that he felt as if Dr. Wang was like the protagonist of "Blood Battle on Hacksaw Ridge", struggling to find out if there were survivors on the battlefield. Hearing this, he was very touched.
"We (Christians) are like those who go to the battlefield to check for survivors, saving as many as we can," Wang stressed.
He called on the church to pay more attention to people with mental disorders, as the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 has led to many cases of mental illness.
- Translated by Abigail Wu
Psychology Expert Urges Churches to Be 'Rescue Stations' to 'Save Drowning People'
