Psychology: Are Pastors Who Have Been “Diagnosed” With A.D.D. Disqualified from Ministry?

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Welcome to Bible Bashed, where we aim to equip the saints for the works of ministry by answering the questions you're not allowed to ask.

Listen and enjoy this installment of Iron Sharpening Iron as Pastor Tim answers your sincere questions.

Here's Pastor Tim. On this episode of Bible Bashed, we will be answering the question, are pastors who have been diagnosed with ADD disqualified from the ministry?

Now this is a question that's coming to us from one of our listeners who is trying to understand the relationship between passages like Leviticus 21 and the broader 21st century category of mental illness.

The question being essentially that, because God required high priest under the old covenant to be free from physical deformities, does that extend over to 21st century pastors?

If a pastor has been diagnosed with ADD or ADHD, is that pastor disqualified from ministry in the same way that a high priest would be disqualified from service if that high priest had a physical deformity?

Now under the terms of the old covenant, God wanted his high priest to be free from physical deformity as an object lesson to teach us about the danger of sin.

Now physical deformity in of itself is a reminder that sin has entered into the world through one man's actions and we are longing for the day when

God will completely deliver his people from all the effects of sin and present us spotless and blameless before him and at his coming.

So when you think about this object lesson, one of the things to realize is that this object lesson has application that's yet to be realized.

And yet at the same time, if the old covenant were without shortcomings in certain ways, there would be no need for a new covenant.

God has given his people a new covenant because in part the old covenant had certain limitations to it.

One of those limitations being that God required of the high priest that they be objects of physical perfection in order to teach us something about the nature of sin.

But then one of the things that we learn through this object lesson is that God's high priest could be objects of physical perfection and yet still have this poisonous sin within their own heart that needs to be dealt with in a more comprehensive way.

Ultimately, the old covenant was meant to point us towards Christ who is going to be the fulfillment of the old covenant and then give us a new covenant which is given with better promises.

And so as we think about the nature of the new covenant, if you want to understand God's qualifications for pastors, one of the things you're going to realize is that as you read through 1

Timothy and Titus, God's qualifications for pastors in contrast to his qualifications for the high priest are going to be exclusively spiritual in nature related to their character.

Now, when you think about this question in general though, this is a type of question that does come about as a result of a profound confusion as to the nature of what is commonly called mental illness.

So this is the kind of question though that if you leave the explanation we just gave aside, God has physical requirements for the high priest in order to teach a lesson about the damaging effects of sin that is going to be fully realized when

Christ returns. If you leave that explanation aside that the new covenant gives us entirely spiritual qualifications for individuals who are going to serve as pastors and that's the most more direct and relevant instruction that we should go to as it relates to qualifications for pastors under the new covenant.

You leave that aside, one of the things you realize though is that we are living in the kind of society that really is unable to distinguish what you might describe as a physical deformity and what's commonly called mental illness.

And if you were to think about something like ADD, one of the things to realize is or something ADD or ADHD, these diagnosis, these labels

ADD and ADHD are basically in a simple way just descriptions of individuals behavior.

These are not medical diagnosis in any way. No medical tests are gonna be run on an individual who is diagnosed with ADD or ADHD.

What they are is they are simple descriptions of behavior. Now here's what I mean. So if you were to consider the

DSM criteria for something like ADHD, what you're gonna find is that this criteria that's used to diagnose a person that sounds like it's medical language but no medical tests are gonna be run to determine whether or not an individual has quote unquote

ADHD. Now in order to receive this diagnosis of ADHD, essentially what you're gonna have is you're gonna have to have a persistent pattern of inattention or hyperactivity that interferes with functioning or development in some sort of way.

So as it relates to inattention, here's how the ADHD diagnosis is given.

So six or more symptoms of inattention for children up to age 16 years or five or more for adolescents 17 years or older and adults.

Symptoms of inattention have been present for at least six months and they are inappropriate for developmental level.

So what you're gonna find is you're gonna have six symptoms that are used for children up to age 16 and five or more for 17 or older.

So these are the symptoms that are used to diagnose ADHD. An individual often fails to give close attention to detail or makes careless mistakes in schoolwork, at work or other activities.

So these are related to inattention. Fails to give close attention to detail. Makes mistakes, makes careless mistakes.

So one of those. Often has trouble holding attention or on task or play activities.

Often does not seem to listen when spoken to directly. Often does not follow through on instructions or fails to finish schoolwork, chores, duties at the workplace.

So as you might notice, these are the symptoms that literally every child has. Often has trouble organizing tasks and activities.

Often avoids dislikes or is reluctant to do tasks that require mental effort over a long period of time.

Often loses things necessary for tasks and activities, school materials, pencils, books, et cetera.

Is often easily distracted. Is often forgetful in daily activities. And so the vast majority of children are going to have at least six or more of these symptoms, these quasi -medical symptoms that are really just basic observations about an individual's thoughts or behavior.

But then the second feature there is hyperactivity and impulsivity. So you're gonna have to have six or more of the symptoms of hyperactivity or impulsivity for children up to age 16 and five or more for those older than that for at least six months and has some sort of negative effect on developmental level.

So often fidgets or taps with hands or feet or squirms in a seat. Often leaves situations where remaining seated is expected.

Often runs about or climbs in situations where it's not appropriate. So hyperactivity. Often unable to play or take part in leisure activities quietly.

Basically every boy. Is often on the go, acting as if driven by a motor. Yeah, most boys.

Often talks excessively. Yeah, it's children. Often blurts out an answer before a question has been completed.

Obviously, yep, hyperactive, yep. Often has trouble waiting their turn. Children. Often interrupts or intrudes on others, butts into conversations or games.

So basically you're gonna have to have six or more of the hyperactivity symptoms. And it sounds like a medical problem.

It's just basic observations about thoughts or behavior. And then six or more of symptoms related to inattention.

Now, in addition, following criteria must be met as several inattention or hyperactive impulse symptoms were present before the age of 12.

And several symptoms are present in two or more settings such as school, home, work, et cetera. And there is clear evidence that these symptoms interfere with or reduce the quality of social or work functioning.

And they're not better explained by some other mental disorder, okay? So here's the thing.

As you interact with a diagnosis like that, one of the things you're gonna realize is that this is entirely a description of an individual's thoughts or behavior.

And this says nothing about the nature of the origin of this inattentiveness or hyperactivity.

So what you find is that when you're interacting with something like ADHD, you feel like an individual who has been given this label has been given a medical diagnosis.

When really all that's happened with this label is that an individual is having their thoughts and their behavior patterns described under one unique label.

And this really says nothing about any kind of, this really says nothing about etiology.

Essentially, there is no evidence that any of these descriptions of their behavior are caused by some sort of brain problem, essentially.

So one of the things that we wanna say are pastors who have been diagnosed with ADD, disqualified from ministry.

Well, I imagine that most individuals could be diagnosed with ADD or ADHD, particularly the type of individuals who are living in a society that is dominated by entertainment and living in the type of society that is producing 15 -second attention spans in adults and children alike.

Pretty much anyone can be diagnosed with this kind of label. And this is not the type of label that is absolute proof or evidence of any kind of actual brain problem in an individual at all.

No medical tests can be performed to give this label. And so when you think about a label like this, one of the things you have to do is demystify this kind of label and realize that this is not a brain problem.

This is a thought and behavior kind of problem that is being described in language that mirrors medical language when it's actually nothing of the effect.

But then to the broader category of the question in general, one of the things to realize is that under the terms of the New Covenant, pastors are, the qualifications for pastors are entirely spiritual, and there was a purpose that God had in these

Old Covenant labels that will be realized when the Lord returns. This has been another installment of Iron Sharpening Iron.

As always, if you would like to have your question included in one of these midweek episodes, email us at biblebashedpodcast at gmail .com.

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