We believe that persons are created by God with both material and immaterial components. This is not to imply that we embrace a dichotomous view concerning our theological position. Our intent is to state the belief that while there is a part of a person that can be observed, studied, and measured, every person has an immaterial part that cannot be observed, studied, or measured.
The HopeQuest Ministry Group, Inc. is a distinctively Christian organization which believes that this immaterial part of a person can only be understood by God’s revelation to mankind in the Holy Scriptures. Our conviction is that the Bible is the source of our human understanding regarding all things unseen.
In addition, the Bible is the source for understanding God’s purposeful intent regarding His creation. The Holy Scriptures make it clear that persons are created as both thinking and feeling beings. Differing emotional expressions and heart states are clearly evidenced in biblical characters and narrative. The Holy Scriptures also make it clear that at least one purpose for God’s purpose in creating man is for companionship and relationship in the context of a marriage and a family.
We believe that marriage is the spiritual, emotional, and physical union of a man and a woman. In this union, the married couple becomes the foundation for a home and family life. In God’s design, children are born, become part of a family, and are raised by a mother and a father. Part of the human developmental process is for children to develop as persons and gain independence while retaining the ability to remain in togetherness through intimate familial interpersonal relationships.
The influence of sin in the world has resulted in a distortion of God’s original design and purpose for human beings, the pinnacle of His creation. While the full image of God is seen in the polarity of masculine and feminine in each individual, the full manifestation of this image is seen in the complementary union of the man and woman, the male and the female. The Holy Scriptures reveal God’s intention of the marriage relationship to fully express this union including the special intimacy between a man and his wife which is to be a physical (or seen) representation of the kind of union God desires with those who belong to Him.
This type of intimate (caring and sharing) relationship involves reciprocal interpersonal sharing of feelings, emotional heart states, personal thoughts, and opinions. Because of the effect of sin in our world, many have lost (some never learned during their developmental process) the ability (or willingness) to risk vulnerability and transparency in close relationship. One result is the lack of a vocabulary (feeling or heart state words) which communicate the inner state of one’s emotional and spiritual state. Obviously this would result in an impairment concerning one’s ability to be self-aware and self-expressive in important intimate interpersonal relationship experiences.
At least one component of the addiction recovery involves a process of self-discovery. From the Judeo-Christian perspective, self-discovery includes recognizing that in order to be fully human, one needs a relationship with God through His Son Jesus Christ. Through this relationship and the empowerment of the indwelling Holy Spirit, an individual is able to develop and maintain the inner strength and resolve to make the appropriate choices and maintain the resolve and commitment which results in personal transformation and change.
At The HopeQuest Ministry Group, Inc. we believe that self-discovery process is built upon the foundation of self-awareness and self-expression. Becoming aware of one’s own deficiencies, inadequacies, and shortcomings opens the door for a person to gain the needed skills to be honest, authentic, and real – first with themselves, then with their Creator God, and finally in close interpersonal human relationships.
The clinical programs at HopeQuest are based on a spiritual, biological, psychological, social, and medical framework. From the spiritual perspective, we believe that one needs a relationship with God including the ability to rely on Him for strength, wisdom, and guidance in life and the recovery journey. From the perspective of biology, we believe there is both a nature and nurture aspect to the addiction problem. While there is an element of disease, resulting from genetic expression (nature), in the addictive process, this disease component is highly influenced by the accumulation of life experiences (nurture) including trauma, stress, and maladaptive coping styles. In addition, brain deficiencies or abnormalities regarding the stress response system, malfunctioning neurotransmitter systems, impulse control disorders (including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder concerns) and the physiological affect in anxiety and panic disorder can be biological factors affecting the addictive process.
From the psychosocial perspective, a lack of interpersonal relationship skills, our anecdotal observations conclude that confrontation and conflict resolution abilities are lacking in many addicted individuals. An imbalance in the aggression, assertion, and relational scales on the Interpersonal Behavioral Survey (1993) is a common finding. In addition, the Measures of Psychosocial Development instrument often demonstrates a level of personal deficiency regarding Erikson’s developmental stages – an observation that could be concluded to be a factor in a client’s ability to maintain a non-addictive lifestyle including the ability to engage in interpersonal skill development. From the perspective of the psychological, it is not uncommon for individuals who struggle with addiction issues to present with dual diagnosis. The HopeQuest Ministry Group, Inc. staff recognizes the importance of skillfully treating issues related to trauma, emotional wounding, sexual abuse, and pathological disorders.
From the medical perspective, we believe that in order for one to effectively deal with spiritual, emotional, psychological, and relational issues, an individual must be in good physical condition. Once a client has completed the detoxification process, bodily needs regarding proper rest, nutrition, and exercise are addressed. While The HopeQuest Ministry Group, Inc. is not a medical facility, volunteer professional physicians assist in the medical management of those physical concerns which have been determined as a barrier in the client’s recovery process.
The HopeQuest Ministry Group programs utilize treatment modalities which include experiential work (such as Gestalt techniques), psychodrama, and focused expressive work, as well as cognitive-behavioral approaches. In addition to our Judeo-Christian philosophical worldview and our biblically based value system, the ministry programs at HopeQuest are also influenced by some of the theoretical principles taken from the field of psychology. While many in the Christian community believe this to be an unacceptable practice, it is our conviction that it is possible to live in the world, and yet not be conformed to it (cf. Romans 12:2). Therefore, a study and review of the psychological literature can be helpful when conducted by a trained theological mind and devoted follower of Jesus Christ.
