Catharsis is the belief that health—personal or social—comes through the uninhibited expression of inner impulses. Originating in Greek tragedy, it was later moralized by Christians but eventually reverted to its pagan meaning: purging through violence, sexuality, or emotional release rather than moral restoration.

In modern times, catharsis has justified revolutionary violence, sexual permissiveness, artistic degeneration, and Freudian psychology, all of which treat repression—not sin—as the problem. Evil is not restrained or redeemed but “vented,” whether through riots, psychodrama, occult rituals, or radical self-expression. The result has been cultural breakdown, mass violence, and moral chaos.

Biblical faith rejects catharsis. Healing comes not through self-expression but through repentance, discipline, and God’s regenerating grace. True renewal is God-centered, not man-centered: “Behold, I make all things new” (Rev. 21:5). Catharsis produces death; Christ produces life.

Titanism is the glorification of human effort that seeks to do the impossible, often disguising pride as virtue. Rooted in Greek mythology and revived by Romanticism, it celebrates defying limits, fate, and even God, treating failure itself as proof of greatness.

Within the church, Titanism appears when believers ignore God’s clear commands about limits, stewardship of time, and fruitfulness. Scripture teaches that while God is omnipotent, man is not; Christians are forbidden to waste time on futile efforts, to defy God’s order, or to attempt to “play God” in prayer, ministry, or reform. Faithfulness, not heroics, is required.

At heart, Titanism is hubris—the desire to seize God’s role and glory. Biblical faith rejects titanic ambition in favor of humble obedience, wise discernment, and service under Christ’s sovereign rule.

The debate over monergism vs. synergism concerns who is decisive in salvation. Monergism teaches that salvation is entirely the work of God’s sovereign grace from beginning to end; man contributes nothing but receives grace. Synergism teaches that God and man cooperate, making man’s decision the decisive factor in salvation.

In practice, synergism shifts sovereignty from God to man. If man’s will is decisive, salvation can be gained or lost by human choice, and revival techniques, psychology, and emotional appeal replace God’s Word and Spirit. Monergism, by contrast, upholds God’s sovereignty and leads to confidence in the perseverance of the saints.

Though synergism claims cooperation, it ultimately enthrones human will, echoing the temptation of Genesis 3:5. Scripture allows no shared sovereignty: either God saves, or man makes himself god.