Counseling
Book Review: Counsel from the Cross, by Elyse Fitzpatrick and Dennis Johnson
Review by Deepak Reju | 9Marks Journal: Book Reviews on the Mission of the Church | 10.27.2010These authors understand that the proper context for spiritual growth is a local church and not our own individualistic endeavors.
What’s wrong with the therapeutic model of counseling?
9Marks
In short, “the therapeutic” borrows a wonderful metaphor from medicine—“healing”—but reduces counseling problems to one aspect of a more complicated problem. Just as doctors aim to heal people, counselors speak of counseling in the same terms. But the problems which enter the counseling office are more complicated than that, involving not just the physical aspects of a person, but the mental, emotional, and spiritual. More importantly, the spiritual is always primary.
What are the advantages of church-based counseling?
9Marks
Church-based counseling places the counseling process into the context of leaders and people who are already responsible before God to watch over your soul. If you have a choice between (i) seeing someone who knows nothing about you and has no obligation to you outside of counseling or (ii) seeing someone who will give an account to God for how well he has watched over your soul (e.g. Heb. 13:17), who would you choose?
How is church-based counseling different from typical Christian counseling?
9Marks
It’s more community-driven than individualistic. Most Christian counseling is purely individualistic. One counselor counsels one counselee. Most Christian counselors talk about relationships but remain wholly disconnected from the other person’s life apart from scheduled, one-on-one meetings in the counselor’s office. On the other hand, church-based counseling is a team effort (Prov. 11:14, 21:26).
What is church-based counseling?
9Marks
Church-based counseling is an attempt to draw “counseling” into the general discipling work of the local church. It’s practicing counseling by equipping members and leaders to meet one another’s counseling needs rather than referring people “out” to experts.
How should biblical theology inform pastoral counseling?
9Marks
A pastor should apply all of Scripture to his people’s lives in light of the gospel. Biblical theology teaches a pastor how to do this. And this enables Christians to draw comfort, encouragement, and hope from all of Scripture, even parts of it that seem more distant from our lives.
What is wrong with the therapeutic approach to counseling?
By David Powlison | 03.01.2010The essential logic of the therapeutic gospel is this: your personal problems arise from being acted upon.
