Court Upholds Expulsion of Counseling Student Who Opposes Homosexuality

Todd Starnes of Fox News reports that a federal judge has ruled in favor of Eastern Michigan University’s removal of a Christian student, Julea Ward, from its graduate program in school counseling over her belief that homosexuality is morally wrong.

A Dangerous Precedence

Monday’s ruling, according to Ward’s attorneys, could result in Christian students across the country being expelled from public university for similar views. “It’s a very dangerous precedent,” Jeremy Tedesco, legal counsel for the conservative Alliance Defense Fund, told Fox News Radio. “The ruling doesn’t say that explicitly, but that’s what is going to happen.”

U.S. District Judge George Caram Steeh dismissed Ward’s lawsuit against Eastern Michigan University. She was removed from the school’s counseling program last year because she refused to counsel homosexual clients. The university contended she violated school policy and the American Counseling Association code of ethics.

“Christian students shouldn’t be expelled for holding to and abiding by their beliefs,” said ADF senior counsel David French. “To reach its decision, the court had to do something that’s never been done in federal court: uphold an extremely broad and vague university speech code.” The Alliance Defense Fund will appeal the ruling.

A Faulty Application

In his 48-page opinion, Judge Steeh claims the university had a rational basis for adopting the ACA Code of Ethics. “Furthermore, the university had a rational basis for requiring students to counsel clients without imposing their personal values,” he wrote in a portion of his ruling posted by The Detroit News. “In the case of Ms. Ward, the university determined that she would never change her behavior and would consistently refuse to counsel clients on matters with which she was personally opposed due to her religious beliefs – including homosexual relationships.”

There are several inconsistencies in Steeh’s judicial opinion. First, he claims she would be guilty of imposing her personal values, but then claims she would refuse to counsel clients on matters where her convictions were opposed to their views. Which is it?

Second, what would a non-religious counselor do if faced, as they often are, with a client who wants to either leave a homosexual lifestyle or deal with homosexual lusts and tendencies? The answer is obvious since the ACA has ruled that all “Reparative Therapy” (attempts to help individuals who want to leave the homosexual lifestyle) is unethical. Thus they would either have to impose their values on their client or refuse to counsel the client—exactly what Ward is said to be doing.

Third, counseling research has proven repeatedly that no counselor can counsel value-free. It’s obvious that the only values counselors are no longer free to practice are Christian values.

The Re-Programing of Committed Christians

Ward’s attorneys notes that the university told her she would only be allowed to remain in the program if she went through a “remediation” program so that she could “see the error of her ways” and change her belief system about homosexuality.

Tedesco said this case and others like them (see, for example, Augusta State University student told to change her Christian beliefs or leave) should be a warning to Christians attending public colleges and universities. “Public universities are imposing the ideological stances of private groups on their students,” he said. “If you don’t comply, you will be kicked out. It’s scary stuff and it’s not a difficult thing to see what’s coming down the pike.”

Join the Conversation

What is your opinion of the court’s ruling in this case?

Julea Ward

Tags: Alliance Defense Fund, Christian Counseling, Eastern Michigan University, Homosexuality, Julea Ward

The Remedy for Secular Psychology

A friend shares with you a set of emotional symptoms that leave the two of you stumped. Where do you turn for answers that make a real difference?

A parishioner tells you about a decade-old “besetting sin” that they just can’t find victory over. Where do you turn to discern root causes and robust cures?

Real Answers for Real People with Real Problems

Whether you’re a lay person or a pastor, where do you turn for real answers?

Unfortunately, too often, in our sincere desire to help our hurting friends, we race to the latest trends. We turn to secular psychology and find human-shaped answers for God-shaped problems. We discover human-sized solutions when what we really need are God-sized SOUL-u-tions.

There has to be a better way.

There is. It’s God’s way. It’s learning to be a soul physician from the ultimate Soul Physician—Christ. It’s Christ-centered, comprehensive, compassionate, and culturally-informed biblical counseling and spiritual formation.

It’s the way the Apostle Paul spoke about and prayed about in Philippians. “And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight” (Philippians 1:9).

Soul Physicians: The Remedy for Secular Psychology

It was in my first pastoral ministry that I began equipping lay people and pastors to become soul physicians. I longed for them to understand people, diagnose problems, and prescribe solutions—biblically. I long for you to do the same.

Twenty-five years later, I authored Soul Physicians: A Theology of Soul Care and Spiritual Direction. It’s the remedy for secular psychology.

It’s also the remedy for “take two verses and call me in the morning.” It remedies “secular help” and “shallow help.”

Soul Physicians helps you to help your friends. It empowers you to change lives with Christ’s changeless truth.

Unique Focus: Life’s Seven Ultimate Questions

Soul Physician explores from the Scriptures seven truths that shape the way we see life and ministry. These truths about life’s seven ultimate questions teach us what makes biblical counseling truly biblical.

• Question 1: “What is truth? Where do I find answers?” Answer 1—The Word: “God’s Word is sufficient, authoritative, profound, and relevant.”

• Question 2: “Who is God?” Answer 2—Community/The Creator: “God is Trinitarian.”

• Question 3: “Who am I”? Answer 3—Creation: “We are created with dignity by God in the image of Christ.”

• Question 4: “What went wrong?” Answer 4—Fall: “We sinfully and foolishly choose god-substitutes over God.”

• Question 5: “Can we change? How do people change?” Answer 5—Redemption: “We must apply our complete salvation to our daily sanctification.”

• Question 6—“Where am I headed? What is my destiny?” Answer 6—Consummation/Glorification: “Heaven is my final home.”

• Question 7—“Can I help? How can I help?” Answer 7—Sanctification/Ministry: “We dispense God’s cure for the soul—grace.”

Unique Features

• Soul Physicians includes a built-in personal application discussion guide to help develop the Christlike character of the biblical counselor.

• Soul Physicians includes a built-in ministry implication discussion guide to help develop the relational competence of the biblical counselor.

• Soul Physicians is written in the language of “theo-drama”—relating theology practically and powerfully to our calling to love God and to love one another.

• Soul Physicians is comprehensive and compassionate—blending robust biblical truth with caring one another application.

• Soul Physicians is perfect for individual and group work. Join the growing number of lay people, pastors, professional Christian counselors, and students who are using Soul Physicians as their twenty-first century manual for understanding people and ministering to them God’s way.

Learn More

To read what others are saying, to download a free sample chapter, and to order Soul Physicians at 40% off, visit my RPM Ministries Soul Physicians page.

Join the Conversation

Where are you turning to be equipped for one another ministry in the local church that trains you to understand people, diagnose problems, and prescribe solutions—biblically?

Tags: Biblical Counseling, Chistian Counseling, Soul Physicians, Spiritual Formation

The Remedy for “Take Two Verses and Call Me in the Morning”

Your friend tells you, “My spouse just left me.” What do you say? How do you help?

A parishioner shares, “Pastor, I can’t deal with my bitterness and anger.” How do you respond?

What Do I Do After the Hug?

Whether you’re a lay person or a pastor, what do you do after the hug? How are you being trained for biblical one another ministry in the local church? Unfortunately, even the Christian world seems to recommend two extremes.

Extreme # 1: Secular Help.—“The World’s Way”

Someone comes to us with a life struggle, and in our panic we race to the self-help shelf at the local bookstore. Or we type the topic in an Amazon.com search and we find a boatload of the world’s answers.

There has to be a better way.

Extreme # 2: Shallow Help—“Take Two Verses and Call Me in the Morning”

Or, in our attempts to be biblical, we become shallow. We quote a verse and rub it on like a band-aid. We wave a passage of Scripture like a magic wand.

There has to be a better way.

How to Care Like Christ: Helping You to Help Your Friend

Of course there’s a better way. It’s caring like Christ. It’s speaking and living the truth in love. It’s Christ-centered, comprehensive, compassionate, and culturally-informed biblical counseling and spiritual formation.

It’s caring like the Apostle Paul who said, “We loved you so much that we gave you not only the Scriptures, but our own souls, because you were dear to us’ (1 Thessalonians 2:8).

Spiritual Friends: The Remedy for “Take Two Verses and Call Me in the Morning”

It was in my first pastoral ministry that I began equipping lay people and pastors in spiritual friendship. I longed for them to combine truth and love, Scripture and soul, so they could help others with suffering and sin. I long for you to do the same.

Twenty-five years later, I authored Spiritual Friends: A Methodology of Soul Care and Spiritual Direction. It’s the remedy for “take two verses and call me in the morning.” It’s the remedy to shallow help and to secular help.

Spiritual Friends helps you to help your friends. It equips you to change lives with Christ’s changeless truth.

Unique Focus

• Spiritual Friends trains you, step-by-step, in a relational model for dealing with suffering and with sin.

• Spiritual Friends equips you to develop five “GRACE” biblical counseling skills to offer sustaining help for suffering. “It’s Normal to Hurt.”

• Spiritual Friends equips you to develop five “RESTS” biblical counseling skills to offer healing hope for suffering. “It’s Possible to Hope”

• Spiritual Friends equips you to develop six “PEACEE” biblical counseling skills to offer reconciling care-fronting for sin and growth in grace. “It’s Horrible to Sin, but Wonderful to Be Forgiven.”

• Spiritual Friends equips you to develop six “FAITHH” biblical counseling skills to offer guiding wisdom for sin and growth in grace. “It’s Supernatural to Mature.”

Unique Features

• Spiritual Friends includes a built-in application guide to help you to grow in Christ-like character.

• Spiritual Friends is a biblically-relevant training manual with thousands of sample “spiritual conversations” that model how to speak the truth in love.

• Spiritual Friends is a relational practical workbook with hundreds of skill-building exercises to train you in the art of spiritual friendship/biblical counseling.

• With scores of role-plays, vignettes, life applications, and ministry implications—Spiritual Friends is perfect for individual and group work. A growing number of church small groups, church lay counseling training ministries, pastors, professional Christian counselors, and students are using Spiritual Friends as their twenty-first century manual for people helping.

Learn More

To read what others are saying, to download a free sample chapter, and to order Spiritual Friends at 40% off, please visit my RPM Ministries Spiritual Friends page.

Join the Conversation

How are you being equipped for biblical one another ministry in the local church?

Tags: Biblical Counseling, Christian Counseling, Spiritual Formation, Spiritual Friends

Top Ten Trends in Biblical Counseling from 2000-2009

Part 1: Trends 10-6

Do you remember where you were when “Y2K” did not hit? That was the beginning of the decade that people don’t know what to call. Is it the zeros?

People often like to label decades by “themes.” I’ve already heard some people call the past decade the “Selfish Decade.”

While there’s certainly plenty of negatives to toss about, I’d like to consider some positives. Remember, “Aslan is still on the move!”

Here are the first five of my top ten positive trends in biblical counseling over the past ten years (in reverse order, of course, to heighten anticipation!).

10. Synergy Is Energy

Instead of territory-protecting and camp-building, increasingly biblical counseling groups are choosing to work together and to learn from each other. For example, Jeremy Lelek and the Association of Biblical Counselors (ABC) are to be commended for hosting a symposium that brought together leaders from Faith Biblical Counseling Ministries (FBCM), the Christian Counseling and Educational Foundation (CCEF), the Biblical Counseling and Spiritual Formation Network (BCSFN), and the Society for Christian Psychology (SCP).

9. Positive Perspective

For too long, modern biblical counseling suffered under the stereotype of what it was against. Over the past decade a shift has taken place as we’ve focused more on what we’re for. For example, the BCSFN, which was launched this decade, included “being a positive voice for biblical counseling” in its vision statement. The SCP purposes to develop from the Scriptures and Church history a positive presentation of a psychology (understanding of the soul as designed by God) that is thoroughly Christian.

8. New Gen Leadership

We all ought to be grateful for the “founders” of the “modern” biblical counseling movement. I’m also grateful for a new generation of leaders in biblical counseling. Examples abound. I think of Pastor Rob Green at Faith Biblical Counseling Ministries and Faith Seminary, of Chris Boucher at Capital Bible Seminary, Brad Hambrick of Crossroads Counseling, and Garrett Higbee of Twelve Stones Ministries.

7. Local Church Equipping

There’s a growing movement to return biblical counseling and spiritual friendship to its rightful place—the local church. Pastors are being equipped to equip their people for one another ministry. Among many examples are the CCEF, the BCSFN, FBCM, the ABC, Rick Thomas of The Counseling Solutions Group, and my own RPM Ministries all have well-developed local church equipping models, conferences, seminars, and consulting ministries. And individual churches are increasingly becoming equipping centers, such as Faith Baptist under the leadership of Pastor Steve Viars, Harvest Bible Chapel under the leadership of Pastor James MacDonald and Dr. Garrett Higbee, and New Antioch Baptist Church’s “LEAD” ministry under the direction of Sister Ellen Barney (where she has trained over 500 women in spiritual friendship). These equipping ministries and churches understand that biblical counseling is a normal part of the one another ministry that God calls every believer to participate in.

6. Compassionate Care

There was a time when “modern biblical counseling” was stereotyped as “harsh confrontation.” Joyfully, that label is dissipating as biblical counselors embrace a biblical sufferology. Biblical counseling is addressing how to provide soul care through sustaining and healing for suffering. It is also addressing how to provide gentle, humble spiritual direction for sin and sanctification through reconciling and guiding. Paul Tautges’ Comfort Those Who Grieve is one excellent example of biblical counseling for suffering. Ian Jones’ Counsel of Heaven on Earth is a great example of compassionate care for both suffering and sin. My own work, Spiritual Friends equips readers with twenty-two biblical counseling relational competencies for helping those who are suffering and sinning to move toward growth in grace.

The Rest of the Story

Be sure to join us for Part II when I share top trends 5-1 related to biblical counseling from 2000-2009.

Join the Conversation

What top trends would you add to this list?

What individuals, groups, churches, and books would you add to trends 10-6?

Tags: Biblical Counseling, Christian Counseling, Spiritual Formation, Top Ten, Trends

The Anatomy of Anxiety

Part 23: Christ’s Peace Plan

Note: For previous posts in this blog mini-series, visit: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, and 22.

Life Focus: Does worry, doubt, or fear get the best of you sometimes? Do you wonder where anxiety comes from and how to defeat it in your life and the lives of those you love? Then we need a biblical anatomy of anxiety. We need God’s prescription for victory over anxiety.

Five Peace-Producing Principles

In one verse (Philippians 4:6), in the context of one chapter, in the context of one book, in the context of the Gospel, Paul has taught us five peace-producing principles:

1. Guard My Relationship to God My Guard

2. Engage in Worship Prayer Focused on God’s Character

3. Open My Palms to God

4. See God As a Rewarder, Not a Hoarder

5. Faithfully Trust My Faithful Father

But just what is the nature of this peace?

“And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7).

Three False Peace Plans

1. God’s Peace Is Not Irrational

Peace doesn’t ignore the reality of the situation around us. It’s not Pollyanna Christianity pretending life is wonderful. It’s not living in denial of problems, suffering, troubles, and stresses.

2. God’s Peace Is Not Circumstantial

There’s no promise that the anxiety-prompting events will magically disappear. In fact, Jesus makes the opposite promise. “In me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).

3. God’s Peace Is Not Predominantly Emotional

We don’t eliminate emotions. We manage emotions. We bring spirituality and rationality to our emotionality.

Recall our “anatomy of anxiety.” Emotions are God-given. The core emotion underlying negative anxiety is our God-given emotional gift of vigilance—an emotional response to threat.

An external threat prompts an internal reaction. We can respond in an ungodly way: stuck vigilance leading to self-trust, self-protection, and fight or flight behavior. We can respond in a godly way: wise vigil based upon faith in God and protection of others.

Christ’s Peace Plan: Core Rest Despite External Stress and Internal Distress

1. Christ’s Peace Is Rational: Reason Redeemed by Faith

Paul says God’s peace transcends all understanding. It’s not irrational. It’s super-rational. It’s reason redeemed by faith!

Peace brings rationality and spirituality to our emotionality. Our vigil detector screams, “Incoming missile! Take cover!” Or, if you’re a Star Trek fan, “Red alert! Red alert! Shields up! Evasive maneuvers!”

Our emotions scream, “Take control! Trust self! Protect self!”

However, our rational spirituality says, “Shh. Quiet. Calm down. Look at this real threat with spiritual eyes. What has God promised in Christ? He has overcome the world. He has won the fight, so you don’t have to fight in self-trust. He has won the final victory, so you don’t have to flee in self-protection.”

That’s why Paul says God’s peace guards our hearts and minds. “Heart” in the Bible is a comprehensive term with a focus on our rational, volitional, moral control center. “Mind” is thoughts, mental reflections, images, and beliefs.

God’s peace helps us to reinterpret life based upon God’s perspective. God’s peace helps us to see life through the lens of God’s promises based upon God’s character.

2. Christ’s Peace Is Supernatural: Whole, Healthy, and Holy in Christ

“Peace” means wholeness, unity, integration, rest. When we’re anxious, we feel the opposite. We say, “I’m coming unglued. I’m falling apart. My life is disintegrating!” Or, if we’re a Star Trek fan, “The shields are breakin’ up Capt’n Kirk. I can’t hold ‘em together much longer like this!”

God’s shalom is core rest despite external stress and internal distress.

Core rest: I am supernaturally at rest—whole, healthy, and holy. External stress: Even when real threats attack me. Internal Stress: Even when my emotional sentinel is clanging “Red alert!”

It’s supernatural because it is God’s guarding peace. Paul says God’s peace shall guard—garrison. God’s peace is the sentinel that mounts a guard over our hearts and minds. God’s powerful sentry of peace garrisons my heart and guards my mind—protecting my thought life. God’s peace stays on sentry duty continuously, without interruption, so I can relax my stuck vigilance. I can rest.

Peace is supernatural because it is in Christ. “It will guard your hearts and minds in Christ.”

In Christ, God demonstrates once and for all that nothing can separate us from our Sentinel. We have the peace of God because we have the promise in Christ of peace with God.

Since my ultimate fear of separation from the God of the universe is calmed in Christ, then I can face all other real, but smaller, fears through Christ who promises that He is my Sentinel who has overcome all the world’s threats.

Making It Real

1. Am I looking at life threats with spiritual eyes? Am I looking at life’s stresses through the lens of God’s protective promises based upon God’s faithful character?

2. Am I experiencing core rest despite external stress and internal distress? Is my daily peace based upon my understanding of my eternal peace with God in Christ?

The Rest of the Story

We’ve been looking at the foundation of peace—spiritual peace. There’s still more. In the coming days we’ll ask, “What additional biblical principles can we apply to our lives to find God’s peace?”

Tags: Biblical Counseling, Christian Counseling, Peace, Philippians 4:6-7

Conversations on the Future of Biblical Counseling

Part 3: Who Is Competent to Counsel?

Note: Welcome to our blog mini-series on The Future of Biblical Counseling. I’m sharing my expanded version of an interview Brad Hambrick (BCH) of the ABC did with me. Read earlier posts: post 1 , post 2.

BCH: Who do you mean when you say biblical counseling—not name or organization, but target audience? How broadly or narrowly are you using that term?

Are these (a) dreams for self-identified counselors who believe their counseling is biblical; (b) dreams for the entire Church because of the “one another” commands of New Testament given to all Christians; or (c) dreams for those who hold to a certain set of convictions regarding counseling?”

RWK: As I penned my definition of biblical counseling, and as I dream about the future of biblical counseling, my target audience includes several groups. Dream eleven, which we will discuss in more detail later, states that biblical counseling is universal—it is what lay people do as spiritual friends, what pastors do as soul physicians, and what professional Christian/biblical counselors do as soul care-givers, and what educators do as equippers.

I base this expansive dream upon Paul’s conviction in Romans 15:14. “I myself am convinced that you yourselves are full of goodness, complete in knowledge, and competent to counsel one another.”

Lay People as Spiritual Friends

First, I dream about the future of biblical counseling for lay believers. My passion is the local church. The holy of holies of my local church passion is the equipping of the saints to do the work of the ministry.

I tell my graduate students that the M in MA stands for Master which means you master something so well that you equip others to do it also. My greatest joy is to see our graduate students equip their people for lay discipleship (which is what biblical counseling is—discipleship).

For instance, Sister Ellen Barney is the “First Lady” (pastor’s wife) in a large African American church in Maryland. In the past seven years she has equipped over 500 women as Lay Encouragers And Disciplers (LEADers). When I speak at their elaborate graduation ceremonies, she says, “Dr. Kellemen, these are your grandbabies!”

I dream of grandbabies and great-grandbabies in every local church. Each of the twelve dreams are dreams I have for lay spiritual friends—that their ministries would be scriptural, theological, historical, positive, relational, relevant, transformative, comprehensive in theory, comprehensive in methodology, comprehensive in equipping, universal, and multi-cultural.

Pastors as Soul Physicians

Second, I write and dream for pastors as soul physicians. Having pastored most of my adult life, and ministering to pastors for the rest of my adult life, I have a heart for pastors.

I absolutely believe in the pulpit ministry of the Word. I believe most Evangelical seminaries train pastors well for the pulpit. I happen also to believe in the personal ministry of the Word. Unfortunately, I think most Evangelical seminaries drop the ball in training pastors as soul physicians. If they train them at all, it is one course and that one course often is more psychological than it is theological/biblical.

I dream of the day when pastors are not only equipped to counsel biblically, but they are equipped to equip others. The church, as my friend Pastor Steve Viars points out, should not simply have biblical counseling, it should be a church that is a biblical counseling discipleship ministry. The sufficiency and relevancy of Scripture and the art of helping people to grow in grace (progressive sanctification) should be central to what every pastor equips his church to be.

Professional Christian Counselors as Soul Care-Givers and Spiritual Directors

Third, I write and dream for professional Christian counselors as soul care-givers and spiritual directors. These are dear people, committed people, godly men and women. Some of them will tell you that they have more training in secular psychology than they do in biblical counseling.

But frankly, even when we have a seminary-level knowledge of the Bible, we need equipping to learn how to relate the Biblical text to people’s lives. While I was at seminary, I worked for four years on a psychiatric inpatient unit. I worked hard to relate God’s truth to human relationships in a way that made a lasting difference. My passion is to help professional Christian counselors to use Christ’s changeless truth (Scripture) to change lives (soul) in our changing times (society) through a comprehensive approach to biblical counseling and spiritual formation.

Professors, Educators, and Students as Equippers

Fourth, I write and dream for professors, educators, and equippers. We need to equip the equippers who equip others also.

I pray and dream that as professors equip men and women for biblical counseling that they are equipping lay, pastoral, and professional counselors for biblical counseling that is Christ-centered, comprehensive, compassionate, and culturally-informed. The equipping of the next generation starts with this generation’s educators.

Extending the Conversation

1. Who do you think God calls to be biblical counselors? Who is competent to counsel?

2. What different roles might be best suited for lay people, pastors, professional Christian counselors, and educators?

3. Do you agree or disagree that every person can become competent to counsel?

The Rest of the Story

So what does make biblical counseling truly biblical? I invite you to return for our next post as I begin to outline my answer to that by sharing my twelve dreams for the future of biblical counseling.

Tags: Biblical Counseling, Christian Counseling, Christian Counselors, Pastoral Counseling

Conversations on the Future of Biblical Counseling

Part 2: What Makes Biblical Counseling Biblical?

Note: We’re in the midst of a blog mini-series on The Future of Biblical Counseling. Brad Hambrick (BCH) of the Association of Biblical Counselors (ABC) interviewed me about this vital topic. I’m sharing my updated, expanded version of those conversations. Find post one here.  

BCH: It’s hard to even engage a conversation until we have defined our central term. In your original article, even before you started sharing your twelve dreams, you defined “biblical counseling.”

RWK: I agree completely Brad. Here’s how I began that initial article.

What Does Biblical Counseling Mean to You?

As I speak around the country on biblical counseling and spiritual formation, I’m frequently asked the question. “When you say ‘biblical counseling,’ you don’t mean ___________ do you?” Various people fill in that blank with different labels—all negative to them. What a shame that placing the word “biblical” in front of “counseling” causes so many in the church to recoil in fear. Something has gone terribly wrong.

But there’s good news—the tide is turning. Warped caricatures of biblical counseling are being replaced by scripturally and historically accurate portraits of counseling that are truly biblical—and attractive (Titus 2:10). While no one can provide the final, authoritative definition of biblical counseling, I offer for your consideration this summary understanding.

My Definition of Biblical Counseling

Christ-centered, comprehensive, compassionate, and culturally-informed biblical counseling depends upon the Holy Spirit to relate God’s inspired truth about people, problems, and solutions to human suffering (through the Christian soul care arts of sustaining and healing) and sin (through the Christian spiritual direction arts of reconciling and guiding) to empower people to exalt and enjoy God and to love others (Matthew 22:35-40) by cultivating conformity to Christ and communion with Christ and the Body of Christ.

Given this working definition, envision with me the nature and shape of the future of biblical counseling—twelve dreams of one possible future for biblical counseling as practiced by lay spiritual friends, pastors, and professional Christian counselors.

Twelve Dreams for the Future of Biblical Counseling

I then unpacked those twelve dreams. Since our conversation will discuss them in detail, I’ll only outline them now.

1. Dream Number One: Biblical Counseling Will Be Scriptural

2. Dream Number Two: Biblical Counseling Will Be Theological

3. Dream Number Three: Biblical Counseling Will Be Historical

4. Dream Number Four: Biblical Counseling Will Be Positive

5. Dream Number Five: Biblical Counseling Will Be Relational

6. Dream Number Six: Biblical Counseling Will Be Relevant

7. Dream Number Seven: Biblical Counseling Will Be Transformative

8. Dream Number Eight: Biblical Counseling Will Be Comprehensive in Theory

9. Dream Number Nine: Biblical Counseling Will Be Comprehensive in Methodology

10. Dream Number Ten: Biblical Counseling Will Be Comprehensive in Equipping

11. Dream Number Eleven: Biblical Counseling Will Be Universal

12. Dream Number Twelve: Biblical Counseling Will Be Culturally-Informed

Extending the Conversation

1. How would you define biblical counseling?

2. How would your definition of biblical counseling be different from mine?

3. If you were to outline a dozen dreams for the future of biblical counseling, what might some of them be?

The Rest of the Story

I invite you to return tomorrow as we discuss “who” biblical counseling is “for”? Is it just what pastors do? Professionals? Is it what lay people do in one another spiritual friendship?

Tags: Biblical Counseling, Christian Counseling, Future of Biblical Counseling

Conversations on the Future of Biblical Counseling

Part I: What About Brad? What About Bob?

Some History

In my role as Director of the Biblical Counseling and Spiritual Formation Network (BCSFN), I was asked to share my vision of the future of biblical counseling. The American Association of Christian Counselors (AACC) published my vision in Christian Counseling Today. You can download that article for free here. 

Not long after the publication of The Future of Biblical Counseling: Dreaming a Dozen Dreams, Brad Hambrick of the Association of Biblical Counselors (ABC) asked if we could engaged in a series of conversations unpacking my twelve dreams.

What you’re about to read is my updated, edited version of my original article and of my extended conversation with Brad. I share it with the desire to continue the conversation by inviting you to dialogue about what makes biblical counseling truly biblical.

What About Brad?: Brad Hambrick’s Introduction

When was the last time you had a long conversation about your hopes and dreams for biblical counseling? When was the last time you sat down with someone who has spent over two decades studying, living, pastoring, and analyzing biblical counseling to glean from their experience and journey? When was the last time you allowed yourself to be challenged and asked challenging questions about your theory and practice of counseling?

I hope your answer to these questions is recently, but not many of us have the blessing of time or an experienced partner for such edifying talks. This was my (Brad Hambrick) privilege in a series of five conversations with Dr. Robert Kellemen.

The outline for these extended conversations comes from Dr. Kellemen’s article The Future of Biblical Counseling: Dreaming a Dozen Dreams. After reading the article, I asked Dr. Kellemen if he would be willing to engage in a series of conversations that would seek to “unpack” his dreams for The Journal of Counseling & Discipleship. We intentionally wrote conversationally in order to allow the articles to have a personal rather than academic feel.

Our goal was not simply to trace the history of biblical counseling from Dr. Kellemen’s experience in order to dream about its future, but to model mutually-respectful, thought-provoking conversation about the history, theory, practice, and future of biblical counseling. We do not always share the same conclusions (doubtless many readers may disagree with both of us in the pages that follow), although I greatly respect his core convictions and heart for biblical counseling.

What About Bob?: Getting to Know Dr. Robert W. Kellemen

BCH: Dr. Kellemen would you please take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers. As we get ready to discuss your dreams for the future of biblical counseling, I think it would help our readers to know a bit of your background, testimony, counseling heritage, and ministry settings.

 RWK: Brad, thanks for the opportunity to engage you and your readers on the vital issue of the future of biblical counseling. And thank you for allowing me to start at a personal level.

Early Roots and Counseling Heritage

In 1974, I was saved as a teenager at Grace Baptist Church in Gary, Indiana under the ministry of Pastor Bill Goode, who many of your readers knew well as a pioneer in biblical counseling. I was discipled by Pastor Ron Allchin, another leader in the biblical counseling movement. I also grew up with and remain great friends with Pastor Steve Viars, yet another biblical counseling leader.

As for my counseling heritage, as your readers can tell, I was weaned on biblical counseling. I also studied under Drs. Larry Crabb and Dan Allender at Grace Theological Seminary. My own approach to counseling, to be honest, was developed during some “counseling wars” at Grace Seminary in the early 80s. I kept thinking, “Surely the Church has always been about the business of helping hurting and hardened people.” So, I started devouring Church history. I wrote my Ph.D. dissertation on Martin Luther’s pastoral counseling.

I would say that people like Augustine, Martin Luther, John Calvin, and Jonathan Edwards have shaped my understanding of the Bible’s teaching on Biblical Counseling as much as or more than modern writers. Of course, like all biblical counselors, I would like to think that the Scriptures themselves shape my thinking on biblical counseling.

Education and Experience

I graduated from Baptist Bible College in Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania with my BS in Bible and Pastoral Ministry, from Grace Theological Seminary in Winona Lake, Indiana with my Th.M. in Theology and Biblical Counseling, and from Kent State University in Kent, Ohio with my Ph.D. in Counselor Education.

I have pastored three churches, one as a Sr. Pastor, and in all three churches a major emphasis of my ministry has been training lay Biblical Counselors. For a dozen years, I served as chairman of the MA in Christian Counseling and Discipleship (MACCD) Department at Capital Bible Seminary in Lanham, Maryland. I also was the founding Director of the Biblical Counseling and Spiritual Formation Network (BCSFN), a division within the American Association of Christian Counselors (AACC).

Resources on Biblical Counseling

I have authored five books on Biblical Counseling. Soul Physicians: A Theology of Soul Care and Spiritual Direction (BMH Books, 2007), Spiritual Friends: A Methodology of Soul Care and Spiritual Direction (BMH Books, 2007), Beyond the Suffering: Embracing the Legacy of African American Soul Care and Spiritual Direction (Baker Books, 2007), Sacred Friendships: Celebrating the Legacy of Women Heroes of the Faith (BMH Books, 2009), and God’s Healing for Life’s Losses: How to Find Hope When Your Hurting (BMH Books, 2010). I’m passionate about historic, Evangelical spiritual care—the pastor as soul physician, and God’s people as spiritual friends to one another.

RPM Ministries

I am the Founder of RPM Ministries (www.rpmministries.org). Through RPM Ministries I speak around the country on Christ-centered, comprehensive, compassionate, and culturally-informed Biblical Counseling. I also provide consultation ministry for churches looking to start lay Biblical Counseling ministries.

Family

My wife, Shirley, is an elementary kindergarten teacher and the most gracious encourager I have ever known. She and I have been married for twenty-nine years and live in Crown Point, Indiana. Our son, Josh, is a second-year law student and is married to his college sweetheart, Andi. Our daughter, Marie, is a college senior at Purdue majoring in chemistry. For over two decades, I have loved coaching high school wrestling (in all my spare time).

Extending the Conversation

1. You know some of my story, what’s your story of involvement with and training in Christian biblical counseling?

2. How often have you seen, heard, or engaged in mutually-respectful, thought-provoking conversations about Christian living and ministry? Why does it often seem difficult to do so?

3. How would you define biblical counseling?

The Rest of the Story

I invite you to return tomorrow as I outline the twelve dreams for the future of biblical counseling.  

Brad Hambrick

Tags: Biblical Counseling, Future of Biblical Counseling, Kellemen, Spiritual Formation

Enjoy a Biblical Counseling Conference: In Your Home, For Free!

Do you care deeply but sometimes wonder what to do after the hug?

Through some great partnerships, you’re able to learn how to care like Christ.

And…it’s free.

And…you can do it from the comfort of your own home.

Over the course of two weeks, we’ll have four interactive webinar sessions that each last an hour.

What Will You Learn?

1. How to Identify the Ruling Motives of the Heart. Rick Thomas, December 1, 7 PM EST.

2. How to Help People Overcome Addiction to Pornography. Luke Gilkerson, December 3, 7 PM EST.

3. How to Empathize with and Encourage Hurting Friends (My Session). Bob Kellemen, December 8, 7 PM EST.

4. How to Resolve Conflict in Marriage. Brad Hambrick, December 10, 7 PM EST.

How Will It Work?

I’m excited to be part of an incredible teaching and training series that will be offered in webinar format. You’ll be able to attend and follow along with a computer, an Internet connection and if needed, a phone. If you have speakers and a sound card connected to your computer, you won’t even need the phone!

Once you register for the event, you will receive a unique login link along with a phone number, in case you need it. At the time of the webinar, you just click on the link and you will be able to view and hear the live training. There is a built-in web chat function that allows you to ask questions in real time.

How to Join

Between all of the partners who are organizing these webinars, around 200,000 people are receiving this notice. We only have room for 1,000 people per webinar, so it’s a good idea to register quickly if you want to participate.

Just click on the following link to get more details and to register for the first webinar:

Register Here

That’s all there is to it!

Tags: Biblical Counseling, Webinar

Book Review Details

*Authors: Elyse M. Fitzpatrick and Dennis E. Johnson

*Publisher: Crossway Books (2009)

*Category: Biblical Counseling, Ministry, Church, Christian Living

Reviewed By: Bob Kellemen, Ph.D., LCPC, Author of Soul Physicians, Spiritual Friends, Beyond the Suffering, Sacred Friendships, and God’s Healing for Life’s Losses. Find all of Bob’s book reviews, blogs, and free resources at www.rpmministries.org.

Recommended: Counsel from the Cross is the next generation text for Christian counselors and the next generation manual for Christian living for believers. This book excels at explaining the connection between the Christian gospel and Christian counseling.

Authors Elyse Fitzpatrick and Dennis Johnson state in their preface that they want to lay before their readers the provocative claim that “the cross of Christ and the gospel that proclaim it really are ‘the power of God for salvation [comprehensive rescue] to everyone who believes’ (Rom. 1:16.” Their book Counsel from the Cross engagingly demonstrates that in the cross lies the power to liberate hearts and to instill hope. Thankfully, they have the audacity to believe that change can actually happen—because of what Christ has already done.

Infinitely Loved by an Infinitely Loving God

Paul Tripp gets it right in his back-cover recommendation when he says the book is “a triumph of a maturing biblical counseling movement.” At times, the modern biblical counseling movement has been good at communicating, “It’s horrible to sin,” but not always as good at communicating, “It’s wonderful to be forgiven.” Fitzpatrick and Johnson understand the truth of Romans 5:20 that where sin abounds, grace super-abounds. They understand our guilt before a holy God and our salvation from a loving God. As they beautifully state it, “The cross declares that we are loved with an intensity that defies our capacity to comprehend, not because we are intrinsically lovable but because God is intrinsically love.”

The authors rightfully claim and artfully present throughout their book that “in the cross of Christ and in the surprising combination of ego-smashing humility and despair-smashing confidence . . . lies the power to set struggling people free.” In this, they follow the ancient Puritan arts of loading the conscience with guilt and of lightening the conscience with grace. They follow the principle of historic reconciliation that combines the truths that “it’s horrible to sin, and wonderful to be forgiven.”

The Cure-All that Cures All

Here’s the profound truth communicated in Counsel from the Cross. “We believe that when God the Creator provides a cure-all, it really cures all.” Fitzpatrick and Johnson are convinced that “this reality is profoundly relevant to the way Christian counselors address the struggles of those who come to them for help.”

Upon this foundation, the authors send the following invitation to their readers. “So we invite you to join us in a venture of exploration to discover the power to defeat sin and sadness, conflict and bitterness, and self-pity and self-contempt, not by walking beyond the gospel that first brought us into the favor and family of God but rather by moving more deeply into that same gospel.”

Martin Luther based his ministry of spiritual consolation and spiritual direction upon the truth that “sanctification is the art of getting used to our justification.” Fitzpatrick and Johnson similarly believe that the truth of our acceptance before God by Christ’s righteousness alone must be made practical as we live our everyday lives. They say it so memorably. “We become people who ask WWJD (What would Jesus do?) without ever considering the gospel or WDJD (What did Jesus do?). They add: “We naively press the gospel out to the margins of our faith because we have never really been taught how it’s meant to connect with our daily lives.”

Salvation Grace and Sanctification Grace

Beginning in chapter one with the truth that we are loved by God in Christ, they begin to demonstrate how the applied knowledge of our grace acceptance changes everything about how we view God, ourselves, and others. Continuing in the second chapter, they help us to understand that Christ’s salvation grace is also sanctification grace. The same grace that saved and cleansed us from sin equally empowers us day-by-day to be victorious over sin and in suffering.

Chapter three explains why it is so important to remember and apply God’s immeasurable love: because we have a love problem. No, it’s not that we don’t love ourselves enough. It’s because we love God too little and false gods too much. “Every false god we serve . . . has the power to entice and entrap us only because our love for the Lord is weak.” So we must remember God’s love for us in Christ for one reason: our love for God and for others is responsive in nature. We love God in response to His love for us (1 John 4:19-20). We will never be able to mortify our sins, Fitzpatrick and Johnson correctly explain, “if we are unsure or doubtful about God’s disposition toward us, if we think that he is unloving, displeased, or angry.”

Chapter four explains how believing God’s grace love for us impels us to love Him and others. They call the person who “gets this” the “gospel-centered Christian.” The rest of the book then builds upon these first four chapters as it elaborates upon such relevant themes as gospel-centered counseling, the gospel and our sanctification, the gospel and our emotions, the gospel and our relationships, and the gospel story and the glory story (chapters four-to-nine, respectively).

Applying Timeless Truths in Timely Ways

The authors begin with their definition of counseling. “Gospel-centered counseling is the process of one Christian coming alongside another with words of truth to encourage, admonish, comfort, and help—words drawn from Scriptures, grounded in the gracious saving work of Jesus Christ, and presented in the context of relationship.” They are to be commended for such a Christ-centered, comprehensive, and compassionate description of biblical counseling.

They aren’t finished. “The goal of this counseling is that the brother or sister in need of counsel would grow in his or her understanding of the gospel and how it applies to every area of life and then respond in grateful obedience in every circumstance, all to the building up of the church and for the glory of God.” Counseling is not ultimately about the counselee. Counseling is ultimately about the Divine Counselor. And counseling, though perceived to be so individualistic, in the eyes and hands of Fitzpatrick and Johnson, is corporate and communal.

In this chapter (chapter five), the authors build an absolutely necessary foundation. We can change because we have already been changed. We can put off the old, because in Christ we are new creations. They believe that some modern approaches to biblical counseling have focused on biblical imperatives absence an equal focus on our new identity in Christ (what I would call our “new nature”) and our new relationship to Christ (what I would call our “new nurture”). Gospel-centered counseling applies our justification, regeneration, reconciliation, and redemption to our lives so that the motivation for change and the hope for change both derive from what Christ has already done and not from human self-effort. Chapter six then uses several real-life vignettes to contrast and compare how gospel-centered counseling, versus other approaches to counseling, would address the issue of sanctification—daily growth in grace into the image of Christ.

How does this “play itself out” practically? Fitzpatrick and Johnson answer that question by addressing the gospel and our emotions (chapter seven). They begin by describing the complex interworking of our body and soul. They comprehensively detail the soul as including our capacities to think and reason, emote, and choose. They then carefully explain the interaction of our brain/mind and body/soul relative to emotions. The authors use several narratives and illustrations relative to various emotions to explain their theory of applying the gospel to troubling feelings and mood states. Chapter eight follows a similar pattern as it applies the gospel to our relationships. Here they highlight the importance of our religious affections (love for God) as the basis for holy and healthy human relationships.

In their final chapter (chapter nine), the authors discuss two hugely different ideas of the “glory story.” The secular glory story teaches that we can attain glory by hard work, self-discipline, and the right list of activities. The scriptural glory story teaches us that our current maturity (sanctification) and our future glory (glorification) are grace-based. Our future promised victory over sin motivates us today to cling to Christ’s grace for progressive sanctification as we battle idols of the heart and besetting sins.

Pursuing Counsel from the Cross

In the spirit of the book’s entire message of applying truth to life, Fitzpatrick and Johnson include in each chapter personal illustrations, counseling vignettes, and real-life narratives. They also conclude each chapter with a built-in discussion/application guide aptly labeled Pursuing Counsel from the Cross. Their questions are carefully crafted to engage readers in personalizing the truths in each chapter by applying them to their lives and ministries.

Counsel from the Cross is a refreshing, nourishing, and nurturing examination of what makes biblical counseling truly biblical and what makes Christian living truly Christian. Pastors, counselors, educators, and students would all do well to build their ministries upon this model. As believers, we would all do well to build our lives upon the life, death, burial, and resurrection of Christ—as explained in Counsel from the Cross.