Jay Adams Is Deep and Compassionate

My two-hour flight home from two days of team meetings at Capital Bible Seminary provided some time for reflection. In particular, I pondered Jay Adams’ nouthetic counseling model. 

Here’s a summary of my “second look” at Adams.

Jay Adams Was/Is a Model Builder and a Movement Builder 

While the Puritans were great builders of soul care and shepherding models, since their day few Christians have developed, from scratch, a biblically-based approach to people, problems, and solutions. Adams has done so…from scratch, not building on other current models, but building on God’s Word.

Whether or not you agree with Jay Adams’ model is not my point. My point is to affirm the facts: who else in Christian circles in the past fifty years has independently built a unique, new, fresh, comprehensive approach to counseling?

Add to that…a model that became a sustained “movement.” The “biblical counseling movement” is now entering its third generation. It has grown, changed, and developed as Powlison’s book and Lambert’s book indicate. But it traces its roots to Jay Adams.

I try to imagine what it must have been like to be starting from scratch in the early 70s. Counseling every day, studying Scripture, applying truth to the lives of hurting and hardened parishioners, teaching others, writing books, and shepherding a growing movement. Again, disagree with “the movement” if you want to, but let’s give Jay Adams credit for the massive work of building a fresh model and a sustained movement while pastoring/shepherding/counseling real folks with real life issues.

Jay Adams Was/Is a Comprehensive Theorizer 

While the Puritans were great soul physicians developing theological manuals about the soul, since their day few Christians have developed a counseling/shepherding/pastoring-focused theological and practical manual. Adams has.

Yes, many today are penning “Christian counseling” and “biblical counseling” books. But few seek to provide a comprehensive theology/theory of people, problems, and solutions. Adams did throughout his writings, and particularly with A Theology of Christian Counseling: More Than Redemption, The Christian Counselor’s Manual, and Competent to Counsel.

In the past fifty years a few others have sought to develop a comprehensive theory of Christian/biblical counseling: Larry Crabb with Understanding People and his other writings, Eric Johnson with Foundations of Soul Care, myself with Soul Physicians and Spiritual Friends. While these authors vary greatly from one another, they have in common writing not only about particular counseling issues and practical counseling methods, but seeking to develop a comprehensive Christian theory. Adams paved the way.

Like or dislike his theory/model, but don’t call him shallow. Disagree with him at specific points if you decide to, but do it engaging his actual (copious) writings, not as a broad brush stroke: “He’s not deep,” or “He’s too ________.” It’s easy to make those charges about anyone…in the abstract…

Here’s one specific example. Some claim that Adams’ “dehabituation and rehabituation” model is shallow and behavioral. Anyone saying that should read Kent Dunnington’s Addiction and Virtue. While I suspect that Adams might disagree with a decent amount of Dunnington’s book, nonetheless, the book demonstrates that “habit” is a deeply theological and philosophical construct with literally 1,000s of years of history behind it.

Dunnington builds a sophisticated case that habit is anything but “behavioralistic.” Habit, rightly understood, as Adams did, is about motivations of the heart—how they are structured, deconstructed, and reconstructed. Again, disagree with Adams “take” on “habituation” if you wish, but at least engage the depth of his insights with specific reasons for disagreement…

Jay Adams Was/Is a Rare Combination: A Theologian/Practitioner 

I’ve already “hinted at” this category. Jay was doing all of this “theological theorizing” while pastoring, shepherding, discipling, and equipping. His in-depth thinking about the Bible’s truth about people, problems, and solutions was never done as some “ivory tower academic.” It was never uncoupled from the real life struggles that parishioners and counselees were bringing to him daily.

Fifty years later, we have some folks who are good writers of theory/theology of biblical/Christian counseling. Some who are good writers of practice/methodology of biblical/Christian counseling. Some who are good counselors-practitioners. Few combine all these talents.

Agree or disagree with Jay, but let’s give him his due. He was/is that rare combination of theologian/practitioner, thinker/doer, visionary/movement builder.

Jays Adams Was/Is Compassionate 

This header, perhaps more than others, may be met by some with dismay and statements like: “But Jay and nouthetic counseling are all about harsh confrontation!” First, that in itself is an inaccurate and unfair caricature.

Second, while Jay’s writing and counseling style may not be as “warm and fuzzy” and “empathetic” as some of us may prefer, that’s different from assessing his level of heart compassion. Think about one of Jay’s basic definitions of nouthetic counseling: to confront out of concern for change.

Real people were coming to Jay. They had been to “secular counselors” and their problems in living were not being addressed effectively and biblically. They had been to their pastors who either provided warmed-over secular therapy or admitted that they had no training in pastoral care.

These hurting, struggling folks were coming to Jay with their besetting sins. He strove to help them biblically to change for good. By “for good,” I’m implying both: a.) for the long term, and b.) for good and godly motivation: for God’s glory and so they could minister more effectively in the lives of others.

People were stuck in their sins and Jay wanted to turn to the Bible to help people change. That strikes me as compassionate.

Pastors sensed that they lacked competence to help their hurting parishioners. Ministers lacked confidence in the Bible’s ability to address the real life issues their sheep were struggling against. Jay sought to help pastors, in particular, to regain their confidence in God’s Word and to develop competence in using God’s Word to help their flock. That strikes me as compassionate.

What’s Up with Bob?

Some may be wondering, “What’s up with you, Bob? When did you become Jay Adams’ ‘apologist’?” I’m not anyone’s apologist. Jay Adams does not need me to “defend” him. I’m simply sharing some reflections from 36 hours ago at 36,000 feet.

Others may be wondering, “Who are you targeting with this blog post? Who are you taking shots at?”

No one.

Well, if anyone, perhaps myself.

Perhaps in taking “a second look,” I am doing some “nouthetic self-confrontation” regarding my past level of appreciation for Jay Adams as a model builder, movement builder, comprehensive theorizer, theologian/practitioner, and compassionate care-giver.

If that same shoe fits for you, then you can choose to wear it also.

My “model” and my “style” still are not identical to Jay’s nouthetic counseling. However, that doesn’t mean that I can’t deeply appreciate and respect who he is in Christ and what he has done for the Body of Christ through Christ’s grace.

Join the Conversation 

What do you think? Is Jay Adams deep and compassionate?

RPM Ministries: Equipping You to Change Lives with Christ’s Changeless Truth

Why We Must Embed Counseling in the Church

There are a multitude of reasons why we must embed counseling in the church. Yesterday, our pastor preached on Ephesians 3. His message was not focused on “counseling,” yet I saw tremendous implications for counseling and the church. Here are two that relate to wisdom and love.

1. God Intends Us to Discover and Share His Manifold Wisdom within and through the Church: Ephesians 3:7-13

It has been God’s purpose from all eternity that through the church the manifold wisdom of God should be made known. It has been said that the church is the greatest superpower on earth. This passage is saying that the church is the greatest repository of wisdom on earth. The church is the ultimate place where God wants to demonstrate His infinite, multifaceted, all-encompassing wisdom for living—for this life and the life to come.

Paul says something quite similar in Philippians 1:9-11 when he prays that our love would abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight. Paul wants our love to be wisdom-saturated so that:

• We may be able to discern what is best

• We may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ

• We may be filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes from Christ

• We may, in so living, bring glory and praise to God.

Are those not the identical goals of the counselor and of counseling? Don’t we want to know and to help others to know what is best—not just what is good?

Don’t we want to be and to help others to be pure and blameless—to live for God and others in this life as we move toward the life to come?

Don’t we want to be and help others to be filed with Christlikeness and the fruit of the Spirit—even as we/they face suffering, deal with the impact of sin, and find power to overcome besetting sins?

Don’t we have as our ultimate goal encouraging one another to bring God glory as we face life’s troubles and trials?

Yes, Ephesians 3 is talking about the entire cosmos becoming aware of the beautiful wisdom of God’s Gospel of grace, of God’s eternal plan in Christ. But we shrink the implications of that plan if we imagine that it has to do only with the life to come and not also with the life we live now.

The church demonstrates the manifold wisdom of God today to an on-looking cosmos by sharing wisdom with one-another so that our lives display what happens when people live according to God’s eternal wisdom. That ought to be the ultimate goal of counseling that is truly Christian and truly biblical. The ultimate context for such Gospel-centered counseling is the church.

2. God Intends Us to Discover and Share His All-Surpassing Love within and through the Church: Ephesians 3:14-21

What do suffering, struggling, and sinning people (like all of us) need? We need truth—we need God’s manifold wisdom displayed in Christ. We also need love. Where do we grasp, truly grasp and apply to our lives and ministries, the love of God in Christ?

Another of Paul’s prayers answers this life-altering question. “I pray that you being rooted and established in love, may have power together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and how high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge” (Ephesians 3:17-19).

And for what purpose? Again, so that our lives change for the glory of Christ. We grasp together God’s love so that we may be filled with the fullness of God (Ephesians 3:19). We grasp together God’s love so that our lives will bring glory to Christ in the church for ever (Ephesians 3:20-21).

Are those not the identical goals of counseling and the counselor? Isn’t our ultimate goal to help one another, regardless of what suffering, struggles, and besetting sins we are facing, to become more like Christ and to bring greater glory to Christ?

None of that minimizes helping people with “symptoms.” None of that minimizes our empathy for people in their hurts, their hard times, or their hardness. Instead, it emphasizes the truth that ultimately we are not solution-focused. We are SOUL-u-tion-focused—focused on matters of the soul, on the depths of the heart, on daily issues with eternal implications.

What Paul highlights in Ephesians 3, he elaborates on in Ephesians 4. It is God’s calling that church leaders equip His people (Ephesians 4:11-14). Equip them for what task and for what purpose?

The task: equip God’s people to speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4;15). Every church is to assure that every believer is equipped to speak and live (to embody) God’s truth in love. Interesting. Truth and love—wisdom and love—the focal points of Ephesians 3:7-13 and of Ephesians 3:14-21. Local church equipping equips God’s people to grasp and reveal the manifold wisdom of God and the all-surpassing love of Christ.

The purpose: so that in all things we will grow up in him who is the Head, that is, Christ (Ephesians 4:15). We speak and live truth and live to one another in the church so that we can grow up in Christ in all things—in our struggles with perplexing concerns such as anxiety and depression and in our struggles against besetting sins such as anger and lust. In all things. Our purpose is sanctification (growth in grace, growth in Christlikeness) in all things.

Here’s my premise in a sentence:

The church is the greatest repository for the manifold wisdom of God and the all-surpassing love of Christ that are necessary for counseling that empowers one another to live wise and loving lives today to the glory of Christ.

Join the Conversation

Is there any place, any institution, any organization, any living organism like the church that can offer the context for grasping and revealing Christ’s life-altering wisdom and love?

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

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?

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?

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?