Conversations on the Future of Biblical Counseling

Part 4: What Makes Biblical Counseling Truly Biblical?

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, post 3.

Dreaming a Dozen Dreams

Brad and I will soon begin to dialogue about each of my twelve dreams for the future of biblical counseling. Before we dialogue, I want you to have the big picture of those dozen dreams. I trust that you will be edified by my original article. But more than that, I hope you will read it as a good “Berean” by using God’s Word to evaluate my views. Today I share the first ¼ of that original article.

The Future of Biblical Counseling: Dreaming a Dozen Dreams

Introduction: What Makes Biblical Counseling Truly Biblical?

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.

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.

Dream Number One: Biblical Counseling Will Be Scriptural

Biblical counseling will cling tenaciously to the supremacy, sufficiency, and profundity (depth of wisdom) of the Scriptures. God has provided us with all that we need for godly living (2 Peter 1:3). The Scriptures, rightly interpreted and carefully applied, offer us all-encompassing insight for life.

The Bible provides us with the interpretive categories for making sense of life experiences from God’s perspective. By building our counseling models on Christ’s gospel of grace, we obtain wisdom for bringing people healing hope, the stimulus for change (God’s glory), and the understanding of human motivation that energizes these God-honoring changes.

Dream Number Two: Biblical Counseling Will Be Theological

Too often, current models of biblical counseling start and end at the Fall—focusing almost exclusively on human depravity. As a result, they often counsel Christians as if they are still unsaved—apart from the justifying, redeeming, regenerating, and reconciling work of Christ.

Biblical counseling will unite Creation, Fall, and Redemption. In studying a biblical theology of Creation, biblical counseling will examine people—God’s original design for the soul (anthropology).

In probing the Fall, biblical counseling will examine problems—how sin brought personal depravity and suffering (hamartiology).

In investigating the Bible’s teaching on Redemption, biblical counseling will examine solutions—the gospel of Christ’s grace which offers eternal salvation and provides us with daily victory in our ongoing battle against the world, the flesh, and the devil (soteriology).

Creation, Fall, and Redemption also have psychological correlates. Creation is biblical psychology—the biblical study of the soul. The Fall is biblical psychopathology—the biblical study of the sickness of sin. Redemption is biblical psychotherapy—the biblical study of God’s healing of the soul through Christ.

In the minds of some, the use of these psychological terms is invalid. How sad that we have allowed the world to steal these solidly biblical/theological/historical terms. It is time that we took back our heritage and redefined these terms. Franz Delitzsch, writing in 1861 (before the advent of modern secular psychology), noted that “biblical psychology is no science of yesterday. It is one of the oldest sciences of the church.”

Psychology is native to our faith. Not secular psychology, but biblical psychology—understanding and ministering to the soul designed by God, disordered by sin, and redeemed by grace.

Extending the Conversation

1. When you hear the phrase “biblical counseling” what comes to mine? Is your initial reaction positive or negative? Why?

2. In 75 words or less, how would you define “biblical counseling”?

3. How would your definition of “biblical counseling” differ from mine? What about my definition surprises you?

4. How would you define the sufficiency of Scripture?

5. Why do you think many current models of “biblical counseling” focus on depravity and the fall, and tend to minimize creation and redemption?

6. Are you surprised at all by the quote, “biblical psychology is no science of yesterday. It is one of the oldest sciences of the church.”

The Rest of the Story

I invite you to return for our next post as I share dreams three, four, five, and six for the future of biblical counseling that’s truly biblical.

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?

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