Since the beginning of the biblical counseling movement in 1970, biblical counselors have argued that counseling is a ministry of the Word, just like preaching or missions. As a ministry, counseling must be defined according to sound biblical theology rather than secular principles of psychology. For over four decades, biblical theology has been at the core of the biblical counseling movement. Leaders in biblical counseling have emphasized a commitment to teaching doctrine in their counseling courses out of the conviction that good theology leads to good counseling…and bad theology leads to bad counseling. A Theology of Biblical Counseling is a landmark new book that covers the history of the biblical counseling movement, the core convictions that underlie sound counseling, and practical wisdom for counseling today. Dr. Heath Lambert shows how biblical counseling is rooted in the Scriptures while illustrating the real challenges counselors face today through true stories from the counseling room. A substantive textbook written in accessible language, it is an ideal resource for use in training biblical counselors at colleges, seminaries, and training institutes. In each chapter, doctrine comes to life in real ministry to real people, dramatically demonstrating how theology intersects with the lives of actual counselees.

Festschrift in honor of Arie de Kuiper, a Dutch theologian in Indonesia.

Connecting sound biblical doctrine to the practice of effective counseling. Jay E. Adams—vocal advocate of a strictly biblical approach to counseling and author of the highly influential book Competent to Counsel—firmly believes that the Bible itself provides all the principles needed for understanding and engaging in holistic counseling. But in order to bring the practice of counseling—whether by professional therapists or by the church—under biblical guidance, we first have to deepen our understanding of Scripture. A Theology of Christian Counseling is the connection between solid theology (the study of God) and its practical application. Each of its sections are devoted to increasing our understanding of counseling's potential by looking at it through the lens of doctrines such as: Prayer (and the doctrine of God). Human Sin (and the doctrine of Man). Redemption (and the doctrine of Salvation). Forgiveness (and the doctrine of Sanctification). "No counseling system that is based on some other foundation can begin to offer what Christian counseling offers…No matter what the problem is, no matter how greatly sin has abounded, the Christian counselor's stance is struck by the far-more-abounding nature of the grace of Jesus Christ in redemption. What a difference this makes in counseling!" (Jay E. Adams). With this book, you'll gain insight into the rich theological framework that supports and directs your approach to how you help people change.

In this comprehensive account of biblical counseling, Jeremy Lelek recounts its history, discusses its beliefs, and provides insight for the future. Valuable for those both inside and outside of biblical counseling, Biblical Counseling Basics draws from a wide range of and experts to guide readers through Christian soul care.

“Equipping the body of Christ for personal ministry has been Bob’s life work. This practical, step-by-step manual is the mature fruit of that lifelong commitment.” —Paul David Tripp, author of Instruments in the Redeemer’s Hand Behind every spiritually fit church are leaders in the constant process of preparing other members to become counselors who nurture “one-another ministry.” But the success of this mission requires a practical, results-driven process for training the next generation to serve. In Equipping Biblical Counselors, pastor and counselor Bob Kellemen shares a proven strategy for envisioning, enlisting, equipping, and empowering new Christian counselors—a practical four-step process he has spent decades refining. With this book, Dr. Kellemen humbly comes alongside church leaders to help them assess their congregation’s strengths and weaknesses shepherd new leaders with confidence and wisdom encourage the consistent spiritual growth God longs to see in his followers Invest where it matters most! Equipping Biblical Counselors reveals the steps ministry leaders can take to fulfill the calling in Ephesians 4:11-16 to embolden the body of Christ to continue changing lives with his unchanging truth.

People inside and outside of the biblical counseling movement recognize differences between the foundational work of Jay Adams and that of current thought leaders such as David Powlison. But, as any student or teacher of the discipline can attest, those differences have been ill-defined and largely anecdotal until now. Heath Lambert, the first scholar to analyze the movement's development from within, shows how biblical counseling emerged from, and remains rooted in, a commitment to the sufficiency of Scripture and the need to give practical help to struggling people. He identifies contemporary leaders—including Powlison, Ed Welch, Paul Tripp, and Wayne Mack—who emphasize the sinner as sufferer, the heart as key to motivation, and the need to interact humbly with critics. Demonstrating how these refinements in framework, methodology, and engagement style are characteristic of a second generation of biblical counselors, Lambert contends this new wave of counselors is now increasingly balanced in their counseling methods. With a substantial foreword from David Powlison and strong support from prominent biblical counselors, this book will help all Christians interested in the fundamentally theological task of counseling to think carefully and biblically about how it is taught and practiced.

Beginning in the late 1960s, a biblical counseling movement sought to reclaim counseling for the church and provide a Christian alternative to mainstream psychiatry and psychotherapy. The Biblical Counseling Movement: History and Context is an informative and thought-provoking account of that movement. David Powlison's historical account ...

Are you looking for a brief introduction to what the biblical counseling movement is and how it has changed over the years? In Developments in Biblical Counseling , J. Cameron Fraser turns a journalistic eye to this question and presents a concise assessment. Introducing us to the formative work of Jay Adams, Fraser outlines several themes of biblical counseling that became foundational for the movement as a whole and observes how the movement received criticisms from outside and made necessary developments from within. He points out that some of these developments have an affinity with Puritan approaches to counseling that Adams rejects but may point in a more consistently biblical direction. Table of Contents: 1. Some Foundational Views of Nouthetic Counseling 2. Some Criticisms of Nouthetic Counseling 3. Some Developments in Biblical Counseling 4. Biblical and Puritan Counseling

A Theology of Christian Counseling connects biblical doctrine with practical living. Salvation, that central concern of Protestant theology, is often too narrowly defined. It is thought of as "being saved from the consequences of sin." But God is doing much more. He is making something new out of the old sinful nature. He is, in Christ, making new creatures. "No counseling system that is based on some other foundation can begin to offer what Christian counseling offers. . . . No matter what the problem is, no matter how greatly sin has abounded, the Christian counselor's stance is struck by the far-more-abounding nature of the grace of Jesus Christ in redemption. What a difference this makes in counseling " In this book the reader will gain an insight into the rich theological framework that supports and directs a biblical approach to counseling. And the connection between solid theology and practical application will become compelling. This book is one-of-a-kind.