With compassion and urgency, this book makes a plea for parishioners to engage in 'grappling soul to soul with troubled lives.' It looks toward a method of counseling which neither overlooks sin nor is reduced to a simplistic model of confrontation and exhortation.

From the "Essential Features of Biblical Counseling" to "Developing a Local Church Counseling Ministry", this book explores all aspects of the industry. A discussion of the roles of medicine, psychiatry, and psychology, and a comprehensive index of authors, scriptures, and subjects add to the book's usefulness.

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 ...

Gain a knowledge of counseling methods that are practical and consistent with Christian theological convictions. What do the Scriptures say about counseling? What is the biblical basis for using Scriptures in counseling? What does it mean to think biblically about counseling-related issues? At the root of this book is the confidence that Christ and his Word are not only sufficient for effectively handling the personal and interpersonal challenges of life but are superior to the resources found in the world. The practice of psychological counseling is a ministry and should not belong only to the realm of humanistic and secular theories of the mind. Written to pastors, elders, deacons, seminary students, and laypeople; well-known pastor John MacArthur and contributors present a system of biblical truth that brings together people, their problems, and the living God. This kind of counseling is based on the convictions that: God's Word should be our counseling authority. Counseling is a part of the basic discipling ministry of the local church. God's people can and should be trained to counsel effectively. Counseling: How to Counsel Biblically provides biblical guidelines to counsel people who are struggling. The contributors represent some of America's leading biblical teachers and counselors, including: Ken L. Sarles, David Powlison, Douglas Bookman, David B. Maddox, Robert Smith, William W. Goode, and Dennis M. Swanson.

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.

Like sanctification itself, learning to be a skilled biblical counselor is progressive and takes time. Beginning counselors often struggle in similar ways as they learn the art of ministering the Scriptures to others. This booklet provides instruction and guidance for growth in the common mistakes of beginning biblical counselors such as fumbling the first session, lacking proper preparation, and mishandling homework.

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.