An Introduction to the Biblical Counseling Movement

Long term readers of this blog have noticed that I talk a lot about "biblical counseling," and some have wondered what exactly I mean by that term.  How is it different from Christian counseling in general?  Or is it just another way of saying the same thing?

Just this week, I was telling another pastor friend about the "Biblical Counseling movement" and offered to send him some resources to orient him to this counseling model's ideas and practices.

Here are some lightly edited excerpts from my follow-up email:

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You've asked for some basic reading on Biblical Counseling to understand the movement that I've embraced. So, I thought I'd write out a few orienting thoughts and point you to some foundational resources.

As I've said before, the Biblical Counseling Movement is a large and varied thing.  There isn't just one stream; some of it is simply Bible-band-aids of the "take 2 Bible verses and call me in the morning" variety.  For some folks everything is sin, sin, sin, and the answer is stop, stop, stop.

But the best of the BCM is a richly biblical wholistic approach to helping people and giving them hope for real change.  It is our high view of the Bible applied to people's lives: a biblical anthropology, a biblical ecclessiology, and progressive sanctification overlayed on daily living.

1. CCEF

The best BC organization, in my opinion, is CCEF.  They are a kind of "think tank" for biblical counseling.  These are the guys who I studied under for my doctorate and the conference I went to last month.

Their three best known thinkers/writers are David Powlison, Ed Welch, and Paul Tripp.  (Tripp has moved on from being part of the faculty but is still associated with CCEF.)

I'd like to suggest a book or two by each for you to consider reading in time:

David Powlison

Seeing with New Eyes: Counseling and the Human Condition Through the Lens of Scripture

I think this is the best book to read to get the "Biblical Counseling Movement." It is really a collection of Powlison's editorial articles from the Journal of Biblical Counseling.  It really shows their approach to counseling and to evaluating the other models out there--but does it in a winsome, not dogmatic, way.  There are other places you could start, but you'll really get a feel for the best of biblical counseling by reading this. (By the way, Powlison's book on Power Encounters: Reclaiming Spiritual Warfare is an excellent illustration of how the BCM sees spiritual warfare and interacts with the different models for that issue out there.)

Ed Welch

Blame It On the Brain: Distinguishing Chemical Imbalances, Brain Disorders, and Disobedience

This is the book that lays out our approach to the relationship to body/soul issues and gets at the things we call "psychiatric problems."  It shows how nuanced (and helpful) biblical counseling has become.  I highly recommend everything that Ed writes whether it's on depression, anxiety, addictions, or the fear of others. So much wisdom there.

Paul David Tripp

Instruments in the Redeemer's Hands: People in Need of Change Helping People in Need of Change

Tripp is the most "preacherish" of them so his book is perhaps the most practical.  This book is basically a class on counseling: how to help others change. The four major "steps" of the model are LOVE, KNOW, SPEAK, and DO.  This is a book to go through with other leaders to grow in shepherding others.  I recommend it for getting a sense of how biblical counseling works out in practice. Our elders did it together.  (Also helpful for that very thing is Michael Emlet's CrossTalk: Where Life and Scripture Meet.  Emlet takes you deep into his thought process for using scripture in counseling and gives very helpful case-studies.)

[By the way, CCEF was founded by Jay Adams, but has moved beyond his narrower, less nuanced approach.  If you want to read the history of this movement, the two books are The Biblical Counseling Movement: History and Context by David Powlison and The Biblical Counseling Movement After Adams by Heath Lambert]

2. The Biblical Counseling Coalition

As I said above, CCEF is not the only BC organization out there (just the best, in my opinion).  Recently the leading BCM organizations (including CCEF) have joined together to form the Biblical Counseling Coalition.  They are trying to work together, not against each other, and listen to one another where they differ.

Aside from their helpful blog and their growing book section to which I have begun adding reviews, I think the most helpful thing they have is The Biblical Counseling Confessional Statement which lays out their vision for what biblical counseling is, in essence.  I think, if you read that, you'll get a quick feel for what we care about.

Hope that helps!