Mark Tubbs’ Discerning Reader Blog-Through of Soul Physicians
A Gospel-Centric Counseling Book: Part 1: The Prologue
Note: Mark Tubbs, the Editor of the Discerning Reader Christian book review site, posted the following review of Soul Physicians on April 26, 2010.
Excerpt: “It’s easy to advocate for a text this effective, this accessible, and this gospel-centric. I’m so convinced of its helpfulness that I urge all pastors and leaders who read this blog entry to invest in a copy and spend the summer reaping its benefits, not only for their counseling ministries but for their church(es) at large.”
The Prologue
Biblical counselor Bob Kellemen of RPM Ministries has become a good friend and reviewing colleague since he joined the Discerning Reader Reviewing Team. In this BlogThru entry I’m pleased to present insights I have gleaned and knowledge I have gained from the first section of his counseling text, Soul Physicians: A Theology of Soul Care and Spiritual Direction (Revised Edition, BMH Books, 2007).
Soul Physicians is divided into six sections: prologue, first act, second act, third act, fourth act, and epilogue. If you’re wondering why the book is set up like a play, Bob explains that besides it being a useful way to divide the book’s contents, its structure mirrors the narrative of the cosmos: God’s pre-existence, our creation in His image, our betrayal and subsequent fall, His reconciliation and redemption of us, and our eventual restoration to full heavenly communion with Him.
Bob even labels his “characters” appropriate to his dramatic motif: Satan is the False Seducer; the Church is the Bride; we Christians are Romancers, Dreamers, Creators, Singers and Actors; and God, of course, is the Worthy Groom. In many authors’ hands, this set-up might come across as trite, but Bob’s sincerity and earnestness wins the day. Unpacking this narrative approach is the central aim of chapters one through three.
Paradigm-Shifting
Even earlier in the book Bob provides a four-part rubric for “infusing Biblical Counseling with Christian theology.” Thus far, it is the most paradigm-shifting ingredient in the book. Based on the premise that we need to learn how to read the Bible “with confidence that theology is God’s story [which] gives meaning to our individual and group stories,” Biblical counseling must therefore synthesize:
• An academic theology that provides us with a way of thinking about life God’s way
• An historical theology that gives a voice…to past perspectives and practices in caring for souls
• A spiritual theology of life that re-ignites our first love for Christ…and relate[s] God’s truth to human relationships
• A practical theology that equips us to deal with suffering and sin as Christ would.
Bob’s approach balances soul care, which he defines broadly as caring for the sufferer, with spiritual direction, which he describes as helping the counselee investigate and overcome his or her habituated sinful patterns. All counseling situations will comprise a mix of the two, which is a departure from the widespread “take two verses and call me in the morning” pastoral counseling approach of recent decades.
Real Life Scenarios
Practically and helpfully, Bob peppers the text with real-life scenarios and situations demonstrating his approach at work. The scenario I found particularly enlightening was that of “Pastor Bill” and the lies he was feeding himself, egged on by Satan. Compassionately embracing Bill as sufferer and sinning saint, Bob narrates how he employed a combination of all four theologies to guide Bill away from a morass of recriminatory and destructive self-talk, toward “accepting [his] acceptance in Christ.” No longer was Bill “vulnerable to the whispers and the shouts of Satan’s story.” He was now re-invested as a participating cast member in the grace narrative of the purposes of a good God.
Application helps are provided at the end of each chapter under the headings of “Caring for Your Soul: Personal Applications” and “Caring for Others: Ministry Applications.” Also available is a companion workbook, Spiritual Friends: A Methodology of Soul Care and Spiritual Direction. Don’t be fooled—unlike some study guides and workbooks that seem to be little more than money-grabs for publishers, this one provides just as much food for thought and meat for study as the text we are concerned with here.
Recommendation
I end this mini-review by rewinding to the very beginning of the book, where three-and-a-half pages of endorsements testify to the effectiveness of Bob’s wholistic approach to Christ-centered soul care and spiritual direction. Knowing Bob, all he had to do was simply ask for these pastors, professors, counselors, students, and ministry directors to put their thoughts in print, and they readily obliged.
As I can attest, it’s easy to advocate for a text this effective, this accessible, and this gospel-centric. I’m so convinced of its helpfulness that I urge all pastors and leaders who read this blog entry to invest in a copy and spend the summer reaping its benefits, not only for their counseling ministries but for their church(es) at large. There’s no member, young or mature spiritually, that will fail to take something away that enriches devotion to Christ.
And if you don’t believe me, stay tuned for weekly posts through the remaining five sections of Soul Physicians.
Join the Conversation
What books do you recommend for equipping in pastoral counseling, biblical counseling, lay counseling, Christian counseling, soul care, spiritual direction, and spiritual friendship?
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