The Question
What makes biblical counseling truly biblical?
We all want our biblical counseling to be…biblical!
We often debate whether a given approach is biblical or not.
We’re sometimes unclear about our answer to the question. Occasionally, some have sought to provide a detailed answer to the question,
“What makes biblical counseling truly biblical?”
Some Answers
Today, I’m providing links to four documents (not books) that provide detailed answers to the question about what makes biblical counseling truly biblical.
The Biblical Counseling Coalition’s Confessional Statement
In 2010, the Biblical Counseling Coalition gathered three dozen biblical counseling leaders, who spent ten months developing ten drafts of what became the Biblical Counseling Coalition Confessional Statement. It contains 3,191 words.
You can read the online version here.
You can download the PDF version here.
David Powlison’s Affirmations and Denials: A Proposed Definition of Biblical Counseling
In 2000, David Powlison crafted his article for the Journal of Biblical Counseling on Affirmations and Denials: A Proposed Definition of Biblical Counseling. It contains 5,617 words.
You can read it online here.
You can download the PDF here.
10 Commitments of Redemptive Counselors/Clinically-Informed Biblical Counselors
On July 8, 2024, faculty members of the Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary Biblical Counseling Department released the document, Ten Commitments of Redemptive Counselors/Clinically-Informed Biblical Counselors. The purpose of their document was to describe the core convictions of Redemptive Counselors (RC), also known as Clinically-Informed Biblical Counselors (CIBC). Their statement contains 5,222 words.
You can read and download their document here.
Bob Kellemen’s 6 Biblical Counseling Convictions
On September 5, 2023, Bob Kellemen posted 6 Biblical Counseling Convictions. It includes an 18-word summary of what makes biblical counseling truly biblical. The document is 4,146 words.
You can read it online here.
You can download a free PDF version here.
Join the Conversation
Which of these summary statements about the essence of biblical counseling most resonates with your biblical counseling approach/model?
What other summary statements (not books) of the essence of biblical counseling would you add to this list?
