Speaking Publicly About Biblical Counseling Issues 

If you’ve read my blog since May 2024, then you know that from time to time I have responded to posts by Heath Lambert, Sean Perron, and others where they accused fellow biblical counselors of being “zombie-infected neo-integrationists.” I collated some of my public responses here: What Makes Someone a Faithful Biblical Counselor?

If you’ve read my posts, then you also know that I have encouraged all parties in these discussions to consider meeting together face-to-face in a moderated setting: A Proposal: A Biblical Counseling Conciliation Summit.

If you’ve read my blog, you also know that my focus is on a positive presentation of changing lives with Christ’s changeless truth. That’s why, for instance, over the past few years I’ve collated 100 Free Resources for Counseling the Whole Person: Soul Physicians of Embodied-Souls.

Why Speak Publicly About Public Issues? 

Recently, a fellow biblical counselor privately reached out to me asking why I publicly post about controversial issues in the biblical counseling movement. Fair question. Today’s post seeks to provide a fair answer.

My approach over the past year is nothing new. If you’ve read my blog over the past quarter century, or if you’re old enough to have followed my ministry since the 70s, then you know that for half-a-century:

I’ve publicly encouraged the modern biblical counseling movement to be more biblically comprehensive in theology, and to be more relationally compassionate in methodology.

That’s why, twenty-five years ago, I named my blog site the:

Truth & Love Blog.

I believe that part of my ministry calling from God is to:

Speak into the modern nouthetic/biblical counseling movement with a desire to encourage all of us to be more comprehensive and compassionate in our personal ministry of the Word. 

Some Personal History: Speaking the Truth in Love about Speaking the Truth in Love 

I’ve been connected to the modern nouthetic biblical counseling movement (MNBCM) since its inception. I was trained in nouthetic counseling by Pastor Bill Goode beginning in 1973 when I was fourteen. That’s fifty-two years ago—long before many of the current “zombie-slayers” were born. Pastor Goode worked side-by-side with Jay Adams in launching and leading the MNBCM. Goode was the first Executive Director of NANC (the National Association of Nouthetic Counselors).

Move ahead nearly forty years, and in 2010, I was honored to be the founding Executive Director of the Biblical Counseling Coalition. I was asked to fulfill this role by Randy Patten, who at that time was the Executive Director of NANC, and by David Powlison, who would go on to become the CCEF Executive Director.

I’ve had the joy of authoring 25 books on biblical counseling—endorsed by scores of biblical counseling leaders, including many ACBC Fellows.

So, I have a half-century of interest in and leadership of the MNBCM. I think I’ve “earned the right” to speak into current issues.

My goal over these past five decades has been to:

Encourage the modern nouthetic biblical counseling movement to better align with a comprehensive, compassionate biblical and historical (church history) model of personal ministry.

I have sought to:

Speak the truth in love about speaking the truth in love. 

I publicly post about these zombie issues for the same reason that I publicly speak about everything related to biblical counseling. Here are half-a-dozen areas over the past fifty years where I have sought to encourage comprehensive, compassionate biblical counseling.

Area #1: Publicly Encouraging Compassionate, Comprehensive Parakaletic and Nouthetic Care 

As early as 1983, I began publicly addressing the early MNBCM’s lack of focus on parakaletic ministry to suffering saints. When I was earning my Th.M. (Master of Theology degree) at Grace Theological Seminary, I began to study church history—specifically the history of pastoral care, pastoral counseling, soul care, spiritual direction, and one-another ministry. I quickly discerned that historically, the MNBCM was not reflective of the comprehensive nature of historic soul care.

Specifically, I saw that the nouthetic emphasis on confronting sin, lacked the parakaletic emphasis on comforting the suffering. So I’ve addressed that consistently over the years:

• Way back in 2009, my RPM Ministries Truth & Love blog site publicly waded into these controversial issues with a five-part blog mini-series about Half-Biblical Biblical Counseling. The series focused specifically on expanding counseling to parakaletically ministering to the suffering. Privately, I received a LOT of response to this series. I engaged in a LOT of one-on-one iron-sharpening-iron conversations.

• In 2004 and in 2015, my biblical counseling training manuals addressed in detail a compassionate, comprehensive approach to parakaletic and nouthetic ministry: Spiritual Friends: A Methodology of Soul Care and Spiritual Direction, and Gospel Conversations: How to Care Like Christ.

• In my book, Consider Your Counsel, I address 10 common mistakes in our biblical counseling, including that “we practice half-biblical counseling if we address sin but neglect suffering.”

• My latest, and 25^th book, specifically addresses this issue: Parakaleo and Noutheteo: Understanding and Applying Two Richly Practical Biblical Counseling Words.

I’ve always been about the business of challenging myself and my fellow biblical counselors.

I’d like to think that as a result of my publicly addressing these issues that I have had at least a little impact on the MNBCM being a more comprehensive, compassionate ministry.

Area #2: Publicly Encouraging a Comprehensive Understanding of Humanity (Theological Anthropology)

For decades, I’ve publicly spoken about another area of imbalance in the biblical counseling world. It relates to what is technically known as “theological anthropology.” This involves a creation, fall, redemption, consummation understanding of:

• How God designed humanity (Creation, Biblical Anthropology),
• How sin impacted humanity (Fall, Biblical Hamartiology),
• How salvation renews humanity (Redemption, Biblical Soteriology), and
• How our final state changes humanity forever (Consummation/Glorification, Biblical Eschatology).

In 1985, I wrote my Th.M. thesis on this topic. The title was typically academic: Hebrew Anthropological Terms as a Foundation for a Biblical Counseling Model of Man.

In my assessment in 1985, the early nouthetic counseling movement focused a great deal on our being volitional beings who act/choose. My Th.M. Thesis developed a more comprehensive understanding, seeing us as:

• Relational/spiritual beings who relate to God and others,
• Rational beings,
• Volitional beings, and
• Emotional beings.

I later wrote Soul Physicians and Gospel-Centered Counseling to further develop and apply this “theologically anthropology” to biblical counseling. These books examine humanity in our four-fold state of creation, fall, redemption, and consummation.

These books provide a detailed “theological anthropology”—a biblical understanding of how God fearfully and wonderfully designed human beings as embodied-souls who are:

• Spiritual beings related to God,
• Social beings related to one another,
• Self-aware beings related to our own self,
• Rational beings who think in images and ideas,
• Volitional beings who choose and act,
• Emotional beings who feel, experience, and respond, and
• Physical beings who are embodied-souls.

My thesis and these books were my public attempts to encourage the MNBCM to be more fully biblical—more theologically comprehensive. Again, I’d like to think that my speaking into these issues has had at least a little impact on the current state of the MNBCM.

Area #3: Publicly Encouraging Us toward a Biblical Understanding of Embodied-Souls

A third area I’ve been publicly speaking into for years relates to challenging the biblical counseling world to beware of an unbiblical dualistic understanding of humanity as body or soul. My writings on our being “embodied-souls” is a natural extension of a theological anthropology.

It was two decades ago that I began publicly addressing our need to develop a biblical, theological understanding of how God designed us as embodied-souls—and the implications that has for us as biblical counselors. Beginning in the early 2000s, I started speaking annually at the meeting of the Evangelical Theological Society (ETS) on biblical counseling topics. You can read one of my ETS presentations here: A Biblical Counseling Perspective on Neuroscience and the Soul.  

It was twenty-five years ago that I started studying neuroscience. Then, nearly four years ago, when Shirley almost lost her life to a stroke, I began studying a specific aspect of neuroscience—neuroplasticity. This is the God-given, amazing ability of the brain to rewire. Five neurologists cautioned us that Shirley would likely never walk again. By God’s grace, including the grace of neuroplasticity, yesterday afternoon, Shirley and I enjoyed our time together at Venice Beach. This morning, we enjoyed a mile-long walk together. So, yes, it is personal to me to understand how God designed us as embodied-souls.

In the past four years, I’ve even taken on a new understanding of my ministry identity. I’ve summarized it in: 6 Biblical Counseling Convictions. As a biblical counselor, I seek to be a:

• Gospel-Centered/Christ-Centered, Theologically-Saturated, Relationship-Focused, Church History-Informed, Research-Aware Soul Physician of Embodied-Souls.

Because I think all of us as biblical counselors need to better understand and apply the biblical teaching about embodied-souls, I’ve created and offer 100 free resources based upon my biblical research. One of those resources includes the result of a year-long study of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation about our being embodied-souls—a collation of 560 biblical passages.

I’d like to think that I am making some small, positive impact on and contribution to the MNBCM’s understanding of our being embodied-souls.

Area #4: Publicly Encouraging Us to Think More Biblically/Theologically About Common Grace and Biblical Counseling

I’ve publicly spoken into another area where I believe our movement is less than comprehensive. We lack a theological understanding of common grace and how it relates to biblical counseling.

For the past three years, I have devoured over 5,000 pages of Reformed theology on common grace. I’ve written nearly two dozen lengthy blog posts where I relate my research to biblical counseling. Here’s a link to a 43,500-word document that summarizes my research and reflections.

Yet again, I would like to think that I may be making some small contribution to these current discussions about common grace. Even if people disagree with my research, at the very least they have the primary source material they can engage with.

Moving to Today 

These first four areas provide a 50-year synopsis of how I have historically been publicly addressing vital issues of importance to biblical counselors. The final two areas move us to more recent times where I have continued this public ministry of encouraging all of us to speak the truth in love…

Area #5: Publicly Encouraging and Defending Fellow Biblical Counselors Who Are Being Accused of Being Zombie-Infected

There’s a fifth area where I’ve been publicly speaking into our biblical counseling world. It began nearly a year ago when Heath Lambert, Sean Perron, and others began a lengthy series of posts accusing fellow biblical counselors of being “zombie-infected neo-integrationists.”

After several attempts to speak privately about these issues, I began speaking out publicly. Why do I speak out publicly about these public issues? To answer that question, you need some more history.

In 2017, when Heath Lambert publicly questioned fellow Southern Baptist Theological Seminary faculty member, Eric Johnson’s Christianity, I spoke up privately for Eric. However, I did not speak out publicly in support of my friend, Dr. Johnson. I regretted that. I asked Eric’s forgiveness.

Now, move to 2024. Heath, Sean, and others publicly name names and claim that these fellow biblical counselors are “zombie-infected neo-integrationists.” I did not want these godly men and women to be like Eric. I did not want these godly biblical counselors to be like the Apostle Paul when Paul said at the end of his life,

“At my first defense, no one came to my support, but everyone deserted me.”

I’ve written more about this motivation to publicly defend brothers and sisters who are publicly being spoken against. You can read it here: “No One Came to My Support” (Paul, 2 Timothy 4:16). In summary:

It is an unhealthy pattern for Christians to be silent when fellow Christians are being publicly spoken against.

Many leading biblical counselors disagree with the zombie posts. Some of them have encouraged me to be silent about the zombie posts. They fear that I am magnifying the zombie megaphone. I’ve been told, “Just let them have their little echo chamber.” “Don’t give them any fuel; this will all just burn out if we keep silent.”

I hear that and I consider that. However, I’ve come to the conclusion that such advice is naïve to social media realities. Heath Lambert, Sean Perron, and others have a huge social media presence and following—at least in the small world that is the modern nouthetic biblical counseling movement. They have the megaphone.

I don’t want Sean and Heath’s voices to be the only public voices that people hear. I don’t want people to assume that because of our silence, all biblical counseling leaders agree with Heath and Sean’s views on zombie infections. I want to have the backs of those being publicly accused. I want to be a voice for those being labeled “zombie-infected.” In summary:

It is an unhealthy pattern for Christians to silence those who publicly defend others.

Area #6: Publicly Encouraging and Validating a Multitude of Counselors 

When all of these “zombie posts” started, I had a number of people ask me questions such as:

• “What do you think of all of this, Bob?”
• “I don’t hear anyone speaking against this; does this mean all biblical counseling leaders agree with Heath and Sean?”
• “What Heath and Sean are saying doesn’t seem right, but they are biblical counseling leaders, so should I just believe them?”
• “Are Heath and Sean speaking for the entire biblical counseling world?”

I speak publicly about these controversial issues not only to defend those who are being publicly accused, but also to educate and validate those who are confused by these public accusations.

I posted an earlier version of this blog on my Facebook Gospel-Centered Biblical Counseling Group. Biblical counselor, Demer Webb, responded. He has given me permission to quote him. Demer’s words communicate well the reason I post publicly.

Demer Webb: “Personally, I’m grateful for your public engagement on these issues. Many of us appreciate the help in making sense of what’s happening in the BC movement. We benefit from hearing your pushback.

If Heath and Sean can make public statements designed to teach and influence the BC movement, why can’t you?

I actually WANT this conversation public because it’s probably as valuable a learning tool for us as what we’d get in a BC class. I’m nowhere near as experienced or well-read as you, and I have a lot to learn, so I’m very grateful for your help.

While I have been increasingly disturbed by the comments of some well-intentioned BC leaders, you are able to put words to what many of us have been feeling, and you have validated our concerns. We aren’t crazy. The people who have shared with me concerns about the BC movement aren’t crazy. Former counselees who have been hurt and burned by certain forms of BC aren’t crazy. The problems we’re seeing are real. And you’re helping us to see that there are real biblical, theological, and philosophical answers.

So thanks, Bob, for using your “retirement” wisely and to the glory of God. You’re doing us a huge service.”

Public Engagement: The Classroom of the 21^st Century 

Demer makes an astute point which deserves some reflection, “I actually WANT this conversation public because it’s probably as valuable a learning tool for us as what we’d get in a BC class.”

I was a teacher/professor for much of the past half-century. I love the “traditional classroom.” However, it is naïve, especially in the 21^st century, to think that the walls of a seminary are the only or even the primary classroom today.

In today’s online world the “classroom” is ever expanding: Twitter/X tweets, Facebook posts, Instagram posts, blog posts, podcasts, YouTube, WhatsApp, TikTok, Snapchat, Substack, online journals, etc., etc., etc. My “little mom and pop” RPM Ministries had a “classroom” of nearly half-a-million “students” in 2024. These public discussions are “probably as valuable a learning tool for biblical counselors as any biblical counseling class.”

And this is nothing new. Wise, “cutting-edge” Christian leaders have always availed themselves of the “technology” of the day. In 1517, the classroom of the 16^th century was the door of the church in Wittenburg. Luther used this “public technology” of the day quite effectively—his 95 Theses. (No, of course, I’m not claiming that anyone today is the “new Luther.”)

Personally, reading tweets by Sean and podcast manuscripts by Heath have been a catalyst for me, just as O. Hobart Mowrer’s writings were a catalyst for Jay Adams. Such public communication sends us back to Scripture to search God’s Word—as I’ve done in my Genesis-to-Revelation studies of embodied-souls and common grace. And it is my hope that my public engagements with folks like Sean and Heath are catalysts to send biblical counselors back to the Bible.

In Summary 

Why publicly encourage and challenge our biblical counseling world?

I’m old enough to have had a half-century of involvement in the modern nouthetic/biblical counseling movement.

I post about all of these issues because I pray that I might make a small contribution to helping all of us be more comprehensive and compassionate in our personal ministry of the Word.

I post publicly with the desire to speak the truth in love about speaking the truth in love.

An Addendum: From a NANC/ACBC Board Member and ACBC Fellow 

I was very encouraged by a comment on this post (see the comments) by Sherry and Ron Allchin. Both are ACBC certified biblical counselors. Ron is also an ACBC Board Member and ACBC Fellow. Here are their words:

“Thank you, Bob, for many years of faithful service to the Lord and to the BC community at large! Yes, you have made an impact on many, and this latest blog is so very helpful in the current climate of attacks. It reminds me of the ‘olden days’ when the fighting fundamentalists were doing the very same thing, attacking one another over nuances that in the long run didn’t matter and weren’t biblical but preferential. Those attacks hurt the cause of Christ and just exposed the arrogance of the attackers rather than helping anyone. You are speaking truth in love, and for that we appreciate you and love you and Shirley! Yes, we were around in those same beginning years when we all learned under Pastor Bill Good who was kind and gracious in his approach. We were blessed to be there together with you in those beginning days of the MNBCM! Thank you for so many years of study and speaking out!”