Healthy Conversations about Biblical Counseling and Common Grace
Yes. Online conversations about biblical counseling can be healthy.
Healthy, respectful, mutual online interactions can be a meaningful opportunity for iron-sharpening-iron mutual discipleship. Public conversations can be an opportunity for mutual learning and teaching.
Public Engagement: The Classroom of the 21st Century
Recently, biblical counselor, Demer Webb publicly addressed the benefits of public engagement about biblical counseling issues.
“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.
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.”
In this spirit of online learning, let’s interact together about a post from our brother, Sean Perron, from his public Twitter/X account. The embedded picture (see below) is from Sean’s post.
Also, let’s all continue to pray for our brother, Sean, and for his medical team as they minister to Sean.
PDQs: Prompting Discussion Questions
When I taught in seminary and Bible college, I would begin each learning segment with PDQs: Promoting Discussion Questions. In today’s post, I’m providing over a dozen sample PDQs for our “public biblical counseling lesson.”
PDQ Instructions
First, read Sean Perron’s post. Then, interact with his post using the PDQs (found after Sean’s post).
Sean’s Twitter/X Post
Here’s a word-for-word cut/paste of what Sean posted on February 18, 2025.
I used this machine before my open lung biopsy and I’m using it today. I believe in common grace and breathing exercises. However, I don’t encourage counselors to use breathing techniques in counseling for fear and anxiety. Why not?
There is nothing wrong with telling an anxious person who is worked up to “take a breath.” The Bible is filled with moments that instruct us to stop dwelling on disordered thoughts and look to God. Be still and know that I am God. Stop panicking. Calm down. And look to Jesus.
Selah.
So why then do I think teaching breathing exercises (or muscle relaxation) as a counseling method is unhelpful?
When we use a method we are always using it in service to a methodology. Methods are not neutral and come laden with philosophical and theological purposes. Taking a breath to be still when worked up is one thing. Breathing routines to reduce anxiety is another.
Counseling is intensive discipleship and there is a reason the Bible NEVER instructs us on how to breathe to produce peace. This means we can obtain perfect peace without it. Jesus breathed upon his disciples the Holy Spirit. He never taught them to breathe properly.
When breathing exercises become a regular part of discipleship, it teaches bad theology. It is teaching the body needs to be prepared by these techniques before sanctification happens. This is not how the Bible teaches change when it comes to fear and anxiety. God gave food and sleep to help Elijah when he was exhausted, terrified of Jezebel, and despairing of life itself. God didn’t send him an angel to teach him Diaphragmatic Breathing.
God keeps us in perfect peace who has his mind set on him. Peace is fruit of the Spirit not fruit of the body.
When breathing exercises become a regular part of discipleship, it is subtly teaching people to place their faith in that method rather than in Christ. They learn exercises are the first thing that calms them down. Breathing or muscle relaxation becomes the entry way to peace. This ought not be.
Jesus told his disciples to not let their hearts be troubled but to believe in him. He had anxious and fearful disciples but never told them to breathe while counting back from ten.
Don’t teach people to “count themselves calm.” Instead, show them how the Prince of Peace calms them without Nadi Shodhana alternate nostril breathing.
Grace and peace to you in the Lord Jesus Christ.
PDQs: Promoting Discussion Questions About Anxiety, Fear, Biblical Counseling, Common Grace, and Physiological Interventions
- PDQs: What are strengths of what Sean shares? What resonates with you? What do you agree with and why—biblically?
- PDQs: What are any possible weaknesses of what Sean shares. What do you disagree with and why—biblically?
- Sean says, “Taking a breath to be still when worked up is one thing. Breathing routines to reduce anxiety is another.” PDQs: What biblical/theological concepts or passages would support Sean’s distinction? What biblical/theological concepts or passages would dispute Sean’s distinction?
- Sean says, “When breathing exercises become a regular part of discipleship, it teaches bad theology. It is teaching the body needs to be prepared by these techniques before sanctification happens.” PDQs: What theological anthropology (biblical teaching on the embodied-soul) principle(s) support what Sean is saying? What theological anthropology principle(s) dispute what Sean is saying? How does a biblical theology of embodied-souls either support or dispute what Sean is saying?
- Sean says, “Peace is fruit of the Spirit not fruit of the body.” PDQs: How does a biblical theology of embodied-souls either support or dispute this statement from Sean? What biblical passages would support this distinction or dichotomy between the body and soul? What biblical passages would dispute this understanding by teaching a unity, interrelationship, and interconnection between the body and soul?
- Sean says, “When breathing exercises become a regular part of discipleship, it is subtly teaching people to place their faith in that method rather than in Christ. They learn exercises are the first thing that calms them down. Breathing or muscle relaxation becomes the entry way to peace.” PDQs: How does a comprehensive biblical theological anthropology of our being spiritual, social, self-aware, rational, volitional, emotional, physical (embodied-souls) beings impact your assessment of Sean’s statement? Can you find any quotes from any biblical counselors that indicate that they teach people to place their faith in a method rather than in Christ? If you were to use breathing exercises, how could you assure that everyone understood the primacy of faith in Christ?
- Sean says, “Jesus told his disciples to not let their hearts be troubled but to believe in him. He had anxious and fearful disciples but never told them to breathe while counting back from ten.” PDQs: In four dozen Gospel passages, Jesus models for His disciples and teaches His disciples to rest their finite, weary bodies. How might these first-century embodied practices relate to Sean’s statement? In over 100 Gospel passages, Jesus cares for the physical needs of people—providing food, drink, healing sickness, etc. How might Jesus’s focus as a Soul Physician of embodied-souls relate to Sean’s statement?
- Sean says, “I used this machine before my open lung biopsy and I’m using it today. I believe in common grace and breathing exercises. However, I don’t encourage counselors to use breathing techniques in counseling for fear and anxiety.” And, “There is nothing wrong with telling an anxious person who is worked up to ‘take a breath.’” And, “Taking a breath to be still when worked up is one thing. Breathing routines to reduce anxiety is another.” PDQs: What biblical passages or theological principles might support the contention that common grace physiological interventions can be appropriate: a.) in some settings but not in others, b.) as a “one-off” occasional practice but not as a routine? What biblical passages or theological principles might support the contention that common grace physiological interventions can be appropriate: a.) both in medical settings and in biblical counseling settings, b.) not only as a “one-off” occasional practice but also as a part of a comprehensive embodied-soul approach to life?
- Sean says, “When breathing exercises become a regular part of discipleship, it teaches bad theology.” PDQs: What theological anthropology teaching (biblical teaching on embodied-souls) would support Sean’s contention? How could a comprehensive theological anthropology of embodied-soul dispute Sean’s contention? What is a good theology of the embodied-soul? What does a good theology of the embodied-soul contribute to discussions about physiological interventions as one part of a comprehensive approach to being a soul physician of embodied-souls?
- Sean says, “God gave food and sleep to help Elijah when he was exhausted, terrified of Jezebel, and despairing of life itself. God didn’t send him an angel to teach him Diaphragmatic Breathing.” PDQs: What biblical passages and theological concepts would help us to evaluate the interpretation that physiological interventions such as food and sleep are acceptable, but physiological interventions such as breathing exercises are unacceptable?
- PDQs: How might the following passages on the interrelationship of and interconnection between the body and soul—the complex, back-and-forth influence of the body on the soul and of the soul on the body speak into Sean’s statements? Genesis 2:7; Psalm 3:4-6; Psalm 4:8; Psalm 6:1-7; Psalm 16:9; Psalm 22:14-15; Psalm 31:9-10; Psalm 32:3-4; Psalm 34:5; Psalm 38:1-10; Psalm 42:9-11; Psalm 51:8-9; Psalm 73:26; Psalm 77:1-4; Psalm 102:3-7; Psalm 102:9-11; Psalm 109:21-25; Psalm 116:3; Psalm 119:81-82; Psalm 143:4-8; Proverbs 3:1-2; Proverbs 3:7-8; Proverbs 3:15-18; Proverbs 3:21-22; Proverbs 4:20-22; Proverbs 9:11; Proverbs 10:27; Proverbs 14:13; Proverbs 14:30; Proverbs 15:4; Proverbs 15:13; Proverbs 15:30; Proverbs 16:14; Proverbs 17:22; Proverbs 18:14; Proverbs 18:21; Ecclesiastes 8:1; Ecclesiastes 11:10; Isaiah 21:3-4; Lamentations 1:16; Lamentations 1:18-22; Lamentations 3:1-18; Lamentations 3:49-51; Ezekiel 7:17-18; Ezekiel 12:19; Ezekiel 21:6-7; Habakkuk 3:16; Matthew 26:41; Mark 14:38; 1 Corinthians 11:29-30; 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24; 3 John 1:2.
- PDQs: How does church history and historical pastoral care—which highlighted the whole church ministering to the whole person (body and soul)—impact our understanding of what is the appropriate focus of church-based ministry? How might a passage like James 2:15-16 (“Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it?”) relate to the question of whether pastoral care/counseling, one-another ministry, and the compassionate/comprehensive ministry of the body of Christ should (or should not) include practical care for the embodied-soul?
- PDQs: In your biblical counseling ministry as a soul physician of embodied-souls, how do you compassionately and comprehensively minister to people struggling with anxiety and fear? How do you comprehensively minister to them as embodied-souls who are: a. Spiritual beings? b. Social beings? c. Self-aware beings. d. Rational beings? e. Volitional beings? f. Emotional beings? g. Physical beings?
- PDQs: In your biblical counseling ministry as a soul physician of embodied-souls, what biblical passages and theological principles do you interact with your anxious and fearful counselees about?
- PDQs: In your biblical counseling ministry as a soul physician of embodied-souls, how do you compassionately and comprehensively maintain a gospel-centered/Christ-centered focus on Christ-dependence—soul and body?
- PDQs: If you were teaching this “online lesson,” what additional PDQs would you add?
