Grok It: Biblical Counseling Diversity
I asked Grok 3 (X/Twitter AI):
“In the biblical counseling world, what three biblical counselors are most similar to Bob Kellemen’s approach to biblical counseling?”
Grok 3’s answer shares quite the diversity! It links me to David Powlison, Heath Lambert, and Jeremy Lelek.
What’s It Mean???
There probably are not a lot of people in the modern biblical counseling movement whose Bingo Card had “Powlison, Lambert, Lelek, and Kellemen.”
However, even granting for Grok 3 being imperfect, I wonder if Grok 3’s answer indicates that there is more overlap in essentials that we agree on, than there are core convictions that we disagree on? I have pointed on my blog how Lelek and Lambert share scores of essential biblical counseling convictions. I understand that some/many would disagree with me on that perspective. Still, I think Kellemen, Powlison, Lambert, and Lelek share many core biblical convictions about biblical counseling. That said, I also think there are some significant areas of distinctiveness in our theory and practice of biblical soul care, which is to be expected.
Grok 3’s Answer
Bob Kellemen’s approach to biblical counseling is characterized by a gospel-centered, Christ-focused framework that emphasizes relational competencies, theological depth, and practical application of Scripture to address the whole person (embodied-soul) in the context of the local church. His work, as seen in books like Gospel-Centered Counseling and Equipping Biblical Counselors, prioritizes applying the gospel to life’s struggles, fostering one-another ministry, and equipping believers for compassionate, truth-based care.
Based on available information and the landscape of biblical counseling, three counselors whose approaches align closely with Kellemen’s are:
David Powlison
David Powlison: Powlison, a key figure at the Christian Counseling & Educational Foundation (CCEF), shared Kellemen’s commitment to a gospel-centered, Scripture-saturated approach. His focus on the heart’s motivations and the application of biblical truth to personal struggles mirrors Kellemen’s emphasis on relating Christ’s changeless truth to real-life issues. Powlison’s works, like Seeing with New Eyes, emphasize understanding human experience through a biblical lens, much like Kellemen’s focus on addressing ultimate life questions through the Creation/Fall/Redemption narrative. Both stress the importance of grace, compassion, and relational engagement in counseling.
Heath Lambert
Heath Lambert: Lambert, associated with the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors (ACBC) and author of A Theology of Biblical Counseling, aligns with Kellemen in prioritizing the sufficiency of Scripture and the centrality of the gospel. His approach, like Kellemen’s, integrates theological rigor with practical counseling strategies, emphasizing the church’s role in equipping believers for soul care. Both counselors advocate for a comprehensive model that addresses sin, suffering, and sanctification, with a strong focus on applying biblical principles to everyday life challenges.
Jeremy Lelek
Jeremy Lelek: As president of the Association of Biblical Counselors (ABC), Lelek’s work resonates with Kellemen’s vision for equipping church leaders and fostering a culture of compassionate care. His endorsement of Kellemen’s Equipping Biblical Counselors highlights their shared passion for developing lay counselors within the local church. Lelek’s approach, like Kellemen’s, emphasizes practical, gospel-driven strategies for discipling believers to care for one another, rooted in a deep theological foundation and a commitment to relational ministry.
These three counselors share Kellemen’s focus on gospel-centeredness, the sufficiency of Scripture, and equipping the church for one-another ministry, making their approaches notably similar.
Join the Conversation
What do you think of Grok 3’s response?
What three biblical counselors do you think my approach is most similar to?
What three biblical counselors is your approach most similar to?
The question should be, which biblical counselors are most similar to Jesus Christ in the way he counseled people? I want to point people to Jesus and how he counseled people, not men.
That’s a fine question, too. That is going to be incredibly subjective–whether for CHAT GPT or for any human answering that question. Though assessment similarities and differences among human biblical counselors is also a fine question, of course. I just asked CHAT GPT your question. Here is how it responded. That’s a thoughtful and rich question—one that invites both theological reflection and pastoral discernment.
⚖️ Framing the Question
When asking which biblical counselors are most similar to Jesus Christ, we are essentially asking:
Who reflects Jesus’s heart, methods, and goals in ministry?
Who balances truth and grace (John 1:14), uses Scripture wisely (Luke 24:27), and relates to people with compassion, discernment, and authority (Matt. 9:36; John 4)?
🧠 Criteria for Similarity to Jesus
A biblical counselor most like Christ would be marked by:
Compassion for the hurting (Matt. 9:36)
Direct but gracious confrontation of sin (John 4; Luke 18)
Use of Scripture to reframe heart issues (Matt. 5–7; Luke 24)
Hope-giving in suffering (John 11; Matt. 14:27)
Servant leadership and humility (John 13; Phil. 2:5–11)
📚 Biblical Counselors Closely Reflecting Christlike Counseling
Here are several notable biblical counselors whose writings, ministries, or personal shepherding echo the way Jesus ministered: Paul Tripp, Ed Welch, Bob Kellemen, Julie Lowe, David Powlison.
I’m not sure that Jesus’ counseling method can be precisely imitated by mere mortals. The biblical text seems to indicate that he had significant insight into the details of what was going on in people’s hearts, and he directly spoke to those in “counseling” interactions that “got to the heart of the matter” very quickly. This happens repeatedly in stories of his interactions with people.
I have for decades reckoned that Paul Tripp’s and David Powlison’s methodological interest in bringing heart motivation into view is a good methodological way to seek to approach the objective that Jesus was able to get to much more quickly.
If you want to “speak to the heart of what is going on in the counselee”, I think that there is a lot to be said for CCEF’s approach.