Questions to Ponder When Considering Clinically Informed Biblical Counseling

How People Have Respond Interestingly, I read an article from the Biblical Counseling Society (03-26-26) today that took the approach of asserting a doctrinal like challenge to the claims of those who promote this approach. In my readings over the past six months, I came across another approach in the form of affirmations and denials. A Personal Responsible Approach I prefer to take the approach of proposing questions and provoking thinking by the biblical counseling community. As I have been working a book to be titled, Peter’s Manuals for Crisis and Trauma Counseling for the past six months, I’ve nuanced this list of questions. All three approaches are drawing attention to the fact that clinically informed/trauma informed compromises the integrity of the descriptive title, Biblical Counseling. The terms clinically informed and trauma informed have the ring of sophistication and professionalism. However, both the secular community and the Christian community have offered extremely helpful critiques of these recent labels. Questions Are Tools to Inform Yourself Here are ten questions that the everyday educated Christian should be asking when they are confronted by others indicating that practicing biblical counseling without these modern tools leaves the counselor wanting. • Is it compatible with the Biblical teaching of the sufficiency of Scripture? • Is it consistent with classical understanding of the limitations of general revelation? • Is it consistent with the classical understanding of the Imago Dei? • Is it legal for a non-licensed counselor to practice it? • Is it consistent with a biblical worldview? • Is it capably to explaining how God’s people managed tragic life experiences before contemporary neuroscience? • Is it addressing the brain and ignoring the heart (soul)? • Is it promoting coping and thereby encouraging victimhood? • Is it providing the hope of spiritual and physical health? • Is it promoting a trash bag catch-all of symptoms? • Is it a cohesive scientific evidence-based practice? • Is it compatible with biblical personhood? Tools to Help Answer the Questions If a person has been reading about clinically informed biblical counseling and have found it intriguing, I’d recommend grabbing your Bible, your favorite evangelical systematic theology, and either Heath Lamber’s, A Theology of Biblical Counseling or Jay Adams’ A Theology of Christian Counseling and put yourself on a discipline path to answer these twelve questions. You might also consider Totally Sufficient by Ed Hindson and Howard Eyrich along with Noel Weeks’ Sufficiency of Scripture. After you have completed your own investigation of these questions you may follow up by reading Julie Ganschow’s Trauma Redeemed and Earnie Baker (editor) Critical Issues in Biblical Counseling, Twin Book Edition by Shepherd Press. Conclusion My students are going to nickname me one of these days, Mr. Question. I frequently remind them that Mr. Question is their best friend. For example, when a wife tells the counselor that she cannot communicate with her husband, there are at least two pertinent questions to ask her. First, what is the main reason you cannot communicate with him. She may give variety of answers such as, “I am fearful” which begs the question, “fearful for what reasons?” She may respond, “He is always preoccupied.” To this you may respond with instructions to put her communication in writing. You get the idea. Asking questions is how you inform yourself. The questions listed in this blog will strategically help you understand and defend your position regarding the matter at hand.