LIBERTY UNIVERSITY JOHN W. RAWLINGS SCHOOL OF DIVINITY
Are Biblical Counselors Unbiblical?
A Paper Submitted to
the Faculty of the School of Divinity
in Candidacy for the Degree of
Doctor of Education in Christian Leadership (Ed. D) Department of Christian Leadership and
Church Ministries
By
Mary Gracias
Lynchburg, Virginia
10/2022
There are many models of Christian counseling that vie for the consideration of the church.
One variety that has more recently garnered attention is Transformational Psychology (TP). I
first found out about TP when I read Dr. John Coe’s ETS paper: “Why Biblical Counseling Is
Unbiblical.” As I consider myself a biblical counselor, I was struck by his assessment and decided
to learn more. Coe co-authored a book with Todd Hall titled, Psychology in the Spirit: Contours
of a Transformational Psychology. I read this book with much interest, trying to understand
what was distinctive about their approach.
Though there are many helpful insights shared in that book, there is a significant point of
disagreement concerning biblical counseling. Coe’s basic thesis is that Proverbs teaches that the
moral wisdom embedded in creation can (even should) inform our counseling. And because
biblical counselors do not seek this extra-biblical wisdom, but rather exhibit what Coe calls an
over-reliance on Scripture, they are unbiblical, and, presumably, their counseling is unwise. As
this critique comes from a respected and careful theologian, it is worth exploring in more detail.
So, are biblical counselors unbiblical? Is Coe right? Is the Bible teaching us that there are
sources of wisdom outside Scripture, which wise counselors ought to diligently pursue? Are
biblical counselors unbiblical?
I will evaluate Coe’s argument from different angles. First, I’ll summarize the TP model.
Second, I’ll engage in an exegetical evaluation of passages in Proverbs cited by Coe, followed by
a consideration of Proverbs in general. Third, having done this, we’ll be in a position to identify
weaknesses of TP. Fourth, we’ll consider Coe and Hall’s pastoral motivation and find out how
similar our aims are. I’ll conclude by responding to their invitation to join them in developing a
truly biblical psychology.
What Is Transformational Psychology?
TP is a (relatively) new approach to doing psychology, aiming to develop an inherently
Christian approach to understanding the person. Coe and Hall’s Psychology in the Spirit is their
proposal for this new approach, and it sketches some of the major contours for doing
“transformational psychology.” The following is their description of TP:
Our transformational model is not primarily about how to take the fruits of science and
integrate them with Christianity, but to develop a holistic approach to doing psychology and
science that is inherently Christian, grounded in the transformed psychologist studying God’s
world in God.1
Notice that last phrase, “in God.” Coe and Hall emphasize in this book how the character of
the psychologist is vital to the process of doing psychology. They argue that only spiritually
healthy people can develop and practice TP. The heart of the methodology of their
transformational psychology is described in chapter 7, which is titled: “An Old Testament Model
for a Transformational Science and Psychology.” This chapter contains their foundational thesis.
Therefore, I will seek to engage with the assertions made in that chapter specifically.
In the seventh chapter, Coe argues that there are two sources of wisdom: propositional
(Scripture) and non-propositional (Creation). In other words, he argues that God reveals
wisdom in his Word and in his world. Wisdom is inherent in the dynamic structures of creation.
Coe contends that this is something the Bible teaches, and models in the book of Proverbs. He
claims that this non-propositional wisdom is “embedded and evident within the patterns and
dynamic structures of both the inorganic and organic world…the OT sage identifies this ordering
structure with Cosmic Wisdom or the Wisdom of God embedded within the structures of the
cosmos.”2 Coe contends that, through studying natural phenomena, the sage “discovers the
moral knowledge and skill necessary for living well in all areas of life.”3
The biblical texts he believes warrant this approach are based on the parable/story of the
sluggard in Proverbs 24:30-34, and reference the relationship between wisdom and creation in
Proverbs 3:19-20 and 8:22-36. We’ll explore each of these texts below, but—for now—it’s
important to recognize the critique he makes of biblical counselors, which is an “over-reliance
upon the Scriptures for all wisdom.4 God has provided two sources of wisdom, Coe argues, and
therefore the task of the psychologist-sage is to acquire wisdom from both sources. “The sage
and our transformational model of psychology appeal to Scripture and creation as sources of
wisdom, inasmuch as both inform us on how to live well.5
Coe argues that the Old Testament sage shows us how human observations can lead to a
discovery of the dynamic law-like structures of nature (including human psychological
dynamics). Discovering these dynamic structures embedded in creation enables people to then
develop an understanding of what leads to healthy versus unhealthy living: “The Old Testament
sage is convinced that one can discover facts about values from facts about nature, particularly
from facts about human behavioral, interpersonal and intrapsychic phenomena.”6
How does Coe understand the book of Proverbs specifically? He appears to see Proverbs as
an early example (or precursor) of psychological literature. He argues that the Old Testament
sage is a model for a transformational approach to doing science in general, and psychology in
particular. He thus sees Proverbs “as representing the Old Testament sage’s science of values.”7
Proverbs provides a scientific model for modern psychospiritual sages to replicate in their own
time and place. In short, “the Old Testament sage is our biblical model.”8 In his review of the
book, Bob Kellemen summarizes Coe’s view of the book of Proverbs: “Proverbs illustrates what
the Christian psychologist should be and do.”9
As a result Coe argues that Proverbs is a model project of psychology, in which the
psychologist discovers (through observation and reflection) values from creation. Since moral
truths are embedded in nature, scientific psychological study of the created order will bring the
discovery of moral knowledge that one would not have known apart from such observation.
Coe does not provide an example of how this might work out practically in chapter 7, but Hall
does so in chapter 12. Co-author Todd Hall introduces readers to the concepts of Human
Attachment and Relationality in chapter 12. (These concepts, I assume Hall would argue, have
come to us through the psychological study of the created order—in this case, through a
synthesis of recent developments in multiple fields.) Hall then proceeds to give a counseling
example of Fred and Bonnie (a couple experiencing marital problems), illustrating how the
concepts of Human Attachment and Relationality enable him to deeply understand and
effectively care for them. By inference, the message is that the Transformational Psychologist,
through studying creation, has a greater wisdom than does the biblical counselor because his
scientific studies have yielded additional valuable information regarding human behavioral,
interpersonal, and intrapsychic phenomena.
The bottom line of the argument Coe makes in chapter 7 is that it is the Bible’s own
testimony that Scripture is not the only source of wisdom. “As a social scientist with a moral
stripe, [the sage’s] goal is to translate his observations and reflections of the human ordering
structure into principles for living well in all areas of life under God. The Proverbs in particular
represent his attempt at mapping out the quasi-causal laws of sow and reap that regulate
human phenomena.”10
The sage, Coe argues, is our biblical model, showing us how to pursue a distinctively
Christian approach to psychology (and thus counseling). The sage does this by gleaning wisdom
from his study of creation and applying that wisdom to human life.
Coe’s critique of the biblical counseling position is that “it fails to adequately account for
the wisdom that God has for us to discover by observation and reflection on human beings…
[biblical counselors have an] over-reliance upon the Scriptures for all wisdom.”11 Biblical
counselors are ignoring the mandate to discover the extra-biblical wisdom God has embedded
in creation and are therefore less likely to offer wise soul care. To rightly evaluate Coe’s
assertion, we must explore whether he properly understands the teaching of Proverbs. It is to
that examination that we shall now turn.
Examining Coe’s Exegesis
Does Proverbs teach that wisdom is found in creation? To answer this question, let’s first
consider the key passages Coe cites in support of his view that Proverbs teaches a non-
propositional source of wisdom. The first is Proverbs 3:19–20.
“The Lord by wisdom founded the earth; by understanding he established the heavens; by
his knowledge the deeps broke open, and the clouds drop down the dew.”
Coe says about these verses:
“God’s wisdom is responsible for the ordered structure, mechanics and causal laws that
ontologically ground the natural sciences. This cosmic ordering structure provides the objective
data that makes nature comprehensible.”12
That is a true and helpful insight and worth unpacking a bit. By looking at the context of
Proverbs, we recognize these verses are part of a larger treatise, praising the value of wisdom,
and they particularly highlight the value of wisdom to the Lord in his creating and sustaining of
the earth. In other words, God used wisdom in creation (3:19-20a: “by wisdom founded the
earth,” and “by understanding he established the heavens”), and continues to employ wisdom
in sustaining the earth (3:20b: “by his knowledge…the clouds drop down the dew”). Through
wisdom, God created the world. This connects with the focus of Proverbs 1-9, in which Solomon
seeks to highlight the value of wisdom for his readers. Wisdom is beautiful, majestic, and
attractive—something God utilized in creation and so something that we ought to seek.
But here’s the important point about Proverbs 3:19-20—the world does not contain God’s
wisdom; it was created by God’s wisdom. Commenting on verse 3:19, John Kitchen helpfully
notices this nuance: “God employed His wisdom, understanding, and knowledge (v. 20) in
bringing forth all of creation (Pss. 104:24; 136:5; Jer. 10:12; 51:15). Wisdom predates all
creation.”13 For this reason, these verses do not teach us that the ordered
structure contains God’s wisdom. Rather, these verses teach us that the ordered structure
was created and is sustained by God’s wisdom. God’s wisdom was used in creation, but that
does not mean that creation contains God’s wisdom. To give a word picture: wisdom is not like
a mineral that needs to be mined out of a mountainside. Instead, the whole mountain testifies
to the wisdom of its Creator. The mountain does not contain wisdom; it was created by
wisdom. The mountain reveals (but does not contain) the wisdom of its maker.14
Let’s consider another key text that Coe cites in this passage. In this passage, Lady Wisdom
is speaking in Proverbs 8:22-31.
The Lord possessed me at the beginning of his work, the first of his acts of old. Ages ago I
was set up, at the first, before the beginning of the earth. When there were no depths I was
brought forth…. Before the mountains had been shaped, before the hills, I was brought forth….
When he established the heavens, I was there… when he marked out the foundations of the
earth, then I was beside him, like a master workman, and I was daily his delight, rejoicing before
him always, rejoicing in his inhabited world and delighting in the children of man.
Commenting on these verses, Coe writes,
“God’s wisdom not only creates but is itself imprinted upon and embedded within nature as
its pattern, way and dynamic law-like structure of things (Cosmic Wisdom)” [italics mine]15
Crucially, Coe here identifies Cosmic (Lady) Wisdom as the cause-and-effect order of things
in creation. Commenting on Proverbs 8:30-36, Coe writes, “In the same way that Cosmic
Wisdom represents the causal laws that govern nonhuman natural phenomena, she also
represents the quasi-causal laws of sow-and-reap that govern human agents. Thus, according to
the Old Testament sage, Cosmic Wisdom implores persons to listen to her inasmuch as she
governs all human behavioural, interpersonal and intrapsychic phenomena.”16Coe therefore
argues that Lady Wisdom, or Cosmic Wisdom, refers to the ordering structure embedded within
creation. This means, Coe argues, that the sage studies creation to better know Lady Wisdom.
The problem with this contention is the lack of clear exegetical support. No verses explicitly
identify Lady Wisdom as being embedded within creation. None. A decisive issue in this
discussion is identifying Lady Wisdom, because she implores us to listen to her. If Lady Wisdom
refers to the ordering structure of creation, then surely Coe and Hall are correct – she beckons
us to listen to her by studying creation. But which verses identify Lady Wisdom as the ordered
structure of creation? We’ll revisit this question in more detail below.
Here is the final significant passage Coe cites, from Proverbs 24:30-34.
I passed by the field of a sluggard, by the vineyard of a man lacking sense, and behold, it
was all overgrown with thorns; the ground was covered with nettles, and its stone wall was
broken down. Then I saw and considered it; I looked and received instruction. A little sleep, a
little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, and poverty will come upon you like a robber,
and want like an armed man.
Coe argues that this observation of the sluggard reveals the epistemological method of the
sage. As the sage “saw and considered,” he “received instruction.” This is the way Coe exegetes
this passage on laziness:
This is the only passage I am aware of in the Proverbs in which the sage draws back the
curtain and exposes his modus operandi in apprehending wisdom and moral knowledge…
though the sage elsewhere acknowledges the Scriptures as a source of wisdom (Proverbs
29:18), here he informs us that his own reflections and observations were sufficient to discover
this piece of practical and moral wisdom…thus, it seems reasonable to conclude that the sage’s
peculiar task in contrast to the priest and prophet involves keenness in observation and
reflection for interpreting natural, particularly human, phenomena.17
This is the crux of his argument. He asserts that the sage’s “reflections and observations
were sufficient to discover …moral wisdom.” But this claim that engaging with creation leads to
new moral knowledge lacks warrant. The text of Proverbs never actually makes the claim that
facts about values can be gleaned from facts regarding creation. At best, this is an argument
from silence.
A clear and specific verse explaining or illustrating a non-propositional source of wisdom
cannot be located. Proverbs 24:30-34 itself appears unclear on this: Is the sage discovering new
moral knowledge, or merely being reminded by way of illustration of an earlier truth that he
previously articulated (cf. Prov. 6:9-11, which includes the same refrain, “A little sleep, a little
slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and
want like an armed man”)? Or, is this merely a parable or riddle (which Proverbs 1:6 suggests it
might be), illustrating a truth already known to the sage? To be sure, the sage most certainly
reflects upon what he sees. Most scholars would not deny that the sage keenly observes the
world he inhabits—he does! The sage is a keen observer of his surroundings, as we should be
today. Kitchen exegetes this passage well when he writes:
“Whether or not this reflects an actual event or is a moral story manufactured for purposes
of instruction is beside the point. What should not be lost, however, is how much can be
learned if one simply keeps his eyes open.”18
We should keep our eyes open! Biblical counselors, pastors, and all Christians would do
well to keenly observe the world we inhabit. Biblical counseling is not, and has never been,
opposed to scientific investigation and thoughtful reflection upon the world we inhabit. But the
crucial exegetical question for Coe to consider is if this parable is giving us a methodology in
science of values. Although it is wise for us to value scientific endeavors, this passage is simply
not teaching us that the OT sage discovered moral wisdom through scientific observation. The
parable/story does not reveal the sage’s epistemological modus operandi.
Perhaps, in response, Coe would contend that Proverbs 24:32 (“Then I saw and considered
it; I looked and received instruction”) specifically teaches that moral wisdom can be gleaned
from scientific study. But Proverbs 24:32 is surely too unclear to be one’s primary text in
supporting this epistemological framework, particularly when the clear and consistent message
of Proverbs is that wisdom comes from God’s Word (cf. Prov. 2:1-11; 4:1-19; 19:27). While Coe
quotes various passages from Proverbs generally, he makes no strong exegetical argument from
specific verses persuasively demonstrating that Cosmic Wisdom is embedded in creation.19 In
fact, arguing that wisdom comes from studying creation is almost contrary to the message that
the book of Proverbs is seeking to communicate, which is that wisdom comes through the
Word of God (Prov. 1:1-7). While the sage certainly observed and reflected on what he saw, his
divinely inspired and subsequently recorded observations were performed through the lens of
orthodoxy.
Hebrew scholar Bruce K. Waltke points out,
“The authors of Proverbs drew inspiration through keen observations and cogent
reflections on creation, but they brought to their task Israel’s world-and-life view and used the
creation to confirm it” (italics mine).20
Yes, the sages certainly reflected on nature and human phenomena (and so should we!),
but they reflected through the lens of biblical faith. They saw illustrations and confirmations,
rather than discovering authoritative new moral truths in what they observed. This is what all
Christians do; this is what preachers do; and this is also what counselors do—reflect upon
creation through the lens of biblical faith. Indeed, it is important and valuable that we do this.
Science is an ally to the Christian person, and biblical counselors are positive pertaining to
scientific investigation. As the scholars we’ve quoted from articulated, the sage of Proverbs
certainly observed and reflected upon creation. Thoughtful biblical counselors have done the
same—yet without claiming that they were studying Lady Wisdom when they were observing
and reflecting.
The exegetical arguments made by Coe are based on texts that do not teach what he
asserts. Lady Wisdom (Cosmic Wisdom is a term Coe employs) does not represent the causal
laws that govern nonhuman natural phenomena; the OT sage does not affirm a moral science.
It does raise the question of what Lady Wisdom does represent, though, and what the nature of
the wisdom in Proverbs is. It is to these important questions that we now turn.
