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Abstract
Counselors in training who are planning to operate from a Christian perspective face many
different challenges in incorporating faith and counseling techniques in an appropriate and
ethical way. Neff and McMinn seek to explain some of the most foundational issues that occur in
the counseling field and approach them from a Christian perspective in Embodying Integration.
In chapters 4-6 of Embodying Integration, Neff and McMinn discuss atonement, the mission of
God, and the uncertainties of life. These topics prove to be challenging to the new counselor as
well as enlightening and informational.
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Summary
In our textbook, Embodying Integration by Megan Neff and Mark McMinn, chapters 4
through 6 cover the subjects of atonement, the mission of God, and the uncertainties of life.
Starting in chapter 4, the authors begin by discussing the power of story and the narrative of
one’s life. They go on to explain that narratives do not just randomly form in a person; rather,
they form in a rather complex way, shaped by locations, community influences, relationships,
culture and countless other factors (Neff & McMinn, 2020). Not only are our narratives defined
by our social context, but as Christians, we often have another narrative regarding our view of
God that we abide by and it is important for the Christian counselor to recognize where these
narratives intersect in the client. For example, the author indicates that she once had a strict, rigid
view of a wrathful God and, when combined with her narrative of self, made her feel unworthy
or not good enough. The authors continue by discussing several different views of atonement or
reconciling with God. Christians may view atonement as God fighting a battle against evil for us,
God providing sacrificial love for us, or God satisfying the wrath of sin through Jesus.
Chapter 5 discusses the mission of God in our world. First, the authors dive into the
categories that “mission” can fit into, based on Christian face and how we may view “mission”
from differing perspectives (Neff & McMinn, 2020). First, they discuss soteriology and mission;
this would be that the mission of Christians is to go out into the world to deliever lost souls.
Another category would be mission and ecclesiology; this is the study of the church in the
context of missions. This category is a bit more complicated. It states that the mission of the
church is to create a place of worship and a church environment that allows for the presence of
God to abide in the church and to create a healthy congregation. Though these two versions of
mission are very common, neither truly embody the gospel. The authors continue by proposing
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that the Great Commission comes before we as Christians even leave home; God is preparing the
way before us. What this means for us as Christian counselors is that before we even step into a
counseling session, God is at work in both client’s life and our own lives. It also moves the
holder of knowledge from the counselor to God.
Chapter 6 discusses the uncertainties of our lives and where we can find God in the midst
of turmoil. This chapter is really a culmination of all of the prior chapters to further explain the
concept of integration (Neff & McMinn, 2020). The authors begin by discussing that we are
made in the image of God and how God truly desires to be with us, even if our own sin separates
us from His presence. McMinn points out that sometimes, we read Scripture and find that sin is
the problem and God blessed us with forgiveness. Though that is true, we were first blessed with
the presence of God, before sin ever separated us. The authors also discuss how we come into
problems of cognitive dissonance when we talk about all the blessings from God in a world that
is dying and lost. This is where lament and tension come into play; people seek to solve the
cognitive dissonance, but it is important to believe both that God is good, and the world is full of
pain. The authors leave off by discussing the sustaining spirit. This is the idea that the spirit of
God is with us through suffering and through new life.
Finally, the final conversation in the last segment of the book discusses the fact that
doctrine is important to our faith, however, it is also very important to be open minded and
considerate of different opinions and views (Neff & McMinn, 2020). Really, it is important for
counselors to determine what their client believes so that they can see where that client may be
coming from and how that impacts their behaviors.
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Reflection
Atonement
In my Christian walk, atonement has always been something that I have struggled to
understand and to come to terms with. I think that I have historically fallen into the category of
penal substitution; I always felt extreme guilt and as if I did not deserve the sacrifice of Jesus.
After reading this chapter, however, I feel as if it’s okay for me to feel conflicted about the topic
of atonement. It is also important, however, that I see how that view of God has been impacted
by my narrative. Youngs states that it is commonly noted in theological and psychological circles
that our views of God and religion are largely shaped by our experiences in life (Youngs, 2020).
It will be beneficial for me to examine how I see God and perhaps why I see him in that light.
Mission
Personally, I have traveled to Haiti twice on mission trips, so when the discussion
surrounds mission work, I am automatically interested. I found their view of mission to be very
enlightening. In my religious upbringing, “mission” was always associated with Matthew 28:19-
20, “ Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father
and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” (ESV, 2001). Neff and McMinn’s definition of mission is
more focused of God’s work in the world, rather than our work in the world. I think that this is a
good way to look at mission. If it were up to humans on their own to spread the gospel in a way
that everyone could understand, not only would it never get done, but it also wouldn’t be God-
honoring. I think that acknowledging that God, the Holy Spirit, and Jesus have all gone before
and continue to go before us in the mission work takes the power from Christians and returns it
to God the father. In addition, Neff and McMinn do a great job of painting the counseling field as
a mission field and that God us with us there too.
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Uncertainties
I agreed with this final chapter in many ways. Neff and McMinn did a good job of tying
up everything that had been previously discussed nicely and in a way that was understandable to
the reader. I agreed with the point that integration implies wholeness. As Christians, it is
impossible to separate Christ from who we are as people, therefore, it would be basically
impossible to completely separate Christ from our counseling work. One segment of this chapter
that I found to be incredibly profound was the section on loving our clients. Neff and McMinn
point out that we often hesitate to use the word love in the counseling setting. Even the ACA
Code of Ethics cautions us in creating a personal relationship with the client in section A.5 of the
Code of Ethics (American Counseling Association, 2014). However, the authors thoroughly
explained how important it is for us to remember that God calls us to love people. Our call as
Christians is just simply to love God and to love others. When we bring that belief to the
counseling field, it enables us to create a stronger bond with our clients and to bring the power of
Christ and the Holy Spirit into the sessions.
Another section of chapter 6 that I found to be important was the sustaining spirit. As
counselors, the fear of burn out and compassion fatigue is present daily. In addition to problems
in the counseling office, our problems at home compound the problem. The authors explained
that the holy spirit sustains us in times of great need and guides us. I think this is especially
useful as counselors. Sometimes, clients will come to us with problems that are just beyond
words. It is my belief, and the authors’ belief, that the Holy Spirit gives us the wisdom to say
exactly what needs to be said to encourage and to comfort.
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Spiritual Formation
These chapters have really been profound for me, especially the section about the
uncertainties of life. Right now, my family is going through an extremely hard time of grief, loss,
and serious illnesses. Reading these chapters give me insight as a counselor, but my personal
experiences at the time of reading help me to see from the perspective of a client as well. In
times of distress, such as what we are dealing with currently, it becomes even more difficult to
find hope and to hold on to our faith in God. However, as Hawkins and Clinton point out, the
healing journey is not easy and is definitely not linear all of the time (Hawkins & Clinton, 2015).
Being able to read these chapters of Neff and McMinn and Hawkins and Clinton have kept my
eyes open to Christ and his abounding love for all of us.
In another way, these chapters have helped me to become more aware of some of the
challenges that will come with being a Christian counselor. It is not always easy to determine
when to use prayer or when to talk about God in the counseling setting. But through the gift of
the Holy Spirit and prayer, I know that I will be guided and given wisdom. I also believe that
reading some of the stories that Neff and McMinn provide in the text are great examples of what
we will come into contact within the real world. I know that I live in a small town and in some
ways, we are in our own little world. Being able to read the heartbreaking and eye-opening
stories of others really puts it into perspective of what we will deal with daily.
Finally, I think that acknowledging how important it is to lean on God and the Holy Spirit
for understanding only lets us gain more wisdom. If we are stubborn and insist that we don’t
need guidance or help, we will never learn. Before my grandmother passed away, she always
said, “Well, we don’t know but God does” about just about everything that happened. I think that
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References
American Counseling Association. (2014). 2014 ACA code of ethics.
https://www.counseling.org/resources/aca-code-of-ethics.pdf
English Standard Version Bible. (2001). ESV Online. https://esv.literalword.com/
Hawkins, R., Clinton, T. (2015). The New Christian Counselor. Harvest House Publishers.
Neff, M. A., McMinn, M. R. (2020).FEmbodying Integration.FInterVarsity Press.F
https://mbsdirect.vitalsource.com/books/9780830831883
Youngs, S.J. (2020). “Therapeutic” atonement? A psychological paradigm of the cross in
dialogue with Martin Luther. Anglican Theological Review, 102 (3) p. 393-415.
https://go.openathens.net/redirector/liberty.edu?url=https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-
journals/therapeutic-atonement-psychological-paradigm/docview/2440496773/se-2
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