Running head: COMPARISON PAPER 1
Comparison Paper: Adams Assignment
Harold Hanson
Liberty University
PACO 507
Dr. Marcus Tanner
November 12,2021
COMPARISON PAPER 2
Primary goal
Author Jay Adams has mainly emphasized the power of Christianity in his books.
According to him, Christianity has the power to bring about transformational change in terms of
healing humanity. He has identified counseling as the chief tool that allows the Christianity
religion to change the world and the people living in it for the better. As God is the ultimate
creator of mankind, all human beings should look up to him. Adams has focused on biblical
counseling in his work which has ultimately served as the core foundation of nouthetic
counseling. Author Powlison in his book titled ‘The Biblical Counselor Movement’ (2010), has
stated that the Positive System Theory of Biblical Counseling by Adam is highly impactful.
While examining Adam’s work, it has been observed that he believes change can come through
godliness
Development of problems and personal need
Adams has identified that the main reason for the problems that human beings encounter
in their life is because of their lack of a solid relationship with God. Since human beings fail to
form an intimate association with God, a major gap is created. According to him, the issues of
people stem from the sins that they commit through their bodies and souls. The author has
further identified that when humans commit sins, they start to feel guilty, which gives rise to bad
behavior. The author has also presented his views on topics such as homosexuality. He considers
homosexuality to be a form of sin that must be changed. His views are aligned with the biblical
views as homosexuality is considered a sin.
Biblical integration
The Bible can be considered to be the foundation of Adam’s books as well as teachings.
He is a profound Christian who has advocated Christian counseling in his works. The work of
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Adams is inclined towards counseling. He has pointed out that biblical standards must be
followed during counseling. It can help to effectively solve the problems of humanity. Author
Adams has believed that psychological teachings are not meaningful and impactful if they are
not aligned with biblical standards. According to 1 John 1:1-3, “In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God.
All things were made by him, and without him was not anything made that was made.”
According to the Bible, God is a deity who has the power to heal and deliver and restore one’s
life (John 1. Bible gateway john 1 :: NIV, 2021).
Formula for change
Adams has highlighted a four-step process that would help to bring about transformation
in teaching, conviction, correction as well as training in the path of righteousness. He has
supported the aspect that if counseling sessions were designed by taking into consideration these
four key steps, they could bring about divine change in a person’s life. In each of the steps, the
integration of biblical concepts has been expressed through counseling as well as scripture
elements.
Balance of theology and spirituality
The work of Adams has been influenced by diverse aspects relating to theology. The
ideas that he has shared in his work have shed light on the fact that he gives high importance to
the underlying principles. The author has mainly relied on Calvinistic theology in which guilty
people were forgiven for Jesus Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection as they were ‘justified by
faith.’ Even though Adam has inclined towards the concept of theology, both spirituality and
theology cross paths with one another in counseling if these elements are derived from the deity
of God and the Holy Spirit.
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Human personality
Adam has stated that human beings must see one another in the manner in which God
views them. According to him, counselors need to focus on providing services and support that
help individuals to comprehend their sinful nature. Such an outlook can help them to understand
that humans are fallen beings that are restored through Jesus Christ. Adam does not agree with
the psychological perspective on human nature, which views it as a ‘descriptive science studying
human functioning’. He has the view that psychotherapists and personality theorists make
varying assumptions about the human condition and ignore the element of God. Based on his
Christian beliefs, he believes that nouthetic counseling can help to address negative emotions and
behavior that exist in human personality.
Counselor’s function and role
According to Adams, the main function of a counselor is to promote change by focusing
on elements like sanctification and edification. He has idealized Christian counselors in his work
because they confront sin by laying emphasis on biblical terms. Such an approach helps in
promoting solutions that are aligned with biblical teachings. It is the duty of a counselor to
render services to all the clients by stressing the sacrifices of Jesus Christ and helping them to
show the path so that they can repent for their sins. It can help in the true transformation and
healing of individuals.
Major contribution to the counseling
One of the main contributions of Adams to counseling is his devoted belief in making
Jesus Christ the main force of redemption through biblical counseling techniques. His faith in
God is very strong, and at no point does he waver from them. He has relied on biblical principles
to change the bad behavior in human beings and address issues relating to negative behavior. He
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has further highlighted the importance of personal responsibility and human ability to bring
about transformation in one’s life.
Limitations of this counseling theory
One of the main limitations of the counseling theory is the high use of biblical scriptures
within counseling sessions. Such an approach has restricted the use of positive elements of
psychology. Another limitation is that he has ignored the importance of the integration of
biblical contents and psychology. I personally believe that in the domain of counseling, both
biblical principles, as well as psychological elements play an integral role. Christian counselors
need to rely on both disciplines to offer comprehensive counseling services to their clients.
Classification
Christianity serves as the foundation of Author Adam’s beliefs and teachings. Religion
plays an integral role in shaping his views on counseling. In his books, he has stated that biblical
concepts and principles must be used in counseling sessions. Based on his views, he can be
classified as a person who believes in the concept of nouthetic counseling.
Practical Application
The work of Adams is extremely insightful and useful that can be adopted in diverse
practical settings. Adam’s teachings can be used within Pastoral Counseling sessions while
engaging with individuals and couples. The beliefs of the author can be shared with the clients so
that they would be able to focus on their sins and reach out to God so that they could repent. It
could also be used while engaging with married couples who seek counseling. The principles can
help them to place God in the central position of their marriage and focus on their lifetime
commitment to one another. In the real-life setting, the teachings of the author are considered to
be extremely useful as it helps individuals to identify their negative behavior and correct the
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same. The path that the author has highlighted can help people to adopt biblical principles in life
and overcome various challenges in life.
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References
John 1. Bible gateway john 1 :: NIV. (2021). Retrieved November 12, 2021, from
http://web.mit.edu/jywang/www/cef/Bible/NIV/NIV_Bible/JOHN+1.html.
