Powlinson’s six crucial issues in contemporary biblical counseling deal
with the foundation of biblical counseling and how they build on an
already established foundation.
The six crucial areas are:
1. Integration of secular psychology into biblical-nouthetic
counseling
2. Human motivation
3. Relationship between human responsibility and human suffering
4. Counselor-counselee relationships
5. Contextualization of biblical counseling to new audiences
6. Relationship between biblical counseling and secular counseling
needs to be publicly clarified.
I find the most significant of these six crucial areas is the concern
of+human motivation.++According to Dr. +Baker’s lecture on Issues in
Contemporary Christian Counseling, there are two different perspectives
or emphases on motivation. One is in Secular counseling motivation,
which focuses on behavior change. Although external changes don’t
change the person’s circumstance, forcing them to look for other options
or another philosophy.+ The other is Biblical Counseling motivation, which
aims at the individual’s heart. Change comes from the heart, and when
God has his heart, he has the entire person.++
The goal of counseling is not the happiness of the client. Happiness is only
based on “what is happening” at the moment. The Bible says that “Happy
is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding”
( Proverbs 2:6). +It is based on a life that pleases God and maturity
towards Christ’s likeness. The behavior that flows from within flows out of
a man’s heart.
Furthermore, the problem that we deal with in counseling is that they
were misplaced passions within the heart of man. There are desires, their
inner cravings that war against God’s purposes in an individual’s life. “For
it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come sexual
immorality, theft, murder” (Mark 7:21). In Biblical counseling, we move
the client into a love relationship with God, and teaches us to “love the
Lord, our God with all of our heart-mind soul and strength, and love our
neighbor as ourselves” Luke 10:27). This motivation is part of the Biblical
counseling process that an individual would get their heart right with God.
Once they establish themselves in being, then doing will follow naturally,
and this pleases God.
The other five concerns are devalued because the dynamics of our human
motivation ultimately stem from the heart in which God is the creator, as
stated in Mark 7:21.+ The heart is the seat of our emotions and where we
keep God's word "I have hidden your word in my heartthat I might not
sinagainst you" (Ps. 119:11),+and the issues of life flow from it "Keep your
heart with all diligence, For out of itspringthe issues of life"+(Prov. 4:23).
Issue #1 is foundational, however its modality is self-help and building
self-esteem, all of which bypass the man ↔God relationship (2010, p.
241). Powlison notes Issues #3 and #4+ “Counseling in the Christian
church continues to be significantly compromised by the secular
assumptions and practices of our cultures reigning psychologies and
psychiatrist” (p. 241). Issues #5 and #6 deal with relationships with the
counselee and outside the church arena, respectively. +Biblical counselors
should maintain the authority of Scripture when confronting those inside
and outside of the church ( pp. 249, 253).
In answer to Powlison's (2010) appendix 4, the “Cure of Souls” (p. 269),+ I
agree with Powlison that “when it comes to the cure of souls…only
biblically wise people should qualify to counsel other people” (p. 299).
Soul care is the attention given to healing a wounded soul or maintaining
a healthy soul. In a Christian context, soul care is often linked to finding
help to overcome temptations, fight addictions, and have peace with God.+
Biblical counselors or pastors care for a soul in the way a doctor cares for
a body.
Reference
Powlison, D. (2010). The Biblical Counseling Movement: History and
Context. Greensboro, NC: New Growth Press.
