Let me first make two caveats about this posts before I talk about some of the weaknesses of the movement. I should first say that this and yesterday’s posts are not exhaustive evaluations of biblical counseling. Yesterday, I tried to describe what I think are the key features of biblical counseling–the features that I find very compelling. Second, remember these have to be stereotypes. Biblical counselors come in all shapes and sizes and skill level. So, try not to be offended if I paint biblical counseling too nice or not nice enough…
As I said yesterday, biblical counseling has spent much time considering how to disciple broken and sinful people through life in a broken and sinful world. Biblical counseling focuses on how to live faithfully, to act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly in the circumstances we find ourselves in. And yes, a key component is taking one self to task to put off the old self and put on the new.
What are some of the weaknesses?
1. Isolationist. Whether forced or by choice, biblical counselors have done less collaboration with other mental health theorists and professionals. This may lead to suspicion of other models and less interest in learning from the skills of others. Frankly, sometimes it leads to dishonesty. Biblical counselors have benefitted from the insights or other christian and nonChristian authors. You do see evidences of cognitive/behavioral theory, evidences of particular ways of handling certain disorders. And yet, not many footnotes acknowledging those influences.
2. Individualist. Counselors recognize that counselees have little power to change circumstances or others. What they do have the power to do is to be responsible for their own attitudes and actions. However, moving to responsibility sometimes happens too quickly by biblical counselors. “Yes, your spouse’s critical spirit is a difficult thing…let’s look at how your response to her…Yes, your abuse as a child was sin, but now lets look at your unwillingness to…” We do need to get to how the counselee will choose to respond to their world and yet we also need to understand and name the impact of the community. Many false names (from within and without) have been given to these kinds of situations. Therefore, the person needs time to explore what names and stories they use to define themselves first. They need someone to hear their story even if it is full of misperceptions. Biblical counseling tends to deal primarily with individual change without looking at the impact of the larger system on that change.
3. Justice seeking; suffering reduction. If as in #2, the focus of biblical counseling has been on individual sanctification, then it may be that less focus has been on how to seek justice when sinned against and less focus on finding specific ways to counter the physical/psychological effects of the fall. Biblical counseling loving people need to advance our understanding of how the body impacts human responses to trouble. Some biblical counselors are beginning to do this. I think of my friend, Mike Emlet (CCEF), who has taught about how to think and respond to difficult, impulsive, and emotionally labile children. He has helped me think about the role of the body in rebellious children. Why is it that children (and us adults) are more irritable when tired or hungry? While biblical counselors have rightly said that we ought not excuse our behaviors with circumstances. We shouldn’t say, “I’m sorry I blew up at you. I was tired.” It sounds blameshifting, right? And yet, some do have less control when tired and hungry. Can we be as careful in developing help as we are in developing accurate diagnosis of sin?
4. Exhortational and goal oriented. Despite progress, I think most biblical counseling is about telling and exhortation toward good goals. In reality, most of my clients know what goal they should be working towards and can name their sin. But they are still stuck. Biblical counselors need much more work (at least in their writings) on the nature of incarnational relationships and the change that takes place in counseling processes that include validation, choice, silence, reflection, etc. I think a deeper understanding of emotion and interpersonal processes might help here.
Musings on Faith and Psychology 