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The Biblical Counseling Model
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In the mid 1970's many pastors and churches irresponsibly let their Christian faith be shaped primarily by newly discovered psychological knowledge. Psychotherapists with theories of normalcy and psychopathology were welcomed into churches with the expectation that this "scientific knowledge" would further sanctify both congregation and clergy.
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As a result, biblical worldviews receded into oblivion and no relationship to a living God was thought to be needed for righteous living. A number of counselors attempted to correct this imbalance by claiming Christian counselors should turn only to Scripture for authoritative guidance on how to best overcome problems.
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These counselors saw a person's troubles strictly through a biblical lens and claimed that a person's difficulties were the result of sin. They relied exclusively on biblical portraits of human nature to inform their view of hurting souls. Today there are still a number of biblical counselors who choose to work from this specific framework.
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Yet, not everyone who seeks Christian counseling could benefit from biblical counseling. To begin with, there are many issues common to psychotherapy on which the Bible is silent.
In addition, there are persons whose faith or spirituality issues are irrelevant to their current struggles but who still prefer to work with a Christian professional. For them, biblical counseling is completely inadequate. Instead, such persons stand to benefit greatly from good, solid psychotherapy.
Most people however experience a confusing mixture of emotional, psychological, and spiritual difficulties. Sometimes spiritual maturation and growth are restricted by emotional or psychological blocks, while at other times, emotional or psychological health is compromised by some spiritual factor.
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In these situations it is crucial to have a counselor or therapist who is competent clinically and manifests a spiritual maturity. Insights from both psychological and theological frameworks are necessary to help these persons overcome both kinds of blockage in order to grow. It remains true however that sometimes a person's trouble and suffering is only the result of unhealthy living or what biblical counselors refer to as 'sin.' Biblical counseling is appropriate for those persons who are well-adjusted emotionally and psychologically yet struggle on a purely spiritual level. For everyone else, Portland Christian Counseling has the appropriate resources to deliver real help.
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