7 Biblical Truths That Must Shape Life and Ministry

7 Biblical Truths That Must Shape Life and Ministry

In our post-modern generation shaped by relativism, even the Church is filled with differing views on the largest issues of life and ministry.

The question that defines us more than any other is:

“Upon what do we base our life and ministry?”

Here are seven of the truths that must shape the way we see life and ministry. I call them:

Life’s Seven Ultimate Questions and Answers.

They teach us what makes biblical ministry truly biblical.

1. Question 1: “What is truth? Where do I find answers?”

Answer 1—The Word: “God’s Word is sufficient, authoritative, profound, and relevant.”

All that we need for life and godliness we find in Scripture (the written Word). In Christ are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge (the Living Word). We live and breathe every nano-second not by bread alone but by the Word of God. Therefore, in life and ministry every question is ultimately a God-question and every answer is fundamentally a God-answer.

2. Question 2: “Who is God?”

Answer 2—The Creator: “God is Trinitarian.”

God is not the “alone with the alone.” The God of the Universe is, always has been, and always will be Three-in-One, communitarian, Trinitarian. Before God created, He related. Thus God created us not out of need but graciously from the overflow of infinite Trinitarian fellowship. Reality is relational because God is Trinitarian. Therefore, in life and ministry our purpose is to glorify God as we combine Scripture and soul, truth and love.

3. Question 3: “Who am I”?

Answer 3—Creation: “We are created with dignity by God in the image of Christ.”

I am not an accident. I am fearfully and wonderfully made with the purpose of worshipful fellowship with the God of the universe and sacrificial one-another fellowship with my fellow human beings. Together we are to enjoy God by glorifying Him forever as we fulfill our calling as stewards of His universe. Therefore, in life and ministry our goal is to reflect increasingly the inner life of Christ.

4. Question 4: “What went wrong?”

Answer 4—The Fall: “We sinfully and foolishly choose god-substitutes over God.”

The only explanation for sin and suffering is humanity’s fall into rebellion initiated by Adam and Eve and continued to this day by every person who ever lived. We sinfully forsake and attempt to replace God because we have lost our awe of God and chosen to love false gods. Therefore, in life and ministry we must recognize and confess that our core problem is spiritual adultery.

5. Question 5: “Can we change? How do people change?”

Answer 5—Redemption: “We must apply our complete salvation to our daily sanctification.”

Our only hope for change is our acceptance by faith of God’s grace in Christ. Those who are new creations in Christ can change because they have already been changed. Justification (our new pardon), reconciliation (our new peace), regeneration (our new purity), and redemption (our new power) provide the four-fold basis for daily growth into the image of Christ. Therefore, in life and ministry our identity in Christ is foundational to our transformation in Christ.

6. Question 6—“Where am I headed? What is my destiny?”

Answer 6—Glorification: “Heaven is my final home.”

For those who enter into eternal relationship with God in Christ, our destiny is endless relationship and purpose—sacred communion within God’s holy and happy family. The biblical answer to the question of ultimate destiny ought to impact drastically how we live today—our future destiny impacts our present reality. Therefore, in life and ministry, reading the end of the story makes all the difference in how we respond to present suffering and how we overcome besetting sins.

7. Question 7—“Can I help? How can I help?”

Answer 7—Sanctification/Ministry: “We dispense God’s cure for the soul—grace.”

Grace is God’s prescription for our disgrace—the disgrace of sin and the disgrace of suffering. Grace is God’s medicine of choice for our sinful and suffering world. God calls us to be dispensers of His grace which sustains and heals us in our suffering, which reconciles and guides us in our sin, and which moves us toward sanctification in Christ. Therefore, in life and ministry we must be dispensers of grace.

The Life of the Soul through the Lens of Scripture

These seven biblical categories are essential for seeing the life of the soul through the lens of Scripture. They are absolutely vital because these relevant biblical categories address life’s seven ultimate questions that every honest person asks.

Soul Physician's Desk Reference Manual

How to Care Like Christ
Part III: The Soul Physician’s Desk Reference (SPDR) Manual

Blog Series Note: How to Care Like Christ seeks to equip lay people, pastors, and professional Christian counselors with the biblical knowledge and relational skills to change lives with Christ’s changeless truth.

Two books are standard in any physician’s office: The Physician’s Desk Reference (PDR) and The Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy (Merck). Both are considered “Bibles of medical knowledge and practice.”

With its 3,223 pages of prescription drugs, the annually updated PDR is the most comprehensive, widely used drug reference available. It details the usage, warnings, and precautions for more than 4,000 prescription drugs.

Merck is the most widely used medical text in the world. It provides the latest information on the vast expanse of human diseases, disorders, and injuries, as well as their symptoms and treatments. Intended for physicians, it is still useful for the layperson. As one sage has commented, “It is a must for everyone in a human body.”

If the PDR and Merck are the Old Testament and New Testament for physicians treating the body, then the Bible is God’s final, authoritative word for physicians treating the soul. It is the Soul Physician’s Desk Reference (SPDR) manual for dispensing grace. It’s “a must for anyone who is a soul.” God’s Word provides not only the latest, but also the eternal, enduring information on the soul’s design and disease, as well as its care and cure.

What do we discover as we read the pages of the Soul Physician’s Desk Reference (SPDR)? We learn what makes biblical counseling biblical. We learn our Great Physician’s authoritative truth about how to:

1. Nourish the Hunger of the Soul: Preventive Medicine—God’s Word
2. Know the Creator of the Soul: The Great Physician—The Trinity
3. Examine the Spiritual Anatomy of the Soul: People—Creation
4. Diagnose the Fallen Condition of the Soul: Problems—Fall
5. Prescribe God’s Cure for the Soul: Solutions—Redemption
6. Envision the Final Healing of the Soul: Home—Glorification
7. Dispense God’s Care for the Soul: Spiritual Friends—Sanctification

These seven biblical categories are essential for seeing the life of the soul through the lens of Scripture. We will examine them meticulously, as a med-school student examines the skeletal structure of the human body.

The Rest of the Story

*Return tomorrow when we explore how to nourish the spiritual hunger of the soul.

*For the full story, feel free to visit: http://bit.ly/7vaE

The Tale of Two Counselors

How to Care Like Christ
Part II: The Tale of Two Counselors

Several years ago, “Tim” (not his real name) shared his story with me. His uncle had repeatedly sexually abused him while he was in elementary school. Tim never told anyone about the damage in his soul until he finally found the courage to tell a pastoral counselor. Hear Jim’s words.

“Bob, it was incredibly hard. I felt so ashamed, but I got the words out—sobbing as I shared. The second I finished, my counselor whipped out his Bible, turned to Genesis 3, and preached a thirty-minute message on sin. Bob, it wasn’t even a good sermon! But worse than that, I knew that I was a sinner. I’m clueless as to how my pastoral counselor intended to relate that passage to my situation. At that second, did I need a sermon on my personal sin?”

Tim did not return for his second session with his pastoral counselor. Instead, he arranged an appointment with a professional Christian counselor. Here is Tim’s rendition of his second counseling experience.

“Bob, at first things went well. My counselor seemed to be able to relate to me, seemed to have compassion for what I went through. But after two months of counseling I was ready to have him help me move beyond sympathy and empathy. I knew that I wasn’t loving my wife and kids like Christ wanted me to. But my counselor kept telling me that I was too hard on myself and that I was too damaged to love the way I wanted to love.”

The tale of two counselors. One hears a sordid story of sexual abuse and immediately responds to his sobbing counselee with a sermon on sin. The second hears his counselee’s longing to move beyond damage to dignity, from victim to victory, and informs him that he’s too disabled to function fully. These two diverse approaches illustrate the ongoing divide concerning what makes biblical counseling biblical. Just what is biblical one another ministry?

Tim’s story forces us to ask ourselves some hard questions. Practical questions such as:

*In your own life, do you tend to be more on the “truth/Scripture side” or more on the “love/soul side”? Why?

*Has anyone ever interacted with you like either of Tim’s counselors? What did it feel like? What were the results?

*What view of the Bible and of “people helping” might have motivated Tim’s counselors?

*What content does a person need to know to be a biblical counselor, pastoral counselor, lay counselor, spiritual friend, soul physician, mentor, discipler, or people helper?

The Rest of the Story

Return tomorrow when we explore how to make one another ministry truly biblical.

Be Equipped to Change Lives

Be Equipped to Change Lives: How to Care Like Christ

I know you are committed to changing lives. I know you care deeply for people and want to care like Christ.

I also realize that sometimes it is difficult to find relevant resources that equip you to change lives with Christ’s changeless truth.

That’s why I want to introduce you to five books that all share the same passion: to provide Christ-centered, comprehensive, compassionate, and culturally-informed ministry equipping to empower you to care like Christ.

Soul Physicians: A Theology of Soul Care and Spiritual Direction

Soul Physicians equips you to understand people, diagnose problems, and prescribe solutions—biblically! It empowers you to apply God’s Word to your own life so you grow in grace. It’s a comprehensive training manual for one another ministry and for growth in Christlikeness.

Its two built-in discussion guides—one for personal application and one for ministry implications—make Soul Physicians perfect for individual and group work.

Join the growing number of lay people, pastors, professional Christian counselors, and students who are using Soul Physicians as their twenty-first century manual for understanding people and ministering to them God’s way. Change lives with Christ’s changeless truth.

*To read a boatload of testimonies about the power of Soul Physicians, please visit: http://bit.ly/1SszRo

*To read a sample chapter of Soul Physicians, please visit: http://bit.ly/3yNUGf

*To order your copy of Soul Physicians at 40% off, please visit: http://bit.ly/3WsKoX

Spiritual Friends: A Methodology of Soul Care and Spiritual Direction

Spiritual Friends equips you to relate Christ’s truth to human relationships—yours and others. It’s a biblically-relevant training manual and a relational practical workbook with thousands of illustrative interactions and hundreds of skill-building exercises.

Its built-in discussion guide—with role-plays, vignettes, life applications, and ministry implications—makes Spiritual Friends perfect for individual and group work.

Join the growing number of church small groups, church lay counseling training ministries, pastors, professional Christian counselors, and students who are using Spiritual Friends as their twenty-first century manual for people helping. Care like Christ.

*To read a boatload of testimonies about the power of Spiritual Friends, please visit: http://bit.ly/LvKul

*To read a sample chapter of Spiritual Friends, please visit: http://bit.ly/17vtyd

*To order your copy of Spiritual Friends at 40% off, please visit: http://bit.ly/JiOR5

Beyond the Suffering:
Embracing the Legacy of African American Soul Care and Spiritual Direction

Do you long to learn from African American heroes of the faith how God uses suffering to move His people to a place of healing hope? Beyond the Suffering equips Christians of all races to be empowered by the heroes of Black Church to minister God’s healing hope to one another.

Its built-in discussion guide makes Beyond the Suffering ideal for celebrating the legacy of African American Christianity. Its amazing narratives are a gift to African Americans—validating their tremendous contribution to Christianity. Its powerful vignettes are a gift from African Americans—teaching all of us how to be powerful spiritual friends.

Join the growing number of individuals of all races, of churches of all races, of church small groups and Sunday School classes, of college and graduate school campuses, and of para-church groups using Beyond the Suffering as their twenty-first century manual for culturally-informed people helping. Build bridges of spiritual reconciliation.

*To read a boatload of testimonies, to read the Foreword by Dr. Tony Evans, to view the PowerPoint overview, and much more about Beyond the Suffering, please visit: http://bit.ly/XvsTu

*To read a sample chapter of Beyond the Suffering, please visit: http://bit.ly/MgQrB

*To order your copy of Beyond the Suffering at 40% off for just $9.99, please visit: http://bit.ly/WarAa

Sacred Friendships:
Celebrating the Legacy of Women Heroes of the Faith

Do you long to learn from godly women of the faith how to be a powerful spiritual friend? Sacred Friendships equips men and women to be Christlike mentors, coaches, ministers, and people helpers.

Its built-in discussion guide makes Sacred Friendships ideal for celebrating the legacy of women heroes of the faith. Its amazing narratives are a gift to women—giving voice to the voiceless. Its powerful vignettes are a gift from women—teaching men and women how to sustain, heal, reconcile, and guide one another for Christ’s glory.

Join the growing number of men and women, churches, Sunday School classes, church small groups, college and graduate school campuses, and para-church groups using Sacred Friendships as their twenty-first century manual for compassionate people helping. Learn from the great cloud of female Christian witnesses.

*To read a boatload of testimonies about the power of Sacred Friendships, please visit: http://bit.ly/6frbF

*To read a sample chapter of Sacred Friendships, please visit: http://bit.ly/1S1haj

*To order your copy of Sacred Friendships at 40% off, please visit: http://bit.ly/MG1l5

God’s Healing for Life’s Losses:
How to Find Hope When You’re Hurting

Have you experienced a loss and do you long to find God’s hope in your grief? Do you desire to minister God’s healing to your grieving friends? Then discover God’s healing for life’s losses.

God’s Healing for Life’s Losses equips you to apply eight scriptural stages in your response to life’s losses—helping you to find hope when you’re hurting. It also empowers you to minister healing hope to others so that they can face suffering face-to-face with God.

Its two built-in grief guides—one for your grief journal and one for your grief journey—make God’s Healing for Life’s Losses perfect for individual and group grief work.

Join the growing number of lay people, pastors, professional Christian counselors, recovery groups, grief groups, church small groups, Sunday School classes, and college and graduate school students using God’s Healing for Life’s Losses as their twenty-first century manual for Christian grief recovery. Find hope when you’re hurting.

*To read Pastor Steve Viars’ Foreword to God’s Healing for Life’s Losses, please visit: http://bit.ly/155J4r

*God’s Healing for Life’s Losses will be released in 2010. A sample chapter will be posted at that time at www.rpmministries.org

*When God’s Healing for Life’s Losses is released, you will be able to order it online at sale pricing at: www.rpmministries.org

Stimulate Your Soul with the RPM Stimulus Package

We have “bundled” our first four books in three combinations to offer you additional savings and additional resources.

The Biblical Counselor’s Library

Together, Soul Physicians and Spiritual Friends offer a unique Christ-centered, comprehensive, compassionate, and culturally-informed approach to biblical counseling and spiritual formation.

Purchase Soul Physicians and Spiritual Friends together, and save more—45% off. To order them together, please visit: http://bit.ly/3WsKoX

The Voice for the Voiceless Library

Together, Beyond the Suffering and Sacred Friendships offer a rarely heard multi-cultural and feminine perspective on one another ministry.

Purchase Beyond the Suffering and Sacred Friendships together, and save more—45% off. To order them together, please visit: http://bit.ly/MG1l5

The Soul Care and Spiritual Direction Library

Together, Soul Physicians, Spiritual Friends, Beyond the Suffering, and Sacred Friendships provide a Christ-centered, comprehensive, compassionate, and culturally-informed theology, methodology, and history of soul care and spiritual direction.

Purchase Soul Physicians, Spiritual Friends, Beyond the Suffering, and Sacred Friendships together, and save more—45% off. To order all four books together, please visit: http://bit.ly/JiOR5

Your Personal Invitation to Be Equipped

Be Equipped to Change Lives

I’d like to invite you to join me at the AACC’s World Conference from Wednesday, September 16, 2009 through Saturday, September 19, 2009 in Nashville, TN.

Our Biblical Counseling and Spiritual Formation Network (BCSFN) has many equipping events planned to empower you to change lives with Christ’s changeless truth.

BCSFN Pre-Conference

The BCSFN will hold its first “Conference-within-a Conference” during the AACC World Pre-Conference on Wednesday, September 18.

In the morning session from 9:00 AM to Noon, I will present on Developing a Theology and Methodology of Biblical Counseling. Learn seven essential biblical counseling competencies necessary to build a truly scriptural approach to Christian counseling.

In the afternoon session from 2:00 to 5:00 PM, Ron Hawkins will present on Using the Bible Accurately and Effectively in Biblical Counseling.

To register for the Pre-Conference go here http://tinyurl.com/nw5z2p and then select the Pre-Conferences by Kellemen and Hawkins to join others interested in biblical counseling and spiritual formation equipping.

BCSFN Track Presentations

During the AACC World Conference, from Thursday, September 17 to Saturday, September 19, the BCSFN has its own track, where we will be hearing from the following speakers:

*Ian F. Jones, “Biblical Counseling in the Historical Church,” Thursday, September 17, 8:45 to 10:00 AM, Session 103.

*Gary Moon, “Discipleship vs. Apprenticeship: An Experiential Approach to Spiritual Growth,” Thursday, September 17, 2:15 to 3:30 PM, Session 203.

*Robert W. Kellemen, “How to Practice Comprehensive Biblical Counseling: Implementing a Dozen Dreams,” Friday, September 18, 8:45-10:00 AM, Session 303. Learn how to care like Christ by providing Christ-centered, comprehensive, compassionate, and culturally-informed biblical counseling and spiritual formation.

*Scott E. Wiggington, “For Crying Out Loud: Reclaiming the Lost Language of Lament in Christian Counseling,” Friday, September 18, 2:15 to 3:30 PM, Session 403.

*Phil Monroe, “Engaging Biblical Texts in Trauma Therapy,” Friday, September 18, 4:15 to 5:30 PM, Session 503.

*John Thomas, “What’s Good About Feeling Bad: Developing a Theology of Suffering, Saturday, September 19, 8:45 to 10:00 AM, Session 603.

*Rick Marrs, “Making Christian Counseling More Christ-Centered,” Saturday, September 19, 2:15-3:30 PM, Session 703.

To register for the AACC World Conference Tracks, go here http://tinyurl.com/l284w6 and then select the Biblical Counseling and Spiritual Foundations tracks when you sign-up.

BCSFN Mixer

Please join us on Friday evening for the BCSFN Mixer. Our time together will include fellowship, connecting, discussing the latest happenings in the BCSFN, and interacting about ways our division can better equip our members. We want to get to know you and benefit from your participation!

Register for the AACC World Conference

Please visit the following link to register for the 2009 AACC World Conference: http://www.aacc.net/conferences/2009-world-conference/

I look forward to connecting with each of you.

My Identity in Christ, Part 3

Who I Am In Christ, Part Three

Note: Knowing our identity in Christ is vital to glorifying God, defeating the lies of Satan, and ministering powerfully. As you read the following summaries:

*Meditate on the associated verses and on the truth they share about you.

*Reject the lies of Satan about your identity.

*Thank God for who you are in Christ.

*Select one verse/truth per day and specifically apply it to your life and relationships.

My Identity in Christ

Romans 3:21-26; 4:3, 5, 6, 9, 22, 23, 24; 5:17, 19; 1 Corinthians 1:30; 2 Corinthians 3:9—I have been credited with Christ’s righteousness.

Romans 5:17—I am a recipient of God’s abundant provision of grace.

Romans 5:18—I have new life in Christ.

Romans 6:2—I am dead to sin.

Romans 6:3—I am baptized into Christ’s death.

Romans 6:4—I am buried with Christ in His death to and over sin.

Romans 6:4—I have been raised to new life in Christ.

Romans 6:5—I am united with Christ in His resurrection.

Romans 6:6—My old self is crucified with Christ.

Romans 6:6—My body of sin has been done away with.

Romans 6:6—I am no longer sin’s slave.

Romans 6:7—I have been freed from sin in Christ.

Romans 6:8—I died with Christ to sin.

Note: Excerpted from Soul Physicians: http://tinyurl.com/d8grf6

Who Am I in Christ?

Who I Am In Christ, Part Two

Note: Knowing our identity in Christ is vital to glorifying God, defeating the lies of Satan, and ministering powerfully. As you read the following summaries:

*Meditate on the associated verses and on the truth they share about you.

*Reject the lies of Satan about your identity.

*Thank God for who you are in Christ.

*Select one verse/truth per day and specifically apply it to your life and relationships.

My Identity in Christ

John 15:11—My joy is complete in Christ.

John 16:33—I have overcome the world in Christ.

John 17:16—I am not of this world.

Acts 2:44; 4:32—I am a believer.

Acts 5:20—I have new life in Christ.

Acts 8:3; 2 Corinthians 1:1—Together with all the saints, I am God’s Church.

Acts 11:26—I am a Christian, a little Christ.

Acts 13:39; Romans 3:24, 26, 28, 30; 4:25; 5:1, 9, 18; 10:10; 1 Corinthians 6:11; Titus 3:7—I am justified freely and fully in Christ.

Acts 20:32; 1 Corinthians 6:11—I am sanctified in Christ.

Romans 1:6—I am called to belong to Christ.

Romans 1:7; 1 Corinthians 6:1, 2; 2 Corinthians 1:1; Ephesians 1:1; Philippians 1:1; 4:21, 22; Philemon 4; Jude 3—I am a saint.

Romans 3:24; 1 Corinthians 1:30; Ephesians 1:7; Colossians 1:14—I am redeemed in Christ.

Note: Excerpted from Soul Physicians: http://tinyurl.com/d8grf6

Unveiling the Rich Heritage of Diverse Women in Ministry

Endorsements for Sacred Friendships

Note: The following contains endorsements for Sacred Friendships: Celebrating the Legacy of Women Heroes of the Faith by Bob Kellemen and Susan Ellis. Sacred Friendships will be released by BMH Books in late summer 2009. For information on pre-ordering Sacred Friendships, email rpm.ministries@gmail.com with a subject line of “Pre-Order.”

“Dr. Robert Kellemen and Susan Ellis have done a masterful job bringing together here a wonderful anthology of the stories and voices of Christian women throughout the history of the church. They steer a robust course between feminist misreadings on the one hand and irresponsible neglect on the other. A superb presentation!”
—Dr. Timothy George, Founding Dean of Beeson Divinity School of Samford University; Senior Editor, Christianity Today

“Sacred Friendships was exhilarating to read! I am recommending it to our students and professors ASAP. It unveils the rich heritage of diverse women in Christian ministry from a global perspective and presents a model of soul care that is powerful. It suggests an approach that provides all of the elements necessary for authentic spiritual transformation. This is a refreshing portrayal and celebration of the impact that women have made in the lives of others that has reflected the image of God in the healing process for those who are suffering. At last we see a book that promotes the fusion of biblical truth and loving grace as the foundation for the complexities of the sanctification process.”
—Catherine Mueller-Bell, MA, LPC, Assistant Professor of Counseling, Grand Rapids Theological Seminary

“An inspiring read! Forget legacy, forget praying wallflowers, and insipid backstage facilitators. I am wowed by these gutsy, practical, courageous and compassionate women of God. Thank you for allowing me to see real women “live Jesus” in each century, caring for and guiding women and men in their sphere of influence. As I walked this women’s Hall of Faith it has freed me to minister more fully to others from my God-empowered woman’s heart, doing my part to accomplish His purposes. The entire book was totally applicable to my daily ministry among Internationals, women, and church staff. It is incredibly expansive in scope and insightful in viewing how God has designed and is using women to further His Kingdom. Super encouraging to me personally. I have and will be encouraging all to read it.”
—Dr. Julie Stoll, Director of Cross-Cultural Ministries and World Missions, McLean Bible Church, McLean, VA

“With a flair for history and facility for detail, Sacred Friendships unfolds the edifying soul care ministries of godly women through the centuries. As a spiritually enriching and biblically faithful sequel to Beyond the Suffering, this work breaks fresh ground in the burgeoning field of spiritual formation and direction. Equally, it encourages us today to become more effective, Christ-centered physicians of the soul. I heartily endorse it!”
—Dr. Bruce Demarest, Professor of Christian Theology and Spiritual Formation, Denver Seminary

“Dr. Bob Kellemen and Susan Ellis, in their compelling work, Sacred Friendships, provide a voice for the voiceless. Like never before, they tell ‘her story’—the story of our great female forbears in the faith. As we listen, we do not simply learn historical facts; we are empowered and equipped to practice soul care and spiritual direction today. Lay people—male and female, students, Christian counselors, pastors, and spiritual directors will all glean a wealth of life-changing ministry principles from the unburied treasure of historic feminine soul care and spiritual direction.”
—Julie Clinton, President, Extraordinary Women

Book Review: Real Church

Review of Real Church: Does It Exist? Can I Find It?

Book Details

· Title: Real Church: Does It Exist? Can I Find It?
· Author: Larry Crabb, Ph.D.
· Publisher: Thomas Nelson (2009)
· Category: Church, Theology, Spiritual Theology

Reviewed By: Bob Kellemen, Ph.D., LCPC, Author of Soul Physicians, Spiritual Friends, Beyond the Suffering, Sacred Friendships, and God’s Healing for Life’s Losses

Review: One Vision of Church as Intended by God

Real Church, the latest book by counselor, speaker, and prolific author, Dr. Larry Crabb, relates his earlier writings to the local church. Reading Real Church is like reading Understanding People, Inside Out, Connecting, and Soul Talk and asking, “What might a church look like if it were based upon the life and ministry concepts contained in these works by Larry Crabb?

Dr. Crabb writes in his typical deeply personal, reflective style. In fact, he was motivated to write the book by his realization that “in most Evangelical church services I’ve attended, my hunger for truth that transforms, for love that liberates, is rarely satisfied” (p. xiv). Given his personal quest, in Real Church Crabb seeks to answer one central question, “What church would compel me to attend?”

Crabb’s Vision Quest

In answer to that question, Crabb provides an extended introduction in which he sketches his four visions (what we might call his “Four Marks”) of a captivating, biblical church.

1. A Church of Spiritual Theology: Truth That Has the Power to Change Lives.

A real church is a ragtag assortment of truth-hungry folks who want to hear the beautiful story God is telling.

2. A Church of Spiritual Formation: Lives That Increasingly Reflect the Inner Life of Christ

A real church is a bunch of formation-focused folks who want to love like Jesus so they can join the story and advance its plot.

3. A Church of Spiritual Community: Relationships That Are Meaningful and Satisfying

A real church is a group of people who want to hang out with and relate deeply to others who don’t love all that well.

4. A Church of Spiritual Mission: A Purpose That Makes an Eternal Difference

A real church is a gathering of people who love well so that the world becomes a little more of what God had in mind.

Crabb powerfully summarizes his idea of real church, “The church I want to be a part of, a real church, will teach spiritual theology that stirs a hunger for spiritual formation that surfaces the need for spiritual community that then marshals its resources for spiritual mission” (p. xix).

Crabb’s Vision and Pastoral Vision

Though Crabb doubts that most pastors and church members are headed in a similar direction (p. 3), so far what he’s presented is not significantly different from what most Evangelical pastors, and the seminary professors who train them, envision for biblical local church ministry. His four marks align neatly with the typical “4 Cs” of pastoral equipping: Content, Character, Community, and Competence:

1. Biblical Content (Head): Changeless Truth for Changing Times—Spiritual Theology

2. Christlike Character (Heart): Changing Lives with Christ’s Changeless Truth—Spiritual Formation

3. Christian Community (Home): Empowering and Encouraging God’s People to Speak the Truth in Love to One Another—Spiritual Community

4. Relational Competence (Hands): Equipping and Enlightening God’s People Impact Their World for Christ—Spiritual Mission

While Crabb puts his unique nuances on this four-fold model, pastors I’ve spoken to sense that his presentation of the model has the feel at times of, “You are wrong and incomplete in how you do church, and here is what is right and comprehensive.” This can come across, intended or not, as “I’ve found the secret(s), and you have not.”

I wonder if Real Church might have more impact on pastors in particular, if the tenor were less “prophetic” and more “priestly.” Perhaps the feel could have communicated more, “Here are four common core values all biblical churches share, to which I want to offer my small contribution.” This can come across as, “We’re all striving the best we can to be a real church, and here’s my contribution to the discussion.”

The Difference Maker

Real Church does have a distinctive contribution to make as Crabb places the “4 Cs” (or his “4 Ss” or “4 Marks”) in the context of a story—a wonderful love story, replete with an invitation to join in the eternal, joyful “dance” of the Trinity. He summarizes his take on the story in two short sentences. “God is a party happening. I’m invited to the party” (p. 15).

Crabb then adds to the mix what he wrote in Inside Out—the horrible inner sin of false idols of the heart and false lovers of the soul. Additionally he incorporates what he has written about in Connecting and later books—the new nature of the new covenant Christian. Putting all of this together the way he does is rare—it is the “difference maker.”

So, here is Crabb’s Real Church. He wants a church with the four marks (spiritual theology, spiritual formation, spiritual community, and spiritual mission) that revolve around God’s eternal, relational love story and that address the depth of evil with the wonders of life-changing grace.

That’s quite inviting. Having been a pastor and now equipping pastors, I think most pastors, lay leaders, and lay people would happily ask, “How can we all move together increasingly toward that vision?”

A Side Note

In the context of the love story, Crabb writes: “Church was designed by God to be the dance studio. A gathering becomes a church when a group of Christians together hear the music of heaven’s party and the laughter of god enjoying Himself and begin awkwardly dancing with the Trinity into the relationships and circumstances of life in order to bring heaven’s way of doing things to earth” (p. 15).

Within this quote, Crabb embeds the following footnote. “No book has helped me more to believe that the music and laughter can be heard now than The Shack, a remarkable novel by William Young” (p. 159). Crabb is well-read and well-schooled in the controversies of the day, and in the varying convictions about The Shack.

Once again, if his design is to invite the average Evangelical pastor to ponder his prescriptions, it seems that dropping this comment into the mix, without any statement of concern about anything in The Shack, may not be entirely inviting. This seems especially true given that Crabb expends great energy in Real Church to critique how most churches do church today. He discerns and prophetically addresses their faults, as he sees them, but offers basically a blanket endorsement for a book that many Evangelical pastors discern to be less-than-fully Evangelical.

In another paragraph, Crabb writes, “I’m glad that as a conservative evangelical who still believes in biblical inerrancy and penal substitution, I’ve gotten over my Catholic phobia, and I’ve been studying contemplative prayer, practicing lectio divina, valuing monastic retreats, and worshipping through ancient liturgy” (p. 41). Given that Real Church criticizes all current ways that Evangelicals do church, it seems surprising that Crabb would share such an all-embracing statement about non-Evangelicals without disclaimers and cautions.

Wrong Reasons for Doing Church

After his extended introduction, Crabb hypothesizes why so many people still attend church and like it. In this section he exposes three less-than-biblical ways of doing and being church.

The first answer that does not work for Crabb is, “Church will make my life better.” As he describes this church, Crabb seems to be assessing the “seeker church.”

He asks the pointed questions, Does going to church help people want to know God more or use God more? Do I come to church so my life is better or so I become a better person, defined as a Christlike lover? Do I go to church to get good things from God or to get God Himself.

The second answer some give for doing church is, “It will show me how to change my world.” In this section Crabb evaluates the missional church (and to some extent the emergent church). He sees the missional church valuing experiencing God now, authenticity, and influence—changing the world.

He’s wisely reluctant to embrace and endorse these values. “Here’s my hesitancy to buy into an experience-grounded approach to living like Jesus: it opens the door to false mysticism. There is such a thing as true mysticism” (p. 39).

Crabb makes the astute point that we should build our lives on our future hope for intimacy with God, not upon experience-on-demand-today. The demand to experience God now actually numbs our longing for God later and it is that unfulfilled longing that motivates us to serve God passionately now. He also wonders if the longing to make a difference becomes a value that trumps personal holiness.

Additionally, Crabb perceptively critiques the missional/emergent de-emphasis on conversion. “Of course, getting saved means more than someday getting into heaven. But it doesn’t mean less” (p. 48).

The third answer some give for what makes a church real is, “It offers salvation and sanctification.” Here Crabb seems to move between critiquing the stereotypical “fundamentalist, doctrine-not-applied-to-life church,” and/or the “soul winning moralistic church,” and/or the “deep Bible teaching church.”

He contends that such churches can pervert great theological truths such as justification, sanctification, and glorification. It’s not terrible clear how Crabb sees such churches doing this, other than that they make these words “boring.”

Crabb precedes this section on three wrong ways to do church with Revelation 3:1, “You think you are alive, but you are dead.” He wonders if God would not say the same to some churches today. This is another case of prophetic warning in Crabb’s writing, that, while a valuable caution, may be given with brush strokes that paint every church wrong other than the one the author believes is a superior way of doing church.

Crabb shows a keen eye for categorizing, and displays keen discernment for exposing stereotypical, or potential, or likely, or actual weaknesses in other model approaches. He then places his approach to real church in the healthy “mean,” balanced between unhealthy extremes.

In essence he says, concerning the church options available today, “I see what ____ is doing. I see this _____ good in it. However, I see this ______ bad in it. What they need to do instead is this _____. Then they would have it right.”

What Will Make Me Want to Go to Church?

Having spent thirty pages divulging what’s wrong with all the typical (stereotypical) Evangelical ways of doing church today, Crabb then asks, “So what church do I want to be a part of?” The rest of the book answers that question with the “4 Ss” already introduced: spiritual theology, spiritual formation, spiritual community, and spiritual mission.

Crabb powerfully addresses spiritual theology as truth that exposes the sinful addiction of loving anything or anyone more than we love God. He calls this a hunger for truth that sets addicts free.

Crabb creatively discusses how a real church could present such truth:

1. Resurrection Truth: There’s always hope. Never give up.

2. Story Truth: Doctrine applied to life by seeing the Bible as 66 love letters from God.

3. Signpost Truth: Truth applied not in formulas but in creative freedom that relate truth to daily life.

A spiritual formation church, according to Crabb, respects the necessary ingredients in the remedy for addiction. The ingredient is unquenched thirst for God that will not be met fully until heaven.

Crabb shrewdly notes that some versions of spiritual formation wrongly advertise that spiritual disciplines will provide an experience of union with God now that completely satisfies our thirst. Instead, true spiritual formation is about helping people to become more like Jesus inside, where it counts. He traces the four capacities of personhood (see his earlier book Understanding People) and notes that we are to reflect increasingly the inner life of Christ in our desires (relational beings), beliefs (rational beings), choices (volitional beings) and feelings (emotional beings). This comprehensive understanding of the imago Dei remains a major strength of Crabb’s biblical psychology.

A spiritual community church finds contentment in wanting what Jesus wants. Truth-hungry churches of spiritual theology become formation-focused churches of spiritual formation, and then become community-centered. The more our appetite for truth and our desire to resemble Christ grows, the more profoundly we will long to connect in a new way with others. Good discernment, succinctly worded.

A spiritual mission church is “mission-energized” after having been grounded in spiritual theology, formation, and community. Crabb is to be commended for critiquing any church for doing mission apart from theology. “Doctrine still matters. Theology still matters. Truth still matters” (p. 126).

Now What?

Having spoken against the wrong ways of doing church and having outlined the right way of being church, Crabb asks, “Now what?” It is not Crabb’s style to offer prescriptions. He thinks deeply and reflects personally. Thus his “take-aways” purposefully stay at the level of principles which he wants people to apply creatively. Therefore, he offers the following five considerations for applying Real Church.

1. Spiritual Theology: Truth should be a dialogue.

2. Spiritual Formation: Formation takes a lifetime.

3. Spiritual Community: Conflict is an opportunity, don’t skirt it.

4. Spiritual Mission: Hope sustains mission.

5. We’re all addicted to the same thing: Self

These are sound principles, briefly developed, that perhaps could have left a stronger impact had Crabb concluded by addressing some of the very practical questions that pastors and church leaders in the trenches must face. For example, questions such as:

*If I am a leader or a lay person in a local church that is not living according to the “four marks,” how do I transition my church?

*If movement toward a “four marks” church is not done through programs (which Crabb has a strong distaste for), then how are such churches developed?

*How could pastors and leaders be equipped for leading “four mark” churches?

*What does it look like to preach and teach spiritual theology that leads to spiritual formation in spiritual community?

In Summary

Real Church shares solid insights for pastors and lay people, at times presented in a way that may come across to some readers as having “cornered the market” on a superior way of doing real church. The four marks of spiritual theology, spiritual formation, spiritual community, and spiritual mission in the context of life as a story of God’s love offered, rejected, and restored, show great promise for equipping pastors, planting churches, transitioning churches, and deepening congregational life. Readers willing to step back and take in the constructive critiques will find many areas of renewed focus that could lead any congregation toward a healthier, God-honoring real church.

How Can We Help Equip You?

What Further Equipping Do You Seek?

Please let me know your thoughts on the following two questions. Either post a comment on the blog, on Twitter, on Facebook, or email us at: rpm.ministries@gmail.com.

1. What blog topics would you be interested in?

*Marriage
*Parenting
*Praying
*Anger
*Depression
*Anxiety
*Phobias
*Emotional Intelligence
*Sexual Abuse Recovery
*Overcoming Sexual Addiction
*Other: _______________

2. What ministry areas would you like further equipping in?

*Teaching/Preaching
*Equipping Lay People
*Evangelism
*Church Growth
*Administration/Leadership
*Change Management
*Conflict Resolution
*Church Discipline
*Worship
*Small Groups
*Other: ____________

Counseling an Abused Spouse

Counseling and Abuse in Marriage
Part 4: Biblical Counseling for a Victimized Spouse

Summary: Marital abuse is one of the most traumatic issues an individual, couple, family, and church can face. Discussing it raises hotly defended convictions. How should God’s people respond to “abuse in marriage”?

*In Part 1 (http://tinyurl.com/mcr26y), we highlighted “safety first.”

*In Part 2 (http://tinyurl.com/qhrvhw), we overviewed introductory principles of biblical marital counseling.

*In Part 3 (http://tinyurl.com/mgdz6b), we discussed basic principles of biblical counseling with an abusive spouse.

*Now in Part 4, we equip you with an overview approach to counseling someone being victimized (sinned against) by spousal abuse.

What’s In a Name?

Notice that I try to avoid the label “victim.” The spouse who is being abused has certainly been sinfully and horribly victimized. However, “victim” is not their identity. Their primary identity in Christ is “saint,” “son/daughter/child of God, and “victor in Christ.” We seek to empower a victimized spouse to move to victory in Christ.

A Comprehensive Approach

As with ministry to the abusive spouse, so ministry to the spouse being victimized by abuse requires a comprehensive approach. This could include:

1. Where necessary, involve the civil authorities. See Post 1 on this issue.

2. Where necessary, involve godly women and godly couples in housing the abused spouse for the sake of safety.

3. Assign spiritual friends, mentors, and encouragement partners to minister to the abused spouse.

4. Be sure that the abused spouse is involved in a healthy small group.

5. Be sure that the abused spouse is active in Sunday morning worship and adult Sunday School.

6. Be sure that the abused spouse is practicing the spiritual disciplines.

7. To the extent that the abused spouse has a strong and healthy extended family, involve them in ministry to the victimized spouse.

Individual Counseling

Individual counseling for the abused spouse should include:

*Sustaining
*Healing
*Reconciling
*Guiding

Sustaining: “It’s Normal to Hurt”

God calls us to weep with those who weep (Romans 12:15). We are to comfort the suffering with the same comfort we have received from God (2 Corinthians 1:3-11).

The person being victimized by spousal abuse can experience a torrent of emotions: shame, confusion, loss, anger, fear, anxiety, depression. Created to be loved and respected in marriage, the person instead experiences hateful behavior and disrespect. We must climb in the casket of their despair (2 Corinthians 1:8-9) and be Jesus with skin on. We need to safe and trustworthy, caring and comforting.

Healing: “It’s Possible to Hope”

We never victimize victims by implying in any way that they caused their abuse. The abusive spouse is always responsible for his or her actions.

However, we do help the victimized spouse to respond biblically. We “trialogue” together (the counselee, the counselor, and the Divine Counselor) by exploring pertinent biblical principles that apply to abusive situations.

We help the person to understand that God is good even when life is bad. We help the person to find hope in the midst of despair. We explore together biblical grief and healing. We help the person to see life with spiritual eyes.

Reconciling: “It’s Horrible to Sin, But Wonderful to Be Forgiven”

Please read the following very carefully. Please remember that we do not victimize the victim. Please remember that there is no excuse for abusing a spouse.

That said, there are two areas in the life of the spouse being abused that we may want to explore.

1. Sinful Responses to Sinful Abuse: Let’s be honest, few of us respond in a 100% pure manner to being sinned against. If a driver cuts us off, our attitude may be sinful. If our boss is snippy with us, our inner response may be sinful.

So certainly someone enduring the horrors of spousal abuse may be responding in less-than-godly ways. We would be less-than-caring counselors, pastors, and spiritual friends if we ignored the possibility.

Be careful here. You may well be accused by the victimized spouse of re-victimization. Gently respond by speaking the truth in love. Interact about why you need to explore these areas. Then continue to explore potential areas of sinful reactions. While exposing sin and guilt, always enlighten your counselee to God’s grace. Where sin abounds, grace super-abounds (Romans 5:20).

2. Sinful Relating before the Abuse: Again, let’s be honest, no married person relates perfectly to his or her spouse. So we must examine potential ways of relating that need to change if the marriage is to glorify God.

Also, while never causing and never excusing abuse, some behaviors can be contributing factors.

Perhaps a husband has been repeatedly emotionally abused by his wife. She has been consistently disrespectful, thus breaking the commands in Ephesians 5. Has the husband contributed to the situation by breaking the commands in Ephesians 5 to nourish, cherish, shepherd, and love his wife like Christ loves the church?

Perhaps a wife has been emotionally abused by a controlling, dominating, dictatorial husband. Has the wife contributed to the situation by being demeaning, disrespectful, and perfectionistic?

Guiding: “It’s Supernatural to Mature”

The victimized spouse needs:

1. Enlightenment: To see who he or she is in Christ and to understand biblical principles of godly living in the home. With abuse, this includes bold love—the wisdom to know when and how to confront the abusive spouse, to hold the spouse accountable, and to refuse to allow the abuse to continue.

2. Empowering: Knowing “how to” and being “able to” are two sides of one coin. The victimized spouse needs RPMs: Resurrection Power Multipliers (Philippians 3:10). He or she needs to learn how to tap into Christ’s power and how to apply God’s truth to daily life and marital relationships.

Forgiveness and Reconciliation

Assuming that the victimized spouse wants reconciliation, and assuming that the victimizing spouse is truly repentant, is receiving counsel, and is changing, then 2 Corinthians 2:5-11 is vital.

Here Paul tells us that it is Satan’s scheme to outwit us by overwhelming us with guilt. We team with Satan when we fail to forgive one another!

Paul tells us that when someone responds to biblical counsel and discipline that we ought to forgive and comfort the person, so that he or she will not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. Paul urges us to reaffirm our love for the repentant person.

Often this is the most difficult and the longest part of biblical counseling with the spouse who has been victimized by abuse. The abused spouse is right to have righteous anger. He or she is right to express bold love that requires repentance and change. It is normal for the abused spouse to hurt.

However, nothing excuses an unforgiving spirit. Marriages rocked by abuse will never heal if the victimized spouse continually condemns victimizing spouse and continually reminds the victimizing spouse of past sins.

Where Do We Go From Here?

In our next post, we will explore how to provide marital counseling for an abusive situation. Then we will examine the hotly debated issue of divorce and spousal abuse.

Counseling an Abusive Spouse

Counseling and Abuse in Marriage
Part 3: Basic Principles of Biblical Counseling with an Abusive Spouse

Summary: Marital abuse is one of the most traumatic issues an individual, couple, family, and church can face. Discussing it raises hotly defended convictions. How should God’s people respond to “abuse in marriage”?

*In Part 1 (http://tinyurl.com/mcr26y), we highlighted “safety first.”

*In Part 2 (http://tinyurl.com/qhrvhw), we overviewed introductory principles of biblical marital counseling.

*Now, in Part 3, we discuss basic principles of biblical counseling with an abusive spouse.

Labels and Our Identity in Christ

First, notice my language: “an abusive spouse.” I did not say, “an abuser” as if that is the sole or primary identity of the person. Nothing shouts “Hopeless, worthless loser!” like all-encompassing labels such as “abuser.”

In no way does this minimize the sin of the abuse nor the damage of the abuse. But it does communicate the biblical truth that the core identity of a Christian is a saint and son/daughter of God. So, we are counseling “a saint and child of God who is sinfully acting as an abusive spouse.”

Take a Comprehensive Community Approach: Not Just Counseling

It might surprise you coming from someone who has authored several books on biblical counseling (Soul Physicians, Spiritual Friends, Beyond the Suffering, Sacred Friendships) and who is Chairman of a Christian counseling program, that I would say “not just counseling.” Trust me, individual and marital counseling alone will not be enough to bring lasting change to an abusive spouse. Nor is it biblical to isolate biblical counseling from the Body of Christ.

From the very first meeting with an abusive spouse, insist on a comprehensive approach. This could include:

*The counselee meeting weekly with an accountability partner/spiritual friend.

*The counselee attending a weekly small group with a focus on victory over abuse, anger management, etc.
*The counselee attending church and adult Sunday School every week.

*The counselee practicing spiritual disciplines such as Bible reading, prayer, Scripture memorization, Scripture meditation, silence, solitude, etc.

*If the counselee is non-repentant, then the church should begin their church discipline process. (Every church should have a Church Discipline and Restoration Policy that every member reads upon joining.)

Take a Comprehensive Counseling Approach: Ministering to the Whole Person

When working in a marital abuse situation I always counsel the abusive spouse weekly and counsel the abused spouse weekly.

It may surprise you that, especially initially, I may not counsel the couple together. If the abuse is intense, the anger and rage deep, and the fear profound, I sometimes work individually helping the abusive spouse to come to a point of realization, acknowledgement, repentance, confession, and self-control.

I simultaneously work with the abused spouse to come to a point of wise bold love (how to respond to the abusive spouse), forgiveness, biblical self-understanding, and work on this spouse’s own “issues.”

The first part of comprehensive biblical counseling for the abusive spouse is directing the spouse away from an “Adam-like” mentality: “The woman you gave me.” So many abusive spouses blame the victim. While it is true that some spouses know how to antagonize an abusive spouse, and while it is true that both spouses need to work on personal maturity, it is never true that my spouse caused me to abuse them.

You will get nowhere in counseling an abusive spouse until you help that spouse to accept personal responsibility. Repeatedly you will be saying:

“We are not talking about your spouse right now. In my individual meetings with your spouse and when we start marital counseling, your spouse will deal with personal issues. But right now, if you want to save your marriage and if you want to glorify God, then you have to accept full responsibility for your abusive behavior.”

As the abusive spouse takes responsibility, it must be comprehensive. Some spouses will say, “Yes, it was wrong when I ______” (fill in the blank with the abusive action). While taking behavioral responsibility is a start, we work for heart change. That means:

1. Taking spiritual responsibility: Sin in the home always begins with sin in the heart. Sin in human relationships always begins with sin in our relationship to God (see James 4:1-8). Help the spouse to see sinful idols of the heart, false lovers of the soul, and ungodly affections (see Jeremiah 2). Help the spouse to repent of their sin against God. Help the spouse to see and accept God’s forgiveness. Help the spouse to begin to renew their worship, dependent relationship to God.

2. Taking social/relational responsibility: Again, this means accepting my role, my sin, regardless of how another person relates to me. Help the spouse to see the sin against their spouse, to see the damage done, and to repent. Help the spouse to understand and implement biblical principles of godly living as a husband or wife.

3. Taking rational/mental responsibility: This involves exposing and confessing sinful beliefs. It means putting off lies of Satan. It means putting on a renewed mind. It means believing and living the Truth of God.

4. Taking motivational responsibility: An abusive spouse must come to understand why they do what they do. What sinful goals, purposes, and motives drive their actions and reactions? What sinful pathways must the spouse repent of? What new, unselfish pathways and godly purposes should the spouse put on?

5. Taking behavioral responsibility: Here is where most counseling seems to start and finish. It is a vital part, but only a part. Yes, confess the specific sinful action. See the damage done. Help the spouse to begin to replace sinful actions with loving, godly, mature behavior.

6. Taking emotional responsibility: Help the spouse to confess unmanaged mood states and uncontrolled emotions. Help the spouse to put on managed moods and biblical emotional expression and responses.

Some Hallmarks of Comprehensive Biblical Counseling

Notice several hallmarks of comprehensive biblical counseling for marital abuse:

1. Sin and Grace (Romans 5:20): “It’s horrible to sin but wonderful to be forgiven.”

Yes, the person is repenting of sin in all areas of life. Additionally, you are helping the person to understand and apply God’s grace (see Luke 15 and the parable of the prodigal son).

2. Putting Off and Putting On (Ephesians 4:17-24): “It’s supernatural to mature.”

We never simply say, “Stop doing X, Y, and Z.” We also say, “The Bible teaches you how to tap into Christ’s resurrection power so that you can put off the old ways of living and put on the new, godly ways of relating.” In spiritual direction through guiding, we help an abusive spouse to apply the truth that “it’s supernatural to mature.”

3. Patterns of Relating

We never simply confront one incident of sin. We enlighten, expose, exhort, discuss, examine, and confront patterns of relating. Expose patterns of sinful affections, mindsets, pathways, and mood states. When an abusive spouse begins to see the tentacles of sin pervasively invading all aspects of relating in a consistent way, then godly sorrow leads to God-honoring repentance and God-dependence.

In a blog post, all we can do is “hit the high spots.” For comprehensive equipping in comprehensive biblical counseling consider Soul Physicians (http://tinyurl.com/d8grf6) and Spiritual Friends (http://tinyurl.com/coh23r).

Where Do We Go From Here?

In our next post, we’ll explore how to counsel someone victimized by spousal abuse. In the post after that, we’ll examine marital counseling in abuse situations.

A Church of Biblical Counseling

Why Some Biblical Counseling Is Only Half Biblical!
Part Eleven: A Church Of Biblical Counseling

*Note: If you’re disappointed that I’m saying that some biblical counseling is only half biblical, then please read my comments at the end of my first post in this series: http://tinyurl.com/n8k799.

My Premise

Some modern biblical counseling considers the seriousness of sin—sinning, but spends much less time equipping people to minister to the gravity of grinding affliction—suffering. When we provide counseling for sin, but fail to provide counseling and counselor training for suffering, then such biblical counseling is only half biblical.

Half-Biblical Counseling Negatively Impacts Body Life

Half-biblical counseling negatively impacts Body life—the natural, ongoing, daily one-another ministry of God’s people in the church. When we define biblical counseling as discerning what God wants to change and confronting sin problems using God’s Word, then we make normal spiritual conversations specialized to a subset of real life.

If I’m at a church picnic with a friend, or at Starbucks with a co-worker, or talking over the backyard fence with a neighbor, I don’t simply want to be thinking, “What need for change do I need to confront?” That stymies true Body life and natural conversations.

So what happens? Sometimes we have sin-spotting conversations. More often, we simply delegate “biblical counseling” to what happens in formal counseling settings between the “counselor” and the “counselee.”

Comprehensive Biblical Counseling Positively Impacts Body Life

“Counseling” already has enough baggage. To me, “biblical counseling” is a subset of full-life discipleship. In fact, I like to use a number of synonyms for biblical counseling to convey how multi-faceted, broad-based, and real-life focused it is:

Spiritual friendship, encouragement, discipleship, soul care, spiritual direction, spiritual formation, mentoring, coaching, spiritual conversations, Body life, one another ministry, etc.

Even my more “technical” definition of biblical counseling seeks to highlight how basic it is to one another ministry:

Christ-centered, comprehensive, compassionate, and culturally-informed biblical counseling depends upon the Holy Spirit to relate God’s inspired truth about people, problems, and solutions to human suffering (through the Christian soul care arts of sustaining and healing) and sin (through the Christian spiritual direction arts of reconciling and guiding) to empower people to exalt and enjoy God and to love others (Matthew 22:35-40) by cultivating conformity to Christ and communion with Christ and the Body of Christ.

Armed with this definition, when I’m at a church picnic with a friend, or at Starbucks with a co-worker, or talking over the backyard fence with a neighbor, I enjoy a full-range of spiritual conversation options. I can be a spiritual friend who response biblically (Christ-centered, comprehensive, compassionate, and culturally-informed) about whatever my friend shares: suffering or sin, hopes and dreams. And, I do so with the relational focus of loving my neighbor as myself and with a mindset of cultivating communion with Christ and the Body of Christ.

A Church Of Biblical Counseling

If we want a church of biblical counseling rather than just a church with biblical counseling, then we must define biblical counseling comprehensively so that it deals with all of life: sustaining, healing, reconciling, and guiding. And we must emphasize that we are doing biblical counseling just as much when we are at the bedside of the grieving widow as when we are in the office with the adulterous spouse. And we must clarify that both consolation and comfort for suffering and confronting and correcting for sinning require more than “input in.” It is more than sharing Scripture. It is always Scripture and soul.

Therefore, we must be sure that our definitions of biblical counseling, our texts on biblical counseling, our seminars and conferences on biblical counseling, and our illustrations and descriptions of biblical counseling give equal time and weight to suffering as to sinning.

Spiritual Friendship: A Normal Feature of Christianity

John T. McNeil, in A History of the Cure of Souls, when speaking of the Apostle Paul’s plethora of passages on soul care, explains:

“In such passages we cannot fail to see the Apostle’s design to create an atmosphere in which the intimate exchange of spiritual help, the mutual guidance of souls, would be a normal feature of Christian behavior.”

Only when we combine issues of suffering and sin, can our ministry become a normal feature of Christian behavior. Otherwise, we become a church with biblical counseling rather than a church of biblical counseling. Otherwise we become sin-spotters and problem-saturated, rather than grace-sharers and one-another-saturated.

A sin-spotting, problem-saturated orientation is neither biblical, nor is it practical for day-by-day living, nor is it conducive to natural, ongoing spiritual friendship.

Where Do We Go From Here?

I have heard some pastors argue, “But Bob, my people don’t come to me with suffering issues. They come with sin issues!” In our next post we ponder what to make of such a situation and how it relates to comprehensive biblical counseling that is church-based.

Is the Emergent Church Theologically Healthy?

Theological Insight into the Emergent Church Movement

Book Review: By Robert W. Kellemen, Ph.D., LCPC, www.rpmministries.org

Classic Book Review Date: 2005

Book Author: D. A. Carson

Book Publisher: Zondervan, 2005

Because the Emergent Church Movement is new and so disparate, a brief primer is necessary to intelligently review D. A. Carson’s groundbreaking work, Becoming Conversant with the Emerging Church: Understanding a Movement and Its Implications.

The Emergent Church began to emerge in the early 90s (to the extent that a date can be affixed) through the writings of authors such as the late Stanley Grenz, Brian McLaren, L. Newbigin, N. T. Wright, and Don Miller (to name a few). In his first chapter, Carson provides a summary of his understanding of the Emergent Church. “At the heart of the ‘movement’—or as some of its leaders prefer to call it, the ‘conversation’—lies the conviction that changes in the culture (post-modernism) signal that a new church is ‘emerging.’ Christian leaders must therefore adapt to this emerging church. Those who fail to do so are blind to the cultural accretions that hide the gospel behind forms of thought and modes of expression that no longer communicate with the new generation, the emerging generation.”

D. A. Carson (Ph.D., University of Cambridge) is research professor of New Testament at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, Illinois. In February 2004 he presented the substance of this book as three Staley Lectures at Cedarville University. (Readers interested in a review of Carson’s original lecture series, can visit http://people.cedarville.edu/employee/millsd/ the home page of David M. Mills, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Philosophy, Honors Program Director, Cedarville University.)

Carson’s core premise is that we must not only be aware of and interact with post-modernity, but also have our assessments of it and responses to it shaped by biblical theology. Becoming Conversant with the Emerging Church assists readers to understand and evaluate the Emerging Church and its response to post-modern culture.

In his Preface, Carson explains how he plans to accomplish his purpose.

“Whenever a Christian movement comes along that presents itself as reformist, it should not be summarily dismissed. Even if one ultimately decides that the movement embraces a number of worrying weaknesses, it may also have some important things to say that the rest of the Christian world needs to hear. So I have tried to listen respectfully and carefully; I hope and pray that the leaders of this 'movement' will similarly listen to what I have to say.”

Carson begins by defining the Emergent Church as a protest movement against modernist churches and pragmatic mega-churches. In this section, Carson offers a perceptive introduction to the movement and its leaders and begins his critique of what he sees as troubling weaknesses of the movement. He style is frank, thoughtful, and fair throughout. He constructs for readers a list of Emergent Church core principles in the form of contrasts, such as narrative over against propositional truth, and experience over against rational insight. While Emergent Church writers would say that they highlight a both/and approach (such as narrative and propositional truth, the emotions and affections and rational truth), Carson adeptly reveals extremes in these contrast areas.

After providing his list of emphases, Carson offers observations on several praiseworthy aspects of the Emergent Church. These include areas such as valuing authenticity, understanding the need to read the times, reaching out to those who are left out, and exploring the degree to which traditions now followed may or may not be biblical. This section is an example of Carson's desire to present a fair and balanced portrayal of the Emergent Church Movement.

In the next section, Dr. Carson focuses on whether or not the Emergent Church is seeking to reform the Modernist Church through the Word of God (as Luther and Calvin sought to reform the Medieval Church with the Word of God). Noting the complexity of the movement, Carson offers specific critiques including: the Emergent Church does not truly understand post-modernity, it does not assess modernism and the Modern Church accurately or fairly, it tends to cater to post-modernity rather than confront it, and it fails to capture a balanced fully-orbed biblical theology instead choosing proof-texting (a very modern method). Carson provides logical argument and biblical theology to support his assessments throughout each of these areas of critique.

Finally, Carson presents his own positive view on a biblical theology of integrating truth and experience. This section is vital since many authors critique opposing views without ever presenting a biblically thought-through, real-world-relevant alternative. Here he also emphasizes the role of historical theology in developing current models of biblical theology and church methodology. This, too, is an often missed aspect in the Emergent Church Movement and in those critiquing it.

It’s difficult to overstate how important this discussion is. The Emergent Church Movement is a watershed issue at an epic time in Church history. D. A. Carson’s Becoming Conversant with the Emerging Church truly is a “must-read” for those who want to biblically ponder how to do ministry in today’s culture and how to develop a theology of how to do ministry in any culture.

Reviewer: Bob Kellemen, Ph.D., LCPC, is the author of Soul Physicians, Spiritual Friends, Beyond the Suffering, and Sacred Friendships. www.rpmministries.org

A Prayer for the Body of Christ

A Prayer for the Body of Christ

April Boycik is a former student of mine and a lifelong friend. Her prayerful response to my posts on intercultural ministry, with her permission, is posted below.

"Lord,

Let me plug in and serve together with whom you would have me serve, as you would, where you would...

Realizing my brothers and sisters, different from me culturally, politically, educationally are all called according to your purpose, too.

Together, we make the body.

Sepearate, we are but amputees."