Southern Baptist Scholars on Biblical Counseling

While reading another blog, The Christian Mind, I found that he had a great link to an interview that was done a few years ago and published in the Crossroads Counseling newsletter. It is really informative and gives a greater understanding of the differences between Biblical Counseling and Integration Counseling.

You can read the interview here

Here are some of the questions asked and answered:

1. How do you define the difference between biblical counseling and other models of Christian counseling (a.k.a. integration)?

2. Which approach to counseling, biblical counseling or integration, do you prefer? What aspects of doctrine and personal experience are most influential in your decision?

3. What do you believe the role of the Bible, the gospel, and the church ought to have in a distinctively biblical counseling model? What role does secular psychology have?

4. How does your school teach that biblical counseling should interact with the ministries of the church?

5. What questions would you ask a counselor you were considering referring to in order to assess whether their practice was distinctively biblical? What “red flags” are you screening for as you ask these questions?

6. Do you see any potential dangers with a church referring to integrationist counselors or using discipleship materials in their church that are from an integrationist perspective?

7. What authors and organizations do you believe are doing the best work in presenting a biblical model of counseling?

8. Why do you think secular psychology has become such an attractive alternative for many church leaders and members? Why are Southern Baptists embracing biblical counseling at this time in their history?

9. How would you envision an ideal relationship between local churches and a parachurch ministry devoted to a biblical model of counseling?

10. What final words of advice would you give to pastors as they consider matters of counseling?