Comments on: Expository Counseling

By: Stephen Newell

Stephen Newell — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 10:16:54 +0000

Actually, Dr. Scott is pretty new. He didn’t seem to have that much interaction with those who were in the pastoral counseling program as it was going out. He and Dr. Stinson have primarily taught the biblical counseling students, and interestingly enough, many of those students, who were coming in as the PC program was going out, were solidly “anti-psychology.”

By: Bill Blair

Bill Blair — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 23:50:33 +0000

Thanks for the response Stephen.
Regarding the first part of your comment, I think the trouble is the “Osteen counselors” as you called them. The type that might go fully with psychology with a few Bible verses sprinkled in. I included my description for some that might think of those type of counselors.

Dr. Scott’s comment regarding “expository counseling” was one of those “extra” discussions you get in a class that is not on the notes. The context was a teaching on biblical decision making and the importance of using good hermeneutics when searching the commands and principles in Scripture. It was a spin-off from the importance of context.

Using your example of Ephesians 5, I think what he has in mind would be to expand beyond that so the counselee understands the entire Epistle. The way I understand it is that he would like to expand beyond the passage or block in scripture that focuses on a person’s issue so they better understand the context. Whatever he has in mind, I am sure he is well aware of what recent Southern grads are doing in counseling since he is one of the main people teaching them; therefore, I think his vision of “exository counseling” would be an expansion beyond that. I’ll ask him tomorrow.

By: Stephen Newell

Stephen Newell — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 22:23:25 +0000

Well, for starters, I think that the insinuation that “Christian psychology” isn’t “fully based on the Word” is a caricature that’s been promoted recently, especially as the seminary moved from pastoral counseling to biblical counseling. Certainly, there are quite a few out there who aren’t much more than glorified secular therapists (I call them “Joel Osteen counselors”), but “Christian psychology” (at least at Southern at the time of the change) is a Scripture-based discipline. I’d encourage you to read Eric Johnson’s Foundations for Soul Care to get a good view of what “Christian psychology” actually is.

Now that being said, I like the idea, on the surface, of “expository counseling.” Leading a counselee through a whole block of Scripture that pertains to their situation has the potential to be life-changing. I already do this in couples/premarital/marriage counseling with Ephesians 5. But I’d like to know more about what Dr. Scott means by “expository counseling,” simply because if he honestly thinks people don’t do this (at least those in the recent generation coming out of Southern), he must not get out much!