Christian Psychology-- Society for Christian Psychology

Using Scripture in Christian Counseling

Posted on February 21, 2010

In my mind, Christian psychology’s value comes from being able to develop a solid foundation and praxis of Christian care of souls-something that grows out of careful biblical/theological work as well as the study of human behavior. Those of us who have been talking about and doing Christian counseling for some time must admit that much of what passes as Christian counseling is either superficial Christianity (verses pasted on a theory that exists just fine without the verses) or superficial psychology (a model based on some tidbit of pop psychology research and then morphed in an exquisite but completely fictional science).

Instead of Sunday school applications (where Jesus is the answer to every question) counselors need solid examples of how to engage the Scriptures in therapeutic settings. In a recent issue of our journal, Edification (2:2), I’ve attempted to introduce some practical steps in using the bible in the therapy office. But, truth be told, many have not had good experience in seeing how one might engage the Bible in real life settings. We’re wary of the Band-Aid use of verses, the bible bullets, the superficial applications. So, it makes sense we don’t know how to engage both counseling and Scripture well.

In stark contrast to biblical superficiality, Dr. Mike Emlet has recently published CrossTalk: Where Life & Scripture Meet (2009, New Growth Press). I would encourage every Christian in the counseling world to read it. Mike’s book provides a great introduction to connecting (more of) the bible to real-life human trials and tribulations (e.g., beyond the Psalms!). Though he is a seminary professor and biblical counselor you won’t get bogged down into esoteric discussions of exegesis or genre (though you can see he understands the concepts) or finding a verse for every problem (though you can see he believes that everyone finds themselves in the pages of the bible). Rather, Mike focuses on “redemptive dialogue” (vs. mere instruction) and how the Gospel is more than belief but the repetitive, transformative meeting with God.

Here are three gems from the book to whet your appetite.

1. Chapter 1: Mike goes right at the problem of connecting the bible with life. Sometimes it is easy and other times it seems impossible. He calls this a ditch vs. canyon problem. A ditch (e.g., Psalm 51 for repentance) is fairly easy to cross whereas a canyon (e.g., Numbers 5 for suspicions about adultery?) seems impossible. The problem? “Our tendency, of course, is to gravitate toward the “ditch” passages because they seem easier to apply…In practical terms, we end up ministering with an embarrassingly thinner but supposedly more relevant Bible” (p. 16). “The challenge is not just in moving from the Bible to everyday life but also in moving from present-day problems to the Scriptures” (p. 17). He goes on to challenge us to be less quick to apply “ditch” passages. To do so would be to ignore the complexity of human life. Nor should we avoid the “canyon” passages as no life experience stands outside of God’s care.
2. Chapter 2 and 3: Here Mike addresses what the bible is not and what it is. Among his list he concludes that the bible is not a list of do’s and don’ts. To limit the bible to a set of commands fails to capture the clear picture of a God who pursues, in love, broken people. The bible is not merely a list of timeless ethics nor a nice historical biography illustrating the people we ought to emulate. Rather it is a story (not a fiction) with Jesus as the central figure. And this story shapes our self-understanding as we play a role in the epic drama.
3. Chapter 5: The previous chapters describe the necessity of reading life and Scripture through the lens of a redemptive Christocentric drama. Trouble is we live by other scripts. In this chapter Mike looks at how Scripture tells our story through the lenses of saint (identity), sufferer (external threats), and sinner (internal threats). Mike goes on in later chapters to provide examples of how biblical texts can be used to connect with each of these facets of our experience. His goal is to connect with the counselee and to connect them with the larger picture of God’s unfolding story. To keep it real, he presents “Tom” and “Natalie” and illustrates how to use Scripture to connect with both (ch. 8), how to help them connect to Old (ch. 9)and New Testament passages (ch. 10).

If you think your counseling training lacked clear teaching on how to think about Scripture and its application to everyday life (beyond timeless maxims and warnings); if you avoid using Scripture in counseling because doing so sounds trite, then I recommend you take up this book and consider how the narrative use of Scripture might enrich your counseling work.

Filed Under Bible in counseling, Christian Psychology, Christian counseling, Philip G. Monroe | 1 Comment

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