In recent years, some of the hottest debates among Christian academics have been contested over counseling theory, specifically the relationship between Scripture and secular psychology. The biblical (or nouthetic) counseling position advocates that every tool necessary for effective counseling may be found in the Bible (i.e. it is "sufficient") and that counseling should focus on underlying "heart issues." Unfortunately, this position has been often mischaracterized and misunderstood. The recent book Counseling the Hard Cases, edited by Stuart Scott and Health Lambert, should help clarify how biblical counseling theory translates into practice and affects the lives of real people. Scott and Lambert, both professors at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, have brought together ten case studies demonstrating how practitioners of biblical counseling have counseled real individuals with difficult and complex personal issues. The book is well written and often quite moving, and it will serve as a useful resource for theorists, students, and practitioners on the front lines of Christian ministry.
SUMMARY
The first chapter, written by Lambert, provides an introduction to the case studies that follow. Lambert reiterates that the distinguishing feature of biblical counseling is its contention that Scripture is "sufficient" for counseling. This belief in scriptural sufficiency is brought to bear in several ways. First, biblical counselors avoid "secular diagnostic categories" (7) and attempt to reframe problems in biblical categories and terms. Second, they pay careful attention to the biblical text and seek to apply its principles and prescriptions to counselees' personal problems. For biblical counselors, there is no counseling situation in which the Bible cannot offer reliable guidance.
The ten case studies comprise the bulk of the book. To demonstrate the broad applicability of biblical counseling, Scott and Lambert selected real-life counselees with a wide variety of problems. These problems include alcoholism, anorexia, homosexuality, and the results of childhood sexual abuse. Several of the counselees were diagnosed by psychiatrists as clinically depressed, bipolar, obsessive compulsive, or suffering from dissociative identity disorder (so-called "multiple personalities"). These are "hard cases" by virtually any definition. Each case study was written by the biblical counselor who worked with the troubled individual and includes a description of the counselee's problem, a narrative of the steps taken, the results of counseling, and (usually) some reflections on the case's significance and the lessons learned. Pseudonyms are used for all individuals to preserve anonymity, and two of the ten case studies are composites of multiple counselees.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Counseling the Hard Cases makes a number of significant contributions to the field of biblical counseling. First, by showing how biblical counseling works in practice, it helps to dispel several misconceptions surrounding the biblical counseling movement. Readers will see that biblical counseling is far more than superficial proof-texting. Martha Peace's work with "Ashley," an anorexic, demonstrates how a counselor can bring together biblical principles, concrete action steps, and close coordination with medical personnel (Chapter 6). Biblical counseling methods are often also accused of being naive and ineffective, but readers will find that the steps taken by the counselors in this book are logical and reflect a long-term commitment to the wellbeing of the counselee. Hopefully, critics will see that there are biblical counselors who are applying scriptural principles in a responsible, compassionate, and holistic way.
Second, the case studies should build confidence among biblical counselors that the Word of God is able to effect powerful transformations. Many counselors might confess feelings of inadequacy when faced with such difficult cases, but with God's power success is possible. In fact, in several of the case studies--like those involving "Mariana" (Chapter 2) and "Julie" (Chapter 10)--biblical counseling was able to bring healing when other methods could not, because only biblical counseling dealt with the underlying heart issues.
Finally, the case studies effectively illustrate the importance of the local church in biblical counseling. Almost all the case studies occurred in the context of accountability and support from a local congregation, and in most cases, multiple church members were assisting the counselee through service and encouragement. Biblical counseling encourages a more involved, life-on-life model of counseling ministry. The ninth case study (involving "Julie") also illustrates how restorative church discipline may be incorporated into the counseling process.
While Counseling the Hard Cases makes an effective case for biblical counseling, it could have been improved in a few areas. The decision by Health Lambert (Chapter 4) and Robert D. Jones (Chapter 10) to create composite characters was a distraction. The book's persuasive power arises from the authors' abilities to show how real people have been affected by biblical counseling. Protecting anonymity is essential, but a composite character introduces a degree of artificiality that reduces this power and leaves the reader wondering just how many liberties were taken.
Second, the approach taken in the case study involving "Tony" (Chapter 7) should be viewed with some caution. While Tony's counseling was ultimately successful, I am skeptical that a weekend-long counseling session can come close to approximating an extended counseling relationship in most situations. Counseling hard cases, like bipolar individuals, usually takes a significant amount of time, and it is doubtful that most counselees will significantly benefit from "pack[ing] about four to six months of counseling into two or three days" (172), as occurred in the case study.
Overall, Counseling the Hard Cases is an important book for biblical counselors. Regardless of where they fall in the counseling debate, Christians should be encouraged by the stories of powerful transformation. It is a testament to the power of the gospel to renew lives and the opportunity that Christians have to minister to others.
Kevin Shell
M.Div. Student
Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
