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Capacitado para orientar
Un enfoque bíblico sobre la orientación. Este libro fue uno de los primeros escritos por Jay Adams y se ha convertido en un clasico estudiado por todo pastor y laico interesado en el tema de la consejeria. [The standard manual on biblical counseling.]
328 pages, Paperback
First published May 28, 1970
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1399 people want to read
About the author
Jay E. Adams
228 books143 followersJay Edward Adams is a Reformed Christian author. He has written over 100 books and these have been published in sixteen languages.
He received a Bachelor of Divinity from Reformed Episcopal Seminary, a Bachelor of Arts in Classics from Johns Hopkins University,a Masters in Sacred Theology from Temple University, and a PhD in Speech from the University of Missouri.
Adams' book Competent to Counsel launched the nouthetic counseling movement, a movement whose aim was to use strictly biblical counseling methods. He is the founder of the Intitute for Nothetic Studies.
He received a Bachelor of Divinity from Reformed Episcopal Seminary, a Bachelor of Arts in Classics from Johns Hopkins University,a Masters in Sacred Theology from Temple University, and a PhD in Speech from the University of Missouri.
Adams' book Competent to Counsel launched the nouthetic counseling movement, a movement whose aim was to use strictly biblical counseling methods. He is the founder of the Intitute for Nothetic Studies.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 124 reviews
October 10, 2007
Nouthetic counseling training for laymen or pastors who have not been trained in this type of counseling. Bottom line: 1. Person communicates their problem; 2. You find the verse in the Bible to fix/address their problem/situation; 3. They repent/obey/agree/etc. to that Scripture and they are healed/fixed (OR) they reject/disobey/disagree/etc. to that Scripture and they are not healed.
The mindset is good for basing counseling on biblical principles, but it does not deal with people holistically. People may have chemical dificiencies, social conditions and behaviors, addictions, etc. that take more than a verse to heal. Prayer, help, detox, institutionalization, prescription drugs, budget or financial advise and accountability, communication advice, etc. are just a short list of what may be needed to help individuals.
The mindset is good for basing counseling on biblical principles, but it does not deal with people holistically. People may have chemical dificiencies, social conditions and behaviors, addictions, etc. that take more than a verse to heal. Prayer, help, detox, institutionalization, prescription drugs, budget or financial advise and accountability, communication advice, etc. are just a short list of what may be needed to help individuals.
October 9, 2020
This is a hard book to rate. Historically, Adams's work is very important. He was responsible for reclaiming the Puritan ideal of the pastor as counselor or "soul-doctor". By the 1960s, pastors had largely relinquished this role to "the professionals", and Adams led the way in undoing this abdication. There are many biblical principles in this book that are solid gold. Unfortunately, it also seems like Adams is very narrow in his application, seeing his method as the one right way to do things. In the right hands, and used by someone with wisdom, I think these principles would be helpful, but I've also heard stories about how dangerous these principles can be in the wrong hands. That's not necessarily a criticism of Adams himself, but he may have swung the pendulum too far in the opposite direction in reaction to the problems of his day. Those carrying on his work today, folks like Ed Welch, David Powlison, and Alasdair Groves, are applying biblical counseling principles with much more nuance.
December 7, 2012
This is a pathetic attempt on the part of Jay Adams to take counseling captive and hold it hostage in the church setting at the expense of all other psychological interventions. Although I am a proponent of church-based counseling, I believe that church counselors should at least have an undergraduate degree in psychology and a graduate degree rich in both psychology and theology. One must also be willing to refer outside the church for individuals who require more thorough psychiatric evaluation and/or medication. I am heartbroken by Adams' lack of compassion for those who are hurting, and I find his refusal to accept biological elements of mental illness repugnant. The nouthetic counseling movement is damaging, and Adams' work serves to reinforce the movement's radical ideals.
November 14, 2021
For decades, Christians have been conceding to humanists in the areas of counseling and "mental illness." Rather than stand on the authority of God and His Word, we have concluded that the humanists are right when they say that the Bible has nothing to offer to people regarding the way people resolve conflict--especially marital conflict, but most dramatically--mental illness.
In this book, Adams shows us that most people in mental institutions are there "because of their unforgiven and unaltered sinful behavior." This likely sounds shocking to most today, because most of us have assumed the humanist model of mental illness--namely that it is a byproduct of a disease. But this is a presupposition founded upon anti-theistic premises.
Adams helps us see the power of sin and guilt in the lives of men and women who are slaves of sin--this is biblical language, but we too readily understand that phrase either metaphorically, or apply it only to matters of salvation. But Adams helps us see that sin binds us when we have become beholden to it.
This should offer hope--especially to those afflicted with what we label "mental illness." For few, if any, are ever cured of "mental illness" by psychiatrists. Instead, they take powerful drugs that require constant medical supervision to protect the patient from the powerful effects of the drug and even getting off of the drug. But if the problem is a matter of sin, repentance is in the power of the patient to make, and find healing.
Adams takes great pains to show, early in the book, that he has seen this all for himself, first hand. This quotation is long, but gets to the manner in which the man, bound by sin, ends up in a state that today is labeled "mentally ill." He writes:
"There is a mounting conviction that much bizarre behavior must be interpreted as camouflage intended to divert attention from one’s otherwise deviate behavior. The explanation of much behavior as coverup or camouflage runs something like this: bizarre behavior some time in the past (perhaps far back in the past) was rewarded positively when it succeeded in deflecting attention from one’s deviant behavior. Therefore, on succeeding occasions the client again attempted to hide behind bizarre actions and discovered that frequently this ruse worked. If this occurred frequently enough a pattern of such action was established. Bizarre behavior then became the natural (habitual) means to which he resorted whenever he sinned.
However, such behavior, though often successful at the outset (frequently enough to become a deeply etched pattern and thus the first resort when one does wrong) does not continue to work as successfully as it did in the past. As one grows out of childhood and into adolescence, for instance, he finds it more difficult to hide. Now he is expected to give rational explanations for his behavior. Rather than change, the habit-dominated person will endeavor to continue to resort to bizarre behavior as his solution. But repeated failures of recent attempts at length force him to make some change. Yet, even then, he changes not the nature of his response but its intensity. So in order to continue to cover up his behavior, his actions become more and more bizarre. If the pattern is not broken, his behavior eventually will become so deviant that in the end society will institutionalize him. In this way behavior can become totally unacceptable in a very short time.
In the long run the counselee finds that such behavior, even when it hides him from detection, is not really successful. Increasingly as his actions become more bizarre he finds that his behavior tends to isolate him. His social contacts are broken off, and the society which he needs so desperately drifts away from him as he hides from it. He knows he is living a lie, and his conscience triggers painful psychosomatic responses. So at last he becomes a very miserable person, externally isolated and alienated from others, and internally torn apart."
There is much, much more to the book, and it is a powerful, persuasive book seeking to re-establish God and His Word as the authority over man and his sinful responses to guilt. This book is a classic for good reason, and Adams and his work must be taken seriously by the church.
In this book, Adams shows us that most people in mental institutions are there "because of their unforgiven and unaltered sinful behavior." This likely sounds shocking to most today, because most of us have assumed the humanist model of mental illness--namely that it is a byproduct of a disease. But this is a presupposition founded upon anti-theistic premises.
Adams helps us see the power of sin and guilt in the lives of men and women who are slaves of sin--this is biblical language, but we too readily understand that phrase either metaphorically, or apply it only to matters of salvation. But Adams helps us see that sin binds us when we have become beholden to it.
This should offer hope--especially to those afflicted with what we label "mental illness." For few, if any, are ever cured of "mental illness" by psychiatrists. Instead, they take powerful drugs that require constant medical supervision to protect the patient from the powerful effects of the drug and even getting off of the drug. But if the problem is a matter of sin, repentance is in the power of the patient to make, and find healing.
Adams takes great pains to show, early in the book, that he has seen this all for himself, first hand. This quotation is long, but gets to the manner in which the man, bound by sin, ends up in a state that today is labeled "mentally ill." He writes:
"There is a mounting conviction that much bizarre behavior must be interpreted as camouflage intended to divert attention from one’s otherwise deviate behavior. The explanation of much behavior as coverup or camouflage runs something like this: bizarre behavior some time in the past (perhaps far back in the past) was rewarded positively when it succeeded in deflecting attention from one’s deviant behavior. Therefore, on succeeding occasions the client again attempted to hide behind bizarre actions and discovered that frequently this ruse worked. If this occurred frequently enough a pattern of such action was established. Bizarre behavior then became the natural (habitual) means to which he resorted whenever he sinned.
However, such behavior, though often successful at the outset (frequently enough to become a deeply etched pattern and thus the first resort when one does wrong) does not continue to work as successfully as it did in the past. As one grows out of childhood and into adolescence, for instance, he finds it more difficult to hide. Now he is expected to give rational explanations for his behavior. Rather than change, the habit-dominated person will endeavor to continue to resort to bizarre behavior as his solution. But repeated failures of recent attempts at length force him to make some change. Yet, even then, he changes not the nature of his response but its intensity. So in order to continue to cover up his behavior, his actions become more and more bizarre. If the pattern is not broken, his behavior eventually will become so deviant that in the end society will institutionalize him. In this way behavior can become totally unacceptable in a very short time.
In the long run the counselee finds that such behavior, even when it hides him from detection, is not really successful. Increasingly as his actions become more bizarre he finds that his behavior tends to isolate him. His social contacts are broken off, and the society which he needs so desperately drifts away from him as he hides from it. He knows he is living a lie, and his conscience triggers painful psychosomatic responses. So at last he becomes a very miserable person, externally isolated and alienated from others, and internally torn apart."
There is much, much more to the book, and it is a powerful, persuasive book seeking to re-establish God and His Word as the authority over man and his sinful responses to guilt. This book is a classic for good reason, and Adams and his work must be taken seriously by the church.
March 7, 2009
Guess what? It wasn't that bad. I thought that Jay Adams did a good job of identifying some downfalls of modern psychology and mental health, mainly that too much emphasis is placed on the organic side of mental illness and not enough is given to personal responsibility. He also has some pretty practical ideas that can be utilized in a counseling setting. However, I did have some criticisms of the book. Adams seems to paint all of secular counseling with a broad stroke, and it is not very favorable. He looks at secular counseling as the counselor parroting what the client says, which by experience I can tell you is not true. He also seeks to throw out any counseling technique associated with secular counseling, which I do not think is fair. Adams has a very narrow view of counseling and the suffering of others. He does not give a place for someone who has been victimized in counseling. Overall, I think nouthetic counseling is a good tool to have as a counselor, but to have it as the only tool is to be ill-equipped to do the task of a counselor.
June 18, 2012
One needs to steer a middle path in Adams. Contra to modern psychology, people are often screwed up because they really *are* in sin. Sin has consequences. It *does* darken one's judgment and the more one sins, the less like the image of god he reflects. This is Romans 1 plain and simple. No Christian can seriously dispute this.
What doesn't follow, however, is Adams' assertion that one is depressed *because* one is currently in rebellious, unrepentant sin. Here is an easy counter-example: when my daughter was born and cried incessantly due to acid-reflux, the lack of sleep made me depressed. I am a sinner and no doubt thought sinful thoughts, but in no way was this connected to Adams' thesis.
Read it. It has some valuable insights, but don't drink the Kool-Aid.
What doesn't follow, however, is Adams' assertion that one is depressed *because* one is currently in rebellious, unrepentant sin. Here is an easy counter-example: when my daughter was born and cried incessantly due to acid-reflux, the lack of sleep made me depressed. I am a sinner and no doubt thought sinful thoughts, but in no way was this connected to Adams' thesis.
Read it. It has some valuable insights, but don't drink the Kool-Aid.
September 16, 2022
Jay Adams provides an insightful look at modern psychology and it's unbiblical presuppositions and methodologies. He then proceeds to layout a biblical case for nouthetic counseling by pastors, elders, and members of the local church. This is a must read for anyone interested in biblical counseling.
April 23, 2024
3 stars. I'm still evaluating approaches to counseling and trying to sort out the differences between nouthetic, Biblical, and Integrationist counseling. I believe in the sufficiency of Scripture, but I also at times think the nouthetic approach can be slightly reductionistic. To what extent do we allow general revelation (neuroscience, research, etc.) to inform our counseling where it does not conflict with special revelation?
That being said, I appreciate the simplicity of the nouthetic approach.
Favorite Quotes:
"Freudian psychoanalysis turns out to be an archeological expedition back into the past in which a search is made for others on whom to pin the blame for the patient's behavior" (6).
"If Freudianism is true, the most immoral people, or at best the most amoral people, should be the healthiest, whereas in fact the opposite is true" (13).
"Psychological guilt is the fear of being found out. It is the recognition that one has violated his standards. It is the pain of not having done as one knows he ought to do... Ventilation of feelings must be replaced by confession of wrongdoing" (14).
"Is the fundamental problem of persons who come for personal counseling sickness or sin?" (19)
"He rightly warns against the attempt to secure a spiritual end by the adoption of habits, the multiplication of rules, and the observance of external standards, excellent in themselves, but useful only as means subordinate to the Spirit" (25).
"The genesis of human problems is twofold (organic malfunctions and sinful attitudes/behavior), not threefold (OM, SA/B, and mental illness)" (29).
"Contrary to much contemporary thought, it is not merciful to be nonjudgmental" (33).
"Apart from the work of Christ in their lives, all sinful men will distort God's marvelous gift of sex in one way or another. The particular style of sin (whether homosexual or heterosexual in its orientation), however, is learned behavior" (36).
Nouthetic Counseling Process: Need for Change in the Person Confronted, Verbal Conference and Discussion Directed Towards Change, Making Changes (44-50).
Whereas other counseling theories advise that the counselor be aloof and removed, "nouthetic counseling necessarily embodies involvement of the deepest sort" (53).
"What is nouthetic success? In its fullest meaning, success is the attainment of the biblical change desired, together with an understanding by the counselee of how this change was effected, how to avoid falling into similar sinful patterns in the future, and what to do if, indeed, he should do so" (57).
Still don't know about this one: "A good seminary education rather than a medical school or a degree in clinical psychology, is the most fitting background for a counselor" (61).
Whereas other counseling theories say not to give advice, "real counseling involves the imparting of information" (61).
"Wisdom is the skillful use of divine truth for God's glory" (62).
"A proper concept of nouthetic counseling must have deeply embedded in it the premise that man cannot be helped in any fundamental sense apart from the gospel of Jesus Christ" (68).
"There is a warrant, in conjunction with evangelism, to help unbelievers (all the while evangelizing) though evangelism be unsuccessful" (73).
"[Some] speak as though there were no possibility for genuine personality change. Such a view of man is decidedly unscriptural" (74).
"Rogerian 'acceptance' and Freudian 'transference' techniques fail because of the fallacies of the Rogerian philosophy of autonomy and the Freudian ethic of irresponsibility upon which they rest" (102).
"The problem in counseling is that, contrary to God's mandate, clients have allowed the environment to control them" (128).
"We can't say we can't when God says we can" (135).
Three types of problems: presentation, performance, and preconditioning (148).
"God will discipline all of his children, either through the discipline of the Word, accepted and applied by them, or through the discipline of providential pressures, like the pressure of persecution or sickness" (168).
"The key in parental discipline is to teach children biblical responses to wrongdoing" (185).
"Confession apart from attempted reconciliation is unbiblical, because as such confession is but a self-centered catharsis in which one gets something off his chest for his own benefit" (239).
That being said, I appreciate the simplicity of the nouthetic approach.
Favorite Quotes:
"Freudian psychoanalysis turns out to be an archeological expedition back into the past in which a search is made for others on whom to pin the blame for the patient's behavior" (6).
"If Freudianism is true, the most immoral people, or at best the most amoral people, should be the healthiest, whereas in fact the opposite is true" (13).
"Psychological guilt is the fear of being found out. It is the recognition that one has violated his standards. It is the pain of not having done as one knows he ought to do... Ventilation of feelings must be replaced by confession of wrongdoing" (14).
"Is the fundamental problem of persons who come for personal counseling sickness or sin?" (19)
"He rightly warns against the attempt to secure a spiritual end by the adoption of habits, the multiplication of rules, and the observance of external standards, excellent in themselves, but useful only as means subordinate to the Spirit" (25).
"The genesis of human problems is twofold (organic malfunctions and sinful attitudes/behavior), not threefold (OM, SA/B, and mental illness)" (29).
"Contrary to much contemporary thought, it is not merciful to be nonjudgmental" (33).
"Apart from the work of Christ in their lives, all sinful men will distort God's marvelous gift of sex in one way or another. The particular style of sin (whether homosexual or heterosexual in its orientation), however, is learned behavior" (36).
Nouthetic Counseling Process: Need for Change in the Person Confronted, Verbal Conference and Discussion Directed Towards Change, Making Changes (44-50).
Whereas other counseling theories advise that the counselor be aloof and removed, "nouthetic counseling necessarily embodies involvement of the deepest sort" (53).
"What is nouthetic success? In its fullest meaning, success is the attainment of the biblical change desired, together with an understanding by the counselee of how this change was effected, how to avoid falling into similar sinful patterns in the future, and what to do if, indeed, he should do so" (57).
Still don't know about this one: "A good seminary education rather than a medical school or a degree in clinical psychology, is the most fitting background for a counselor" (61).
Whereas other counseling theories say not to give advice, "real counseling involves the imparting of information" (61).
"Wisdom is the skillful use of divine truth for God's glory" (62).
"A proper concept of nouthetic counseling must have deeply embedded in it the premise that man cannot be helped in any fundamental sense apart from the gospel of Jesus Christ" (68).
"There is a warrant, in conjunction with evangelism, to help unbelievers (all the while evangelizing) though evangelism be unsuccessful" (73).
"[Some] speak as though there were no possibility for genuine personality change. Such a view of man is decidedly unscriptural" (74).
"Rogerian 'acceptance' and Freudian 'transference' techniques fail because of the fallacies of the Rogerian philosophy of autonomy and the Freudian ethic of irresponsibility upon which they rest" (102).
"The problem in counseling is that, contrary to God's mandate, clients have allowed the environment to control them" (128).
"We can't say we can't when God says we can" (135).
Three types of problems: presentation, performance, and preconditioning (148).
"God will discipline all of his children, either through the discipline of the Word, accepted and applied by them, or through the discipline of providential pressures, like the pressure of persecution or sickness" (168).
"The key in parental discipline is to teach children biblical responses to wrongdoing" (185).
"Confession apart from attempted reconciliation is unbiblical, because as such confession is but a self-centered catharsis in which one gets something off his chest for his own benefit" (239).
December 31, 2019
The groundbreaking and pioneering manual on biblical/nouthetic counseling, this work was well researched at the time of its original publication. It continues to be useful. Built on a firm commitment to applying God’s Word and involving His Spirit in the work of formal counseling, Adams’s approach is hopeful and hope-filled.
Deficiencies primarily stem from reductionism (perhaps necessitated by the desire to be concise, pointed, and as comprehensive as possible) and Adams’s apparent agenda to recast all pastoral ministry (and Christian relationship in general) in terms of the Greek verb νουθετώ (nouthetó; admonish, counsel, etc.). The exegetical basis explored on page 44 (and throughout chapter 4) is tenuous on a strictly lexical plane. The passages Adams cites are useful and pertinent. After reading the book, I’m not certain of the advisability or usefulness of so forcefully latching onto the word “nouthetic.”
I appreciate the emphasis Adams puts on “love to the glory of God” as the ultimate goal of counseling, and problem solving as the proximate goal. There is a lot of wisdom in this book, and I wonder if backlash against abuses from this school of counseling has ended up throwing out the biblical baby with the biblicist bathwater.
While some of the material is dated at this point (in 2019), this book remains very helpful for laying out the basics of biblical/nouthetic counseling.
Deficiencies primarily stem from reductionism (perhaps necessitated by the desire to be concise, pointed, and as comprehensive as possible) and Adams’s apparent agenda to recast all pastoral ministry (and Christian relationship in general) in terms of the Greek verb νουθετώ (nouthetó; admonish, counsel, etc.). The exegetical basis explored on page 44 (and throughout chapter 4) is tenuous on a strictly lexical plane. The passages Adams cites are useful and pertinent. After reading the book, I’m not certain of the advisability or usefulness of so forcefully latching onto the word “nouthetic.”
I appreciate the emphasis Adams puts on “love to the glory of God” as the ultimate goal of counseling, and problem solving as the proximate goal. There is a lot of wisdom in this book, and I wonder if backlash against abuses from this school of counseling has ended up throwing out the biblical baby with the biblicist bathwater.
While some of the material is dated at this point (in 2019), this book remains very helpful for laying out the basics of biblical/nouthetic counseling.
July 28, 2023
Another controversial figure. Adams here attempts to “recapture” counseling for the Church. His base premise is that it makes no sense to refer out believers to the secular sciences for problems that are essentially biblical in nature.
Now that sentence is offensive to some and comforting to others. Adams serves as the “Luther figure” of the Christian counseling world of the 1970s. He is both radical, a bit brash, and important for the current landscape of Christian counseling. While debates rage all around the practicality and tangential issues surrounding Adams’ method, after reading his work and many others on the subject I believe that his core thesis remains unchallenged. It is human nature to seek help from the wrong sources. While medicine, science, and even therapy are in no way wrong, and should not be avoided, the Bible, the exposition of it, and the loving application of it to souls has something to say to every person in need of counsel, and God has gifted us the Church to administer these mercies.
Now that sentence is offensive to some and comforting to others. Adams serves as the “Luther figure” of the Christian counseling world of the 1970s. He is both radical, a bit brash, and important for the current landscape of Christian counseling. While debates rage all around the practicality and tangential issues surrounding Adams’ method, after reading his work and many others on the subject I believe that his core thesis remains unchallenged. It is human nature to seek help from the wrong sources. While medicine, science, and even therapy are in no way wrong, and should not be avoided, the Bible, the exposition of it, and the loving application of it to souls has something to say to every person in need of counsel, and God has gifted us the Church to administer these mercies.
December 24, 2020
Bold. He makes no room for the existence of suffering, and does not provide advice on how to counsel sufferers. If someone enters your office seeking counsel on a matter clearly resulting from their own sin, than his method is acceptable. However, it would be a mistake to assume that the method herein described may be applied to any and every individual who may seek counseling. Jesus confronted some people, and simply comforted others. Not all pain and confusion in the world is a direct consequence of that person's sin (see the book of Job).
However, often it is, and in such cases, this book lays out a good argument from scripture on how to counsel such people.
However, often it is, and in such cases, this book lays out a good argument from scripture on how to counsel such people.
June 27, 2025
Wonderful book on the foundation of biblical counseling. The main argument is that counseling need not be relegated to the “experts”, but that every pastor (and every believer for that matter) is “competent to counsel”. He is critical of secular counseling methods because they rest on non-biblical assumptions about anthropology-what a person’s purpose is, what a person’s greatest problem is, and what the solution is. The Bible is sufficient to counsel because it alone is God’s authoritative word and has answers to each of these questions. The book is slightly dated (published in 1970), and I’m sure authors like Tripp and Powlison have nuanced Adams’ thought in helpful ways. Nevertheless, this book is a drink of cold water for counselors at work in the therapeutic desert of our culture.
August 3, 2021
A biblical counseling classic. Indeed, this is the body of work that started the modern biblical counseling movement. Though he continued to refine his thought in later years, this might be Adams most influential book.
March 20, 2023
1st half was fantastic. Eye opening. Paradigm shifting. All that. Second half was less helpful, but not bad
May 31, 2024
There’s a reason this book birthed the modern biblical counseling movement.
January 4, 2024
Is Scripture sufficient for all of life and godliness? Do we really believe that it is, or are our claims just lip service while we seek our soul care elsewhere?
As timely as it is provocative. Adams pokes Christian Psychology right in the eye while calling the church to return to her rightful, God-ordained soul care roots. He may be a bit too rhetorically harsh at times, but his overall point is spot on. We have abandoned our pastoral heritage for a mess of pottage. Pottage that has no hope of actually helping anyone.
As timely as it is provocative. Adams pokes Christian Psychology right in the eye while calling the church to return to her rightful, God-ordained soul care roots. He may be a bit too rhetorically harsh at times, but his overall point is spot on. We have abandoned our pastoral heritage for a mess of pottage. Pottage that has no hope of actually helping anyone.
June 12, 2017
In a day and age where "mental illness" is being medicated more and more frequently, and thus leaving Christians with the idea that counseling is best left to professionals, Jay Adams' book is like a glass of ice cold lemonade on a summer day, for those of us who have been insisting that the Bible should dictate and govern our approach to counseling. He advocates for, what he terms, a nouthetic approach to counseling. He derives this term from Scripture, as he states, "My method is presuppositional. I avowedly accept the inerrant Bible as the Standard of all faith and practice."
From this position of submission to God's Word, he has derived the term nouthetic (coming from the greek noun and verb nouthesis and noutheteo), which in biblical usage has the range of meaning confront, counsel, admonish, even warn. Adams makes the case that Christian counseling, if it is to be faithful to the Bible, must be confrontational. By this he does't mean argumentative, but that it needs to get to the root of the problem and endeavor to correct the problem quickly. Modern therapists end up with a client/counselor relationship that can go on indefinitely; not that the therapists don't want to help their clients, but their clients can easily become a revenue stream. This can result not necessarily by a psychiatrist being greedy, but can result from the client feeling like therapy is the only way to treat their illness.
Precisely because we have redefined many sins into simple mental illnesses, we have ceded ground that should have been defended. There is much greater hope to be able to identify the sin that is at the root of depression, anger, bitterness, etc. than to simply try to accommodate a venting of feelings. Shockingly, many Christians are afraid to affirm, as Adams' does, that sin is really at the heart of every counseling situation. Now it may not be the "counselee's" sin, per se, but sin is always the issue (either theirs or someone else's). Thus, it would be unloving to not go after the sin. Further, Adams makes the case that by identifying the sin, we are actually able to get somewhere by simply asking, "What does God's word command?" This gives actionable steps of obedience, which God promises to bless.
A few of his many examples were overly simplistic, I thought, but overall very interesting, insightful, and useful book for shaping a biblical view of counseling.
From this position of submission to God's Word, he has derived the term nouthetic (coming from the greek noun and verb nouthesis and noutheteo), which in biblical usage has the range of meaning confront, counsel, admonish, even warn. Adams makes the case that Christian counseling, if it is to be faithful to the Bible, must be confrontational. By this he does't mean argumentative, but that it needs to get to the root of the problem and endeavor to correct the problem quickly. Modern therapists end up with a client/counselor relationship that can go on indefinitely; not that the therapists don't want to help their clients, but their clients can easily become a revenue stream. This can result not necessarily by a psychiatrist being greedy, but can result from the client feeling like therapy is the only way to treat their illness.
Precisely because we have redefined many sins into simple mental illnesses, we have ceded ground that should have been defended. There is much greater hope to be able to identify the sin that is at the root of depression, anger, bitterness, etc. than to simply try to accommodate a venting of feelings. Shockingly, many Christians are afraid to affirm, as Adams' does, that sin is really at the heart of every counseling situation. Now it may not be the "counselee's" sin, per se, but sin is always the issue (either theirs or someone else's). Thus, it would be unloving to not go after the sin. Further, Adams makes the case that by identifying the sin, we are actually able to get somewhere by simply asking, "What does God's word command?" This gives actionable steps of obedience, which God promises to bless.
A few of his many examples were overly simplistic, I thought, but overall very interesting, insightful, and useful book for shaping a biblical view of counseling.
April 22, 2021
Nouthetic Counseling, of whom Jay Adams is the father, has potential to do great harm to those individuals seeking to address issues in their life in a Biblical manner. It is highly deceptive. Being Biblical in name only, It is nothing more than band-aid therapy. Adams claims that Scripture alone provides the only means by which to deal with life issues. If his theology had any merit to it, there would be no need for doctors or any other professionals. He discounts the fact that God has gifted people in various professions and works through people to accomplish His work. His counseling model proposes that a person confess their problem, that Scripture is a direct answer apart from any other resources, the person repents by accepting Scripture whereby their problem is solved. To veer from this, according to Adams is to continue in sin, unrepentant.
It also presents ideas such as the wrongness of confrontation of any wrong done on the part of any perpetrator of sin, including abusers and others who have inflicted harm toward another, without the “accused” being present. But doing so, it puts victims of many crimes in potential danger. Examples include an abusive spouse who should be ( according to Adams) present before one abused can talk about the abuse.
The various methods this type of counseling employs in a therapeutic setting is highly problematic and leads to inflicting great harm on the one counseled. It discounts people who may suffer from serious mental illness, chemical dependency and other serious issues. It discounts the need for other methods of treatment, including but not limited to medication and other possible needed treatment intervention methods. This is but a few examples of the many ways Nouthetic counseling may invoke greater harm on someone. It is not Biblical. While claiming to employ Biblical methods, it does the complete opposite.
It also presents ideas such as the wrongness of confrontation of any wrong done on the part of any perpetrator of sin, including abusers and others who have inflicted harm toward another, without the “accused” being present. But doing so, it puts victims of many crimes in potential danger. Examples include an abusive spouse who should be ( according to Adams) present before one abused can talk about the abuse.
The various methods this type of counseling employs in a therapeutic setting is highly problematic and leads to inflicting great harm on the one counseled. It discounts people who may suffer from serious mental illness, chemical dependency and other serious issues. It discounts the need for other methods of treatment, including but not limited to medication and other possible needed treatment intervention methods. This is but a few examples of the many ways Nouthetic counseling may invoke greater harm on someone. It is not Biblical. While claiming to employ Biblical methods, it does the complete opposite.
May 23, 2012
I loved the first chapter of this book, but hated the rest. I found myself yelling (yes out loud) at the book as I was reading it. I have rarely seen a book start out so good, and so quickly become really bad.
Reading this book was part of a homework assignment in school. If I didn't have to finish reading it for the class, I very likely would not have finished it.
Reading this book was part of a homework assignment in school. If I didn't have to finish reading it for the class, I very likely would not have finished it.
April 5, 2008
all of jay adams' works are biblically, psychologically, and scientifically inept, wrong-headed, filled with bad theology and scientific error; in short, they are terrible.
February 12, 2023
fascinating. an eye-opening & countercultural interpretation of counselling (and mental health in general). showed the lack of results made in secular counselling & explained the causes thereof. strong focus on the importance of personal responsibility & discipline. enjoyed his disdain for freud’s theories. helpful illustrations and case studies. excellent on pastoral pastoring.
but significantly lacks nuance - so focused on taking responsibility that it seems no blame is allowed to be cast whatsoever. therefore no consideration of scenarios where problems are not the result of one’s own sin eg abuse/assault etc. rather oversimplified & repetitive at points, sometimes feeling as though you were rereading the same paragraph several times.
‘the goal of nouthetic counseling is set forth plainly in the Scriptures: to bring men into loving conformity to the law of God.’
but significantly lacks nuance - so focused on taking responsibility that it seems no blame is allowed to be cast whatsoever. therefore no consideration of scenarios where problems are not the result of one’s own sin eg abuse/assault etc. rather oversimplified & repetitive at points, sometimes feeling as though you were rereading the same paragraph several times.
‘the goal of nouthetic counseling is set forth plainly in the Scriptures: to bring men into loving conformity to the law of God.’
March 28, 2024
Anyone desiring to become a Biblical Counselor should begin their studies and teaching in the field with Competent to Counsel. Jay Adams has done an amazing job proving that Scripture is sufficient for all things in life, to include the counseling of believers. His approach to counseling biblically is comprehensive, practical, and a much needed ministry in the church. Pastors should 100% read this book with the aim of caring for the souls of their congregants and ending the refer and defer method of counsel that exists in the church today.
July 20, 2023
Mostly good, offering some well needed theology to an arena dominated by naturalism. I think in some cases, he goes a little far, and I'd be intrigued to see how these ideas have been refined and developed in new generations of nouthetic counselors.
March 6, 2024
While there were some good nuggets of wisdom in these pages, overall, I find myself in enough disagreement with many of the views expressed that I give this book a failing grade. I’d never recommend this book to others.
Read
November 16, 2021For Thesis
Not sure how I feel about this, many good points were made and biblically argued for, however, there were some aspects that I wasn’t so sure about
Not sure how I feel about this, many good points were made and biblically argued for, however, there were some aspects that I wasn’t so sure about
June 21, 2023
Incredibly helpful book in equipping one to counsel as a Christian.
January 6, 2025
A helpful introduction to Nouthetic counseling.
January 24, 2022
Modern society is facing a crisis of mental health. Jay Adams illustrates the problem by quoting eminent psychiatrists and psychoanalysts. For example, take these quotes from Dr. H. J. Eysenck, Director of the University of London’s Department of Psychology:
- “The success of the Freudian revolution seemed complete. Only one thing went wrong. The patients did not get any better.”
- “Surveys show that of patients who spend upwards of 350 hours on the psychoanalysts’ couch to get better—two out of three show some improvement over a period of years. The fly in that particular ointment, however, is that the same percentage get better without analysis or under the care of a regular physician. As a matter of fact, that same ratio—two out of three people—get better in mental hospitals a hundred years ago… Patients get better regardless of what is done to them.”
Mankind was created by God, in the image of God. Secular society approaches psychological problems from the presumption that man is nothing more than a complex chemical machine. This book explains in practical, hard-hitting ways how the Bible contains an accurate diagnosis of mankind’s problem, as well as offering actionable prescriptions of how to address those. To be sure, in certain cases, the root problem is a medical issue requiring medical solutions, but if the true problem is a heart issue, then seeking solutions from the medical community makes as much sense as taking your sick cat to see a automobile mechanic. Jay Adams’ book explains the ways in which the Bible has the answers to the problems of the heart.
Some things that particularly struck me:
- Quoting (secular) psychiatrist H. J. Eysenck, Director of the University of London’s Department of Psychology, “The success of the Freudian revolution seemed complete. Only one thing went wrong. The patients did not get any better.” Adams himself comments, “Patients, failing to recover after years of analysis and thousands of dollars later, have also been wondering about the boasts of psychiatry. Some, getting worse, have begun to suspect that many of their problems are iatrogenic (that is, treatment induced).”
- “One achievement with which Freudianism ought to be credited is the leading part it has played in the present collapse of responsibility in modern American society.”
- “The idea of sickness as the cause of personal problems vitiates all notions of human responsibility. This is the crux of the matter. People no longer consider themselves responsible for what they do wrong.”
- “If Freudianism is true, the most immoral people, or at best the most amoral people, should be the healthiest, whereas in fact the opposite is true.”
- “The Holy Spirit expects counselors to use his Word, the Holy Scriptures. We shall see infra that he gave it for such a purpose, and that it is powerful when used for that purpose (II Timothy 3:16, 17). His counseling ministry is ordinarily performed through the ministry of this Word. … To be led by the Spirit (Galatians 5:18), for instance, should be understood not as being led apart from, but rather by means of the Scriptures.”
- “A certain amount of confusion has been occasioned by the fact that physical illnesses may have non-organic causes.” “Apart from organically generated difficulties, the ‘mentally ill’ are really people with unsolved personal problems.” (P 29).
- “What, then is wrong with the ‘mentally ill’? Their problem is autogenic; that is in themselves.” … “But repeated failures of recent attempts at length force him to make some change. Yet, even then, he changes not the nature of his response but its intensity. So in order to continue to cover up his behavior, his actions become more and more bizarre.”
- Adams gives an example of the above points in Steve, a patient the author met when he was in a mental institution. “Steve had been diagnosed by psychiatrists as a catatonic schizophrenic. He did not talk…”. “Steve had no mental disorders. Steve had no emotional problems. Nothing was wrong with his mind or his emotions. His problem was autogenic. Steve’s problem was difficult but simple. He told us that because he had been spending all his time as a prop man for a ply rather than working at his college studies, he was about to receive a raft of pink slips at the mid-semester marking period. … Rather than face his parents and his friends as a failure, Steve camouflaged the real problem. He had begun acting bizarrely, and discovered that this threw everyone off track. … Over the years Steve gradually had developed an avoidance pattern to which he resorted in unpleasant and stressful situations. … Steve’s problem was not mental illness, but guilt, shame, and fear.” (P 32). “To act as if they may be excused for their condition is the most unkind thing one can do. Such an approach only compounds the problem. … Nothing hurt more, he said, than when his parents visited him and treated him kindly, like an innocent victim of circumstances.”
- Another example of Mary (pg 33). “Mary, during the first interview, tried to camouflage herself in order to avoid detection, just as Steve had done. But the techniques that Mary had developed over the years were quite different. Mary had been diagnosed by psychiatrists as a manic-depressive. … As soon as the counselors began to put their finger on the real issue in Mary’s life (which turned out to be adultery with her next-door neighbor), Mary began to howl and cry and scream at the top of her lungs. Besides inarticulate sobbing, she cried, ‘Leave me alone; leave me alone!’. In the past Mary had successfully warded off all attempts by her parents and others to discover the reasons for her distress by driving them away. Mary was now using her tried-and-true ruse with he counselors, but they were not abashed at such responses. Instead, they looked Mary squarely in the eye and said: ‘O be quiet! Unless you stop this kind of nonsense and get down to business, we simply can’t help you, Mary.’” … “Instead of showing her sympathy, instead of responding to her tears, instead of being taken in by Mary’s tactics, the counselors brushed aside the camouflage and pursued a straight course directly to the heart of the matter. At this, Mary turned off her antics almost as automatically as if she had pushed a button. She told the story, a miserable story, which had been so hard to tell she had never told it to another person before. Mary was helped because her counselors were not shaken by Mary’s screams and tears.”
- “Nouthetic confrontation always implies a problem, and presupposes an obstacle that must be overcome”
- “Nouthetic confrontation, in its biblical usage, aims at straightening out the individual by changing his patterns of behavior to conform to biblical standards.” (In this, I would go further than Adams — you first need to straighten out the thinking, then the behavior.)
- (Referring to the story of Eli in 1 Samuel 2) “Eli’s stress upon ‘why’ may indicate one of his failures as a father. It was not his business to speculate about the causes of his son’s wicked deeds beyond the fact that he already knew—that they were sinners. It was his task to stop them. Too great an emphasis upon ‘why’ may indicate an attempt to find extenuating reasons for executing conduct which otherwise must be described as sinful.”
- “Psychiatry has no means for curing hamartiagenic sickness” (that is, sin-engendered sickness) (p 105)
- “Incidentally, one of the reasons why parents fail in their attempts to counsel their children is because parents seldom share their failures with them.” (P 124) “The sinning child needs to learn the consequences of failure in concrete ways, the problems failure brings, what to do to avoid failure, and how to deal with failure when it does occur.”
- “Sin leads to guilt and depression, sinful handling of sin further complicates matters leading to greater guilt and deeper depression, ad infinitum.” (P 148)
- The three dimensions of problems: 1) Presentation Problems (often presented as a cause when really an effect), 2) Performance Problems (often presented as an effect when really a cause), and 3) Preconditioning Problems (often presented as an effect when really the underlying cause, the habitual response pattern, of which the performance problem is but one instance; the preconditioning problem generally does not come fully into focus until its relationship to the first two has been understood). (P 148)
- “Whenever clients come with presentation problems that are also performance problems and preconditioning problems all wrapped up together, counselors know that it is probable that the client has suffered disintegration and is in a state of despair. A person in despair is ideally suited to counseling.” (P 172)
- “Frequently clients are discouraged but also somewhat cocky about the way that they are handling life’s problems. In such cases, it may be necessary to precipitate some sort of responsibility crisis which has been pending but which the client has avoided until now.” (e.g. Nathan vs. David) “The client often needs God’s law applied to his life with power in order to blast the old patterns loose. Nouthetic counselors do not think that clients need to be led along gently over months or years. Instead, they sometimes find that it is necessary to use God’s truth shatteringly to show the person the inevitable hopelessness of his present way of life. They may need to warn him and who him how his present sinful courses of action will lead to nothing but greater discouragement.” (P 173)
- “Nouthetic counseling, it has been noted, is concerned about total structuring. Total structuring means building a life of love, i.e., a life structured in every respect by the commandments of God.” (P 175)
- “Parents (or teachers) should respond to the behavior of children in an honest and appropriate manner. Only by such responses can they provide a standard by which the child may discover the social consequences of his behavior. Such a response will not harm that child as some think. On the contrary, neutral (i.e., distorted) responses and erratic responses confuse and tend to encourage sociopathic attitudes in the child. A child cannot avoid being wronged by people. While a parent should not purposely wrong his child (he doesn’t need to work at this, he’ll do it naturally), such wronging will not be as injurious as some might think. Throughout life, people will treat him wrongly. It is well that the first wrongdoing he experiences may come from those who love him most, for if in love they admitted the wrong, apologize and make right what they have done wrong, they teach him much by their example. But also, if they teach him how to respond to wrongdoing, they teach him the most important lesson of all. The key in parental discipline is to teach children biblical responses to wrongdoing. A child’s problem is not insecurity (as so often claimed) but failure to solve problems properly.” (P 185)
- “As children grow into their teens, the problem becomes less a matter of the parent structuring responsibility and discipline into the life of a child and more a matter of helping the child to assume responsibility for structuring his own life. Certainly, however, this shift of responsibility must be a gradual process which began many years before. But now discipline becomes almost entirely the responsibility of the child himself. He must become a self structured, self disciplined individual before he leaves his home. He can no longer claim that the is not responsible for his actions.”” (P 185)
- ... “the communication problem: those who are unable to communicate need to communicate in order to solve their communication problem. Usually the only solution to this difficulty is for some outsider to assist the parties in reestablishing communication.” (P 216)
- “One-to-one counseling has its place, and, of course, in many situations not everyone who is involved in a problem can be enlisted for counseling. However, multiple counseling is to be preferred as the rule rather than the exception.” (P 237)
- “If both the man and the woman have developed biblical habits of response to life’s problems, regardless of what their background may have been, they have more basic compatibility than two persons who had nearly identical cultural backgrounds but were not Christians.” (P 249)
- “The success of the Freudian revolution seemed complete. Only one thing went wrong. The patients did not get any better.”
- “Surveys show that of patients who spend upwards of 350 hours on the psychoanalysts’ couch to get better—two out of three show some improvement over a period of years. The fly in that particular ointment, however, is that the same percentage get better without analysis or under the care of a regular physician. As a matter of fact, that same ratio—two out of three people—get better in mental hospitals a hundred years ago… Patients get better regardless of what is done to them.”
Mankind was created by God, in the image of God. Secular society approaches psychological problems from the presumption that man is nothing more than a complex chemical machine. This book explains in practical, hard-hitting ways how the Bible contains an accurate diagnosis of mankind’s problem, as well as offering actionable prescriptions of how to address those. To be sure, in certain cases, the root problem is a medical issue requiring medical solutions, but if the true problem is a heart issue, then seeking solutions from the medical community makes as much sense as taking your sick cat to see a automobile mechanic. Jay Adams’ book explains the ways in which the Bible has the answers to the problems of the heart.
Some things that particularly struck me:
- Quoting (secular) psychiatrist H. J. Eysenck, Director of the University of London’s Department of Psychology, “The success of the Freudian revolution seemed complete. Only one thing went wrong. The patients did not get any better.” Adams himself comments, “Patients, failing to recover after years of analysis and thousands of dollars later, have also been wondering about the boasts of psychiatry. Some, getting worse, have begun to suspect that many of their problems are iatrogenic (that is, treatment induced).”
- “One achievement with which Freudianism ought to be credited is the leading part it has played in the present collapse of responsibility in modern American society.”
- “The idea of sickness as the cause of personal problems vitiates all notions of human responsibility. This is the crux of the matter. People no longer consider themselves responsible for what they do wrong.”
- “If Freudianism is true, the most immoral people, or at best the most amoral people, should be the healthiest, whereas in fact the opposite is true.”
- “The Holy Spirit expects counselors to use his Word, the Holy Scriptures. We shall see infra that he gave it for such a purpose, and that it is powerful when used for that purpose (II Timothy 3:16, 17). His counseling ministry is ordinarily performed through the ministry of this Word. … To be led by the Spirit (Galatians 5:18), for instance, should be understood not as being led apart from, but rather by means of the Scriptures.”
- “A certain amount of confusion has been occasioned by the fact that physical illnesses may have non-organic causes.” “Apart from organically generated difficulties, the ‘mentally ill’ are really people with unsolved personal problems.” (P 29).
- “What, then is wrong with the ‘mentally ill’? Their problem is autogenic; that is in themselves.” … “But repeated failures of recent attempts at length force him to make some change. Yet, even then, he changes not the nature of his response but its intensity. So in order to continue to cover up his behavior, his actions become more and more bizarre.”
- Adams gives an example of the above points in Steve, a patient the author met when he was in a mental institution. “Steve had been diagnosed by psychiatrists as a catatonic schizophrenic. He did not talk…”. “Steve had no mental disorders. Steve had no emotional problems. Nothing was wrong with his mind or his emotions. His problem was autogenic. Steve’s problem was difficult but simple. He told us that because he had been spending all his time as a prop man for a ply rather than working at his college studies, he was about to receive a raft of pink slips at the mid-semester marking period. … Rather than face his parents and his friends as a failure, Steve camouflaged the real problem. He had begun acting bizarrely, and discovered that this threw everyone off track. … Over the years Steve gradually had developed an avoidance pattern to which he resorted in unpleasant and stressful situations. … Steve’s problem was not mental illness, but guilt, shame, and fear.” (P 32). “To act as if they may be excused for their condition is the most unkind thing one can do. Such an approach only compounds the problem. … Nothing hurt more, he said, than when his parents visited him and treated him kindly, like an innocent victim of circumstances.”
- Another example of Mary (pg 33). “Mary, during the first interview, tried to camouflage herself in order to avoid detection, just as Steve had done. But the techniques that Mary had developed over the years were quite different. Mary had been diagnosed by psychiatrists as a manic-depressive. … As soon as the counselors began to put their finger on the real issue in Mary’s life (which turned out to be adultery with her next-door neighbor), Mary began to howl and cry and scream at the top of her lungs. Besides inarticulate sobbing, she cried, ‘Leave me alone; leave me alone!’. In the past Mary had successfully warded off all attempts by her parents and others to discover the reasons for her distress by driving them away. Mary was now using her tried-and-true ruse with he counselors, but they were not abashed at such responses. Instead, they looked Mary squarely in the eye and said: ‘O be quiet! Unless you stop this kind of nonsense and get down to business, we simply can’t help you, Mary.’” … “Instead of showing her sympathy, instead of responding to her tears, instead of being taken in by Mary’s tactics, the counselors brushed aside the camouflage and pursued a straight course directly to the heart of the matter. At this, Mary turned off her antics almost as automatically as if she had pushed a button. She told the story, a miserable story, which had been so hard to tell she had never told it to another person before. Mary was helped because her counselors were not shaken by Mary’s screams and tears.”
- “Nouthetic confrontation always implies a problem, and presupposes an obstacle that must be overcome”
- “Nouthetic confrontation, in its biblical usage, aims at straightening out the individual by changing his patterns of behavior to conform to biblical standards.” (In this, I would go further than Adams — you first need to straighten out the thinking, then the behavior.)
- (Referring to the story of Eli in 1 Samuel 2) “Eli’s stress upon ‘why’ may indicate one of his failures as a father. It was not his business to speculate about the causes of his son’s wicked deeds beyond the fact that he already knew—that they were sinners. It was his task to stop them. Too great an emphasis upon ‘why’ may indicate an attempt to find extenuating reasons for executing conduct which otherwise must be described as sinful.”
- “Psychiatry has no means for curing hamartiagenic sickness” (that is, sin-engendered sickness) (p 105)
- “Incidentally, one of the reasons why parents fail in their attempts to counsel their children is because parents seldom share their failures with them.” (P 124) “The sinning child needs to learn the consequences of failure in concrete ways, the problems failure brings, what to do to avoid failure, and how to deal with failure when it does occur.”
- “Sin leads to guilt and depression, sinful handling of sin further complicates matters leading to greater guilt and deeper depression, ad infinitum.” (P 148)
- The three dimensions of problems: 1) Presentation Problems (often presented as a cause when really an effect), 2) Performance Problems (often presented as an effect when really a cause), and 3) Preconditioning Problems (often presented as an effect when really the underlying cause, the habitual response pattern, of which the performance problem is but one instance; the preconditioning problem generally does not come fully into focus until its relationship to the first two has been understood). (P 148)
- “Whenever clients come with presentation problems that are also performance problems and preconditioning problems all wrapped up together, counselors know that it is probable that the client has suffered disintegration and is in a state of despair. A person in despair is ideally suited to counseling.” (P 172)
- “Frequently clients are discouraged but also somewhat cocky about the way that they are handling life’s problems. In such cases, it may be necessary to precipitate some sort of responsibility crisis which has been pending but which the client has avoided until now.” (e.g. Nathan vs. David) “The client often needs God’s law applied to his life with power in order to blast the old patterns loose. Nouthetic counselors do not think that clients need to be led along gently over months or years. Instead, they sometimes find that it is necessary to use God’s truth shatteringly to show the person the inevitable hopelessness of his present way of life. They may need to warn him and who him how his present sinful courses of action will lead to nothing but greater discouragement.” (P 173)
- “Nouthetic counseling, it has been noted, is concerned about total structuring. Total structuring means building a life of love, i.e., a life structured in every respect by the commandments of God.” (P 175)
- “Parents (or teachers) should respond to the behavior of children in an honest and appropriate manner. Only by such responses can they provide a standard by which the child may discover the social consequences of his behavior. Such a response will not harm that child as some think. On the contrary, neutral (i.e., distorted) responses and erratic responses confuse and tend to encourage sociopathic attitudes in the child. A child cannot avoid being wronged by people. While a parent should not purposely wrong his child (he doesn’t need to work at this, he’ll do it naturally), such wronging will not be as injurious as some might think. Throughout life, people will treat him wrongly. It is well that the first wrongdoing he experiences may come from those who love him most, for if in love they admitted the wrong, apologize and make right what they have done wrong, they teach him much by their example. But also, if they teach him how to respond to wrongdoing, they teach him the most important lesson of all. The key in parental discipline is to teach children biblical responses to wrongdoing. A child’s problem is not insecurity (as so often claimed) but failure to solve problems properly.” (P 185)
- “As children grow into their teens, the problem becomes less a matter of the parent structuring responsibility and discipline into the life of a child and more a matter of helping the child to assume responsibility for structuring his own life. Certainly, however, this shift of responsibility must be a gradual process which began many years before. But now discipline becomes almost entirely the responsibility of the child himself. He must become a self structured, self disciplined individual before he leaves his home. He can no longer claim that the is not responsible for his actions.”” (P 185)
- ... “the communication problem: those who are unable to communicate need to communicate in order to solve their communication problem. Usually the only solution to this difficulty is for some outsider to assist the parties in reestablishing communication.” (P 216)
- “One-to-one counseling has its place, and, of course, in many situations not everyone who is involved in a problem can be enlisted for counseling. However, multiple counseling is to be preferred as the rule rather than the exception.” (P 237)
- “If both the man and the woman have developed biblical habits of response to life’s problems, regardless of what their background may have been, they have more basic compatibility than two persons who had nearly identical cultural backgrounds but were not Christians.” (P 249)
September 19, 2017
Adams gives a lot of counseling philosophy as well as practical advice. I can't agree with his basis of Covenant theology, but for the most part he makes his points from the Bible and his counseling philosophy seems very valid. A good read for anyone anticipates spending time counseling others, which is most active Christians.
March 24, 2011
A landmark in biblical counseling for good reason. Adams is at his best when dissecting alternative systems, and comparing them to the Bible. He shows that neither Rogerian nor Freudian methods think of man in anything like the way the Bible does, and thus their methods and goals are quite different from those of Scripture. Careful listening followed by direct, pointed application of Scripture is the heart of nouthetic counseling. When he defines the goal of the umbrella of nouthetic counseling as sanctification, very little is left out in the rain. If this is the case, then everyone on the planet could use this sort of counseling. It might help to distinguish situations where one ought to seek the counsel of others from a more run-of-the mill sanctification. One does get the impression that very few counselees respond to gentle suggestions or supportive, encouraging words. What weakens the book are his sometimes tedious explanations of fairly self-evident Scriptures in the latter half of the book.
Those reading this work today are at a disadvantage in appreciating the significance of what Adams accomplished with this book. This approach was simply not understood, articulated, or available fifty years ago. Now, thanks largely to Adams, the books, messages, and ministries of Christian counseling are a significant and growing resource to the Church.
Those reading this work today are at a disadvantage in appreciating the significance of what Adams accomplished with this book. This approach was simply not understood, articulated, or available fifty years ago. Now, thanks largely to Adams, the books, messages, and ministries of Christian counseling are a significant and growing resource to the Church.
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