Part 5: Four Models (Weaknesses of Biblical Counseling)

Part 1: “What is a Christian Counselor?”
Part 2: “Four Models of Christian Counseling (Levels of Explanation & Integration)”
Part 3: “Four Models…” (#3 Christian Psychology)
Part 4: “Four Models…” (#4 Biblical Counseling | Strengths)
Part 5: “Four Models…” (#5 Biblical Counseling | Weaknesses)

If you’re just joining us, this is Part 5 of “Four Views of Christian Counseling.”

• In Part 1, we showed that “Christian Counseling” can mean very much, or very little, depending on the counselor.

• In Part 2, we looked at the way these beliefs show up in two counseling models:  #1) Levels of Explanation & #2) Integration, including how these tend to show up in counseling practice or church.

• In Part 3, we examined the model of #3) Christian Psychology, including strengths & weaknesses, which helps define the work at New Ground Counseling.

• In Part 4, we looked at #4) Biblical Counseling and its strengths.  We also explained how this model forms two general camps of Biblical Counseling: The Older & The Newer.

Today, in Part 5, we’ll look at “Weaknesses of Biblical Counseling.”  Last time, we described how this model beautifully relies on spiritual resources to understand our world and ourselves, trusting in God to help us through grace.  It’s something we deeply believe in.

Unfortunately, Biblical Counseling is delivered and practiced by humans (like us), which means it also can have some weaknesses and ugly expressions.  In some ways, its capacity for harm is even bigger than other Christian therapies (when done poorly).  Let’s look at some of these.

**These 4 views are masterfully summarized and organized in Tim Keller’s article Four Models of Counseling in Pastoral Ministry (available here).

All four models might be shown in this visual spectrum:

MODEL #4-B:  WEAKNESSES & DANGERS OF BIBLICAL COUNSELING

NOTE:  Biblical counseling is its own spectrum, with many expressions of care.  I’ve known some wonderful Biblical counselors and some counselors that make me nervous.  Many of its counselors acknowledge and seek to avoid the pitfalls listed below.  But these concerns remain and the first step to changing these patterns is to recognize & take responsibility for them. (Reminder: I am an ACB Biblical Counselor).

1) Tone of Superiority.  This model can be known to carry a tone of superiority & judgmentalism, which strongly rejects all other voices that appear to not be directly from the Bible.  Most conferences I have attended on Biblical counseling begin by multiple sessions of sharpening their axe on the counseling field (continuing the tradition of Jay Adams).  In short, these counselors are often known for what they are against, rather than what they are for.  More disturbing is the tone teachers hold in these spiritual environments. I’m often struck at the harsh language, authoritarian style, and outright anger (and its likely effects on those listening). You are a counselor, charged with caring for people and giving them honor?

2) Lack of Gentleness & Compassion.  Related to this, Biblical Counseling also tends to inherently draw counselors who prefer more teaching & exhortation than listening & loving.  In fact, some of them see the work of counseling as teaching (more on this below).  As a result, these ministries are often “more confronting than comforting; they identify behavioral patterns rather than exploring deeper motivational issues and family background patterns.” (Keller, 2014).  

3) Lack of Acknowledgment of (or Training on) Power Dynamics.  I went to Bible school for 4 years.  I also went to Seminary for 3 years.  But I had to go to counseling-school to learn about power dynamics.  How can that be true?  We all hold power in many respects as persons, as counselors, and also as pastors.  This includes power of one’s gender, physical presence, the power of position and credentials, cultural power, institutional power, and more.  These are always present in a counseling room. All power has the potential to bless, or harm others.  Moreover, these dynamics are often unexplored, or unacknowledged, and that’s when we unintentionally manipulate or harm others. **See Pete Scazzero’s wonderful discussion in Chapter 8 of Emotionally Healthy Leadership for more on dimensions of power in spiritual leaders.

When people come to counseling, it means they have come to the point of saying, “I need help, at the risk of someone seeing me.  At the risk of knowing my weaknesses.”  It’s incredibly brave.  These persons are usually in a uniquely vulnerable position.  If that’s ever been you, you know what I’m talking about.  It has been me. As counselors, we are dealing with their most vulnerable & delicate parts. They are depending on us to give compassion, to contain moments with presence and honor, and even be able to help.  What great, wonderful, and terrible power, which often leads to…

4) Ignorance Of Spiritual Power.  Of the dimensions of power, perhaps the greatest is Spiritual Power.  Biblical counselors want the voice of God present in their sessions.  I do too. But this means, in the face of client vulnerabilities, we are most prone to say, “God says _________________.”  When we invoke God’s voice, we take on a power that is greater than ourselves (especially within a system, like Biblical Counseling, that sees God as ultimate and his Word as authoritative).  Consider also, that each client will have their own understandings, past experiences, parental relationships, and fears + hopes… all associated with “God.”  

Are we ready to be the most sensitive with our spiritual power, or the most reckless?  In short, this should cause us more caution and pause, in order to be more careful with others.  However, having God’s Word often leads one to feel even more confident in their counsel (“It’s not my words, it’s GOD’S”), more brave or even obligated to ‘do God’s will’ by taking risks, more convinced of one’s inherent ‘right-ness,’ and more likely to exert pressure in order to ‘will’ someone toward change.  David Johnson wrote a powerful book on this subject, “The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse,” which every pastor or spiritual counselor should read, not because pastors or churches are bad, but because most spiritual abuse happens with good-intentions.

5) A Common Model of “Instruction + Agreement = Change.”   Because Biblical Counseling narrows it’s scope of knowledge (“Scriptures-only”), and seeks a systematic way of understanding persons, evil, and our world—it can be prone to find simplistic explanations for complex issues.  This could be the explanation that someone is suffering from depression due to personal sin, a lack of gratitude, or insufficient faith.  Or, the assumption that if someone would practice obedience through the Scriptures, then they wouldn’t be depressed.  They may view emotions as unimportant or even bad (which is very common), instead of exploring emotional complexity with curiosity. Conversely, our time with clients (and the field of counseling) has taught us: Insight (or agreement) does not equal change. People are complex and made of more than just spiritual, cognitive commitments.

6) When People Don’t Change, Interpretations of ‘Resistance’ or ‘Disobedience’ Abound. Christian counselors (not just Biblical Counselors) are sometimes less likely to accept lack of growth/progress and more prone to believe that the problem isn’t with the instruction or process, but rather with the client.  They wouldn’t define it this way, but often their process is “solution-focused” (as are some other therapies), meaning the space is meant for progress.  There are steps, homework, and goals geared toward change. When this is the case, you can feel it as a client.  You’re supposed to agree with the counselor.  You’re supposed to get better.  So when progress does’t happen, the pressure for change can be unpleasant.  Often, the counseling process ends, because the counselor isn’t sure what to do next.  They ran out of assignments and things to give the client.  And, without saying it, the indirect message is “It didn’t work for you,” or possibly, “You couldn’t do it.”  In these instances, people can leave feeling less understood and more of a failure.

7) The Inability (or Unwillingness) to Really Speak to Anyone but Christians.  Lastly, Biblical Counseling as a model is designed for Christians.  In one sense, that might be a given (“If a process is based on the Bible, you’re probably going to need to believe the Bible for it to work”).  In another sense, it can be very unable to make room for those who are not Christian, still exploring, or of another faith. When I was initially trained as a Biblical counselor, I was taught a system of approaching and understanding persons.  That system said, “If someone is not a Christian, then session #1 goal is ‘Make them a Christian.’  If they don’t become a Christian, you cannot get to session #2.”  It is true that the Scriptures teaches us uniquely who we are, what is wrong, how to be saved, and how to have love, joy, & peace.  In short, it shows us how to change with Jesus.  But why would we discontinue that process if someone isn’t a Christian by session #2?  This version of Biblical counseling, I can confidently say, is very un-like Jesus. 

8) Isolation with No Model of Ongoing Research. It is generally true that Biblical counselors have been unable to converse with the field of psychology (or even Christian counselors).  Due to a historically combative stance as a model, they do not want psychological insights for transformation.  This has led to a high degree of isolation and very little conversation.  As long as this is the case, Biblical counseling will have 1) less input and exploration, 2) less growing body of knowledge and literature for helping people, and 3) a missing model of science or research.

DID WE HIT TOO HARD?

It might be a good time to go back and read our exploration of what we love about Biblical counseling and its amazing strengths.  We actually have a great passion for Biblical counseling (but not these distortions of it)!

A PERSONAL NOTE

Let’s be honest, most people who seek to write a critical piece of someone else’s viewpoint (like Biblical Counseling), do so from a detached view, often depicting false realities with inaccurate assumptions. Unfortunately, each of the weaknesses above is largely from my own story (even my own early practice), many of them coming from the communities that counseled me and the trainings I attended (as a Biblical counselor). Even without these (which clearly represent baggage and biases I now reversely hold), my DVD collection which formed my early “training” showed me how to do excel in these weaknesses. They are real. And I have real love for the men & women within them (though they are mostly populated by men). Again, they do NOT represent the whole of Biblical counseling (nor do I believe they can or will be a part of its future).

SO, WHERE DOES NEW GROUND FIT WITH THESE FOUR VIEWS OF CHRISTIAN COUNSELING?

New Ground sits somewhere between Counseling Psychology and Biblical Counseling.  We love parts of each. We avoid pitfalls of each. In Part 6, we will describe more fully the active practices we use as Christians in counseling, and the two ditches we seek to avoid.