Why Contemporary Biblical Counseling is a Lie and Cannot Help Anyone, and What Should be Done About it.
Target Publication 2015
We are in the era of the biblical counselor. The National Association of Nouthetic Counselors (NANC), the Christian Counseling & Education Foundation (CCEF), and the Biblical Counseling Coalition (BBC) comprise the lion’s share of biblical counseling in our day and then some.
These organizations are all tightly associated with each other, and share involvement among directors and board members. The network between these organizations and local churches is massive, and thousands of people are referred to counselors through this network daily. These organizations also offer “training” and curriculum for major seminaries nationwide.
This is a massive network of “biblical” counselors who are wasting the time of troubled people, and doing more harm than good. Why? First, the whole system is based on the lie that they offer people a way to change. By “people,” I mean primarily Christians. One of the more notable figures in the network, Paul David Tripp, wrote a book titled, “How People Change.” A careful reading reveals that the book actually rejects the idea that people change, and instead posits the idea that Christians can only experience the joy of grace in a deeper and deeper way. A deeper and deeper realization of how totally depraved we are leads to a greater and greater appreciation of God’s grace resulting in happiness. Hence, what they are really offering is something that sounds spiritual: “Happiness regardless of your circumstances.”
People come to counseling because they want to change something about their lives; this is assumed, and the biblical counseling machine allows them to believe they share the same agenda, and even state it accordingly. And here is the problem: God will not honor a lie; God will not bless a lie.
Nor will God honor their elitist attitude towards the common parishioner. The contemporary biblical counseling network allows this noble lie because most people are not “ready” for the “truth” that people really don’t change in what they do, but only in how they experience life. Ironically, if they were honest, they would be surprised to find that the “truth” of not changing, but rather feeling good about your depravity would be a much easier sell. But to the contrary, the network couches terminology in nuance to make it sound like change in behavior is the agenda—it’s deliberate deception on a massive scale, and has much to do with funding and the money in general.
Central to this issue is the fact that the network is grounded in the authentic Reformed tradition. The new executive director of NANC, a lackey by the name of Heath Lambert, recently wrote an article about Martin Luther and “all the ways that Luther impacted the church, for all the ways that Luther advanced the Kingdom of Christ, and for all the ways we will commemorate the good work he began.” And:
In particular I am thankful for his influence when it comes to the kind of biblical counseling we stand for at the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors [the new name for NANC]. The very first item listed on the document nailed to the Wittenberg Gate said, “When our Lord and Master, Jesus Christ, said “Repent,” he called for the entire life of believers to be one of repentance.” This has everything to do with biblical counseling.
Right, “he called for the entire life of believers to be one of repentance.” They call this, “deep repentance.” The “entire” life of the believer is about repentance. In the Reformed tradition, the “T” in TULIP also applies to the saints. By living a “lifestyle of repentance” that delves deeper and deeper into our depravity, we continually experience the “joy of our original salvation” in a deeper and deeper way. This is exactly what Luther taught:
Now you ask: What then shall we do? Shall we go our way with indifference because we can do nothing but sin? I would reply: By no means. But, having heard this, fall down and pray for grace and place your hope in Christ in whom is our salvation, life, and resurrection. For this reason we are so instructed-for this reason the law makes us aware of sin so that, having recognized our sin, we may seek and receive grace (THD thesis 16,17).
In Reformed circles, this process is called mortification and vivification. It is a perpetual cycle of repentance and joy. It is expressed in the contemporary mantra, “We must preach the gospel to ourselves every day.” Dr. Michael Horton calls it, “reliving our baptism.” One of the most well-known figures of the biblical counseling network, Dr. David Powlison, sets this counseling against those “who see the cross for salvation and the Holy Spirit for sanctification.” This is counseling that focuses on, “living by the cross.”
As one who has spent almost seven years researching this issue, it is easy to see that the Neo-Reformed movement that is behind the network meticulously follows the Calvin Institutes. The Calvin Institutes articulate Luther’s theology of the cross. This is yet another huge problem. The Calvin Institutes, as well as the Westminster Confession, were designed to fit the church states of that era. This is a representative republic; hence, the kind of control that pastors were able to exercise over people in that day is not possible in our day. Yet, the theology of that day was part and parcel with elements of control.
As a result, many, many churches in the network are cultish. Control was part of the counseling construct in Luther and Calvin’s day, and that is difficult to separate from the theology. It stands to reason that if you are still totally depraved, you need to be controlled. Therefore, when people are referred to network churches for counseling, they are often required to attend church there, or even become members for the purpose of “adding the love of community” to the counseling. This is a strong allure because the counseling is often “free,” or by a love offering determined by the counselee. However, once a counselee signs a church membership covenant, they have relinquished significant personal autonomy to local church elders. The average American parishioner is woefully inept in understanding the Reformed tradition enough to join them in a covenant, and on this wise as well, the network is deliberately deceptive.
For example, few would sign up if they knew Reformed pastors believe they have the authority to proclaim someone unsaved. This is Calvin’s power of the keys—whatever a pastor binds on earth, heaven will bind it as well according to their word. In other words, the pastor has the authority to have your name removed from the book of life. Furthermore, counseling is seen as part of the church discipline process, so the second a counselee signs on the dotted line, they are officially under church discipline as well. Counseling is seen as “unresolved sin issues” and therefore under the auspices of church discipline. You said you needed counseling, no? You are under the “first step” of church discipline when you enter counseling. The steps can progress toward excommunication if the counseling doesn’t go well. This reality has caused enough conflict to incite the founding of mediation organizations like Peacemaker Ministries. These are damage control organizations heavily vested in the biblical counseling network.
These are just a few issues at hand, but all in all, what should be done about this problem? Answer: in regard to the Reformed tradition and the contemporary biblical counseling movement; true education, true education, true education, true education, and true education. I believe that a genuine understanding of biblical counseling history (and not the usual propaganda spewed out by the network) will lead parishioners to solid answers.
Meanwhile, I would seize on God’s promise to give you wisdom in the midst of a trial. I would also go into all counseling with eyes wide open. Find out who they are, who they are affiliated with, and be careful what you sign. This is the information age—research the ideology behind the counseling construct you are considering. In cases of severe depression, general practitioners often take a good commonsense approach to the problem. I would also read materials written by Dr. Jay Adams that pertain to your particular problem.
The last thing you need right now is medieval superstition. Trust me, there is a reason for the undertaker-like demeanor of Dr. David Powlison.
paul
Albert Mohler, Nelson Mandela, and the Crusade for a New Calvinist Host
I have to think long and hard these days for something that annoys me more than Albert Mohler. His presidency at Southern Seminary is a boondoggle rivaled only by the election of Barak Obama, who is, by the way, advocated by Mohler. As the world was blessed with another week, Mohler failed not to mark his territory with an article about the passing of Nelson Mandela lest the world not know his opinion about it. Hence, the Louisville Kool-Aid drinkers who wait with bated breath for his unctions from on high are now apprised.
The article compared Nelson Mandela to George Washington. Ok, the buffoonery of that theses aside, why does Mohler meddle in this stuff? What makes the president of Southern Seminary a political player? For crying out loud, why does Mohler, Piper et al weigh in on every political tryst that comes down the pike? Why did a lot of these guys vote for Barak Obama? Answer: Calvinist history predicated by Calvinist need.
As you know, New Calvinism is the latest resurgence of authentic Reformed doctrine. Historically, authentic Calvinism dies a social death and experiences periodic resurgences in 100-year cycles. New Calvinism is the fifth resurgence since Calvin’s Geneva. Volume 2 of TTANC will document the history of these cycles and the reasons for them.
Protestantism is predicated on passive sanctification/Christian living. Therefore, in an attempt to stop the death spiral Protestantism finds itself in from time to time because it is a light form of its original lager recipe, it attempts to go back to the original recipe for a solution. The only solution in history since the Reformation that offered aggressive sanctification as a solution was the biblical counseling movement founded by Dr. Jay Adams. However, his movement was spawned in the same year that New Calvinism was born (1970), and a war ensued accordingly.
The true biblical counseling movement and its aggressive sanctification lost the war. I witnessed the movement and was involved in it firsthand when it really started
Target Publication 2015
making a radical difference in Christianity circa 1990. New Calvinism (then known as Sonship Theology), infiltrated the true biblical counseling movement through Westminster Seminary and effectively destroyed it by 2006. The high priest of this inquisition was Dr. David Powlison who was a mentoree of the father of Sonship Theology, Dr. John “Jack” Miller. I therefore assume that Powlison will one day receive his just reward for snuffing out one of the most significant revivals in church history.
There are six reasons authentic Calvinism dies:
1. Protestantism was founded on the ancient ideology of spiritual caste. As a result, the Reformation gospel integrated Neo-Platonism with the Bible and offered not just a different gospel, but an entirely different way to interpret reality. Luther, taking his cue from St. Augustine, made the cross the sum of epistemology in and of itself. Many didn’t understand this and still don’t.
In other words, the Reformers interpreted reality through a redemptive prism, while the natural tendency is to interpret reality grammatically. The former believes that creation is a narrative that points to nothing but redemption; the latter doesn’t reject the idea that redemption is referred to in some way, but also believes other things are going on, and the plain sense of words are the key to understanding reality. The redemptive view of reality relies heavily on allegory because it demands a redemptive outcome.
The Reformers actually believed, as many do today, that a grammatical interpretation of reality is synonymous with works salvation and the glory of man. This was Luther’s epistemology. New Calvinists such as Paul David Tripp and Rick Holland have said that a literal, exegetical approach to Scripture separates us from the saving works of Christ (Tripp), and makes bad theology (Holland). Salvation is therefore married to redemptive eisegesis.
Hence, as time progressed, redemptive Protestants grew fewer, and grammatical Protestants increased in number. Remember, at issue is the very interpretation of reality itself. This has resulted in the present-day reality of redemptive Calvinists and grammatical Calvinists; ie., “Old Calvinists” and “New Calvinists.” Both claim Calvin, the former unwittingly. Therefore, in the midst of these resurgences, you have Calvinists fighting Calvinists. Examples of this are ample in church history and will be detailed in TTANC2. Along with every resurgence is an antinomian controversy between Calvinists.
The first point here is that authentic Calvinism dies a social death because its contra intuitive interpretation of reality is a natural anomaly. As it dies, it is replaced with the weaker form that came from it, and a need for solutions once again arise, and the original once again presents itself as the solution: “See, we have gotten away from our roots. That’s the problem.”
2. The original calls for a perpetual revisiting of the same gospel that saved us. This simply becomes boring and people lose interest. Susan and I have recently visited New Calvinist churches that were on fire in the early 80s. They are now deader than dead. Imagine our teenage son pointing this out without any cue from Susan and me at all.
3. The doctrine does not produce spiritual growth which results in a plethora of negative issues that arise from spiritual immaturity. See Hebrews 5:11-6:8. Infants in adult bodies will eventually devour each other.
4. The spiritual tyranny that is ALWAYS part and parcel with this doctrine. Remember, it is basically a spiritual cast system that puts a high premium on control.
5. God’s people eventually figure out that it is a false doctrine.
6. Ultimately, it needs to survive by getting in bed with the government as a way to enforce its orthodoxy. If this doesn’t happen, reasons 1-5 result in its death. Everyone agrees that the Enlightenment era destroyed authentic Reformed orthodoxy because it severed church and state—first in America, and then Europe followed. When this happened, it resulted in the proliferation of cults because government force had to be replaced with various forms of manipulation and mind control.
And this is why New Calvinists such as Albert Mohler are so politically minded. Authentic Calvinism has always been a parasite that will ultimately die unless it finds a government host. Be sure of it: this is what happened to the colonial Puritans, they were kept out of the American political process when they attempted to use the American Constitution to enforce their orthodoxy. This resulted in the death of American Puritanism. Before the American Revolution, the Colonies were Puritan theocracies.
Mohler et al knows their movement will eventually die unless they can use the government to enforce it, and this is behind their liberal political leanings. It takes a collectivist government to enforce a collectivist religion. They know this; hence, “No Government is perfect.” This is why Mohler thinks that “one man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter.” This is why Mohler thinks the differences between Washington and Mandela are “ironic” despite the fact that Mandela was a communist.
Frankly, I believe that this is why John Piper retired from the pastorate and made a video in Geneva that announced his future vision. New Calvinists will continue to become more and more involved in the political realm. There is an agenda to get in bed with the state in order to enforce their faith. If they don’t, history will repeat itself—they know this. They will go the way of the colonial Puritans.
This is just simply history. Calvinists will do what Calvinists have always done. Sure, grammatical Calvinists may deny this historic agenda because they don’t get it, but the authentic Calvinists do get it…
It’s about the collectivist parasite feeding from the host of individualism.
paul
Paul's Passing Thoughts 
3 comments