Want to change lives? Do you have a heart to help the hurting? Then this book is for you!
What’s also amazing, I have the honor of giving Christ-Centered Biblical Counseling: Changing Lives with God’s Changeless Truth to one my readers. Published by Harvest House, this hard-cover treasure helps you lead struggling folks to the hope and strength available only is Christ. I highly recommend it to biblical counselors, Christian counselors, and women (and men) who help the hurting.
Yes, another. . .
Book Giveaway!
To enter the giveaway for this book, leave a sentence or two in comments, saying why you want it. Also I kindly request that you: 1) subscribe to this blog (if you haven’t already) and 2) sign up for my Cup of Joy e-newsletter.
I’ll select a winner later this week and announce the name on Friday.
Isn’t it awesome that pastors James MacDonald, Bob Kellemen, and Steve Viars, along with 37 additional biblical counseling leaders, collaborated to write Christ-Centered Biblical Counseling: Changing Lives with God’s Changeless Truth?
They wrote it to to equip God’s people to understand how to speak the truth in love, and to increase people’s confidence in the richness and relevancy of God’s Word to address real-life issues.
Interview with Bob Kellemen
Bob, thanks for joining us. Please tell my readers what Christ-Centered Biblical Counseling all about?
BK: “The purpose of Christ-Centered Biblical Counseling is to equip God’s people to understand how to change lives with Christ’s changeless truth. The goal of the book is to increase people’s confidence in the richness and relevancy of God’s Word to address real-life issues. Just as there is currently an encouraging return to gospel-centered preaching, Christ-Centered Biblical Counseling seeks to be a catalyst for the return of God’s people to gospel-centered one-another ministry.”
The roster of authors is quite remarkable. How did you go about selecting the chapter authors?
BK: “You’re right; we are thrilled with the forty men and women who contributed to the book. We were looking for leaders in biblical counseling who had solid theological backgrounds combined with years of practical experience in ministering God’s Word to hurting people.”
Who are these readers you envision benefiting from Christ-Centered Biblical Counseling?
BK: “Picture a committed Christian sitting at Starbucks with her best friend and fellow church member. Her friend has finally opened up to her about the fear and anxiety she experiences daily. We’ve written Christ-Centered Biblical Counseling to help this committed Christian and thousands like her to know how to lovingly and carefully relate God’s Word to struggles like fear and worry.
Picture a pastor in his office with a couple who have already seen the divorce attorney. The pastor is secretly thinking, ‘They taught me how to preach in seminary, but not how to help a struggling couple to change.’ We’ve written Christ-Centered Biblical Counseling for this pastor and thousands like him.
Picture a Bible college or seminary student in his only course in pastoral counseling. He’s thinking, ‘I’m confident in God’s Word, but how do I grow in my competence in using God’s Word?’ We’ve written Christ-Centered Biblical Counseling to help this student and thousands more to understand a biblical theology and methodology for helping hurting people to find hope and victory in Christ.
Picture the Christian counselor who loves the Lord and His Word, but wants to know how to use God’s Word confidently and competently in counseling rather than relying on psychological resources. We’ve written Christ-Centered Biblical Counseling to help this counselor and thousands of others to appreciate the richness and robustness of the Scriptures and to learn how to use God’s Word relevantly, relationally, and powerfully in counseling.”
So, when the committed Christian, the pastor, the student, or the counselor picks up Christ-Centered Biblical Counseling, what do they find?
BK: “We chose each chapter author according to his or her specialty and we asked the authors to picture the committed Christian, the pastor, the student, and the counselor during the writing process. They then focused their chapter on applying truth to life by blending theological wisdom and practical expertise.
For example, John Piper and Jack Delk write about the goal of counseling—which is the glory of God. This foundational purpose provides a fundamental mindset shift for anyone offering one-another ministry. Ernie Baker and Jonathan Holmes explore the power of the Redeemer—helping readers to understand that change is not through a program or a philosophy but through a person, the Person—Jesus Christ. Jeff Forrey examines a biblical understanding and treatment of emotions, while Laura Hendricksen probes the complex mind/body connection and its impact on counseling and Christian living.”
As you think about this book on counseling compared to other books, what will readers receive that is unique?
BK: “First, there are many excellent books available on biblical counseling. In fact, the Biblical Counseling Coalition loves highlighting those book at our Book Review site. That said, we’re seeking to address some unique goals through Christ-Centered Biblical Counseling. We want readers to:
- Receive a robust, loving, best-practice guide not only for why our authors love biblical counseling, but why the reader should embrace biblical counseling.
- Be encouraged to trust God’s Word to provide rich insight for living in the midst of even the most difficult times of suffering and relational conflict and the most distressing battles against besetting sins.
We designed the book to:
- Refute the stereotype that biblical counseling is harsh (unloving) and simplistic (unrealistic in the real world). We pray that it will become the remedy to the insufficient ‘take-two-verses-and-call-me-in-the-morning’ method and the antidote to a ‘one-verse-one-problem-one-solution’ approach to people helping.
- Challenge the teaching that we need Christ plus something else, that the Bible is an insufficient guide to effective relational living and to encourage readers to use God’s Word in their church and para-church ministries as people helpers.”
What are others saying about Christ-Centered Biblical Counseling?
BK: “We’ve been encourage by the endorsements by a wide cross-section of leaders. For example, Nancy Leigh DeMoss shares: ‘Those of us who are seeking to help needy, hurting people find hope in Christ, owe a great debt of gratitude to those who contributed to this rich resource. It will make us more biblically grounded in our counsel and inspire us to believe that He really can transform lives!’
And Pastor Matt Chandler has this to say about the book: ‘Christ-centered Biblical Counseling is a much needed resource that will set a frame of reference for your existing biblical counseling ministry or deepen a paradigm that might already exist in your church. It is vital that the church take seriously the call to disciple their own through Christ-centered counsel.’”
Bob, how can readers learn more about the book?
BK: “At the Biblical Counseling Coalition we’ve created a Christ-Centered Biblical Counseling tab here . To order, readers can visit the BCC Bookstore.”
About the Biblical Counseling Coalition
The Biblical Counseling Coalition exists to strengthen churches, para-church organizations, and educational institutions by promoting excellence and unity in biblical counseling as a means to accomplish compassionate outreach and effective discipleship.
Its mission is to foster collaborative relationships and to provide robust, relevant biblical resources that equip the Body of Christ to change lives with Christ’s changeless truth. BCC pursues this purpose by organizing our thinking around one central question: “What does it mean to counsel in the grace and truth of Christ?”
All that we do flows from our calling to equip people to love God and others in Christ-centered ways.
BCC’s passion: Promote Personal Change Centered on the Person of Christ Through the Personal Ministry of the Word.
Blessings and Hope!
