Author: Jared Poulton

Does God Command Me to Trust My Spouse?

Does God Command Me to Trust My Spouse?

Posted by | Dec 13, 2024 | |

I had not thought deeply about the issue of trust until one counselee made trust the central condition for remaining committed to the marriage as well as the counseling process. Other words—such as love, grace, mercy, and forgiveness—receive much attention from biblical counselors seeking to understand biblical principles for healthy marriages. But trust? What does the Bible say about trust? And, more importantly, does God command Christians to trust their spouses? Continue Reading →

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Presuppositional Counseling: An Introduction to Van Til’s Influence Upon Jay Adams

Presuppositional Counseling: An Introduction to Van Til’s Influence Upon Jay Adams

Posted by | Aug 2, 2024 | |

As the biblical counseling movement continues to grow, we are seeing attempts to “relabel” biblical counseling in order to clarify (1) the identity of the movement’s counselors and (2) the type of care they offer. In this blog post, Jared Poulton discusses another potential label for biblical counseling: presuppositional counseling. The label “presuppositional counseling” reveals a significant feature of this counseling system that finds its origin in Adams—a desire to analyze counseling ideas and methods according to their presuppositions. This blog post explores how biblical counseling leaders such as Jay Adams, John Bettler, and David Powlison discussed and understood the importance of Cornelius Van Til for the biblical counseling movement. Continue Reading →

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Clarifying Common Grace for Counselors, Part Two

Clarifying Common Grace for Counselors, Part Two

Posted by | Jan 26, 2024 | |

The doctrine of common grace is an important teaching of Scripture with significant ramifications for practical ministry. At the same time, different presentations of common grace can persuade Christians to adopt diverging postures toward non-Christian science and counsel. This two-part blog seeks to contribute to the conversation occurring within biblical counseling concerning common grace by explaining four universally recognized aspects of this important doctrine. This second blog discusses how common grace restrains the effects of sin within humanity and explains how fallen sinners can understand truth and do good. Continue Reading →

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Clarifying Common Grace for Counselors, Part One

Clarifying Common Grace for Counselors, Part One

Posted by | Jan 24, 2024 | |

The doctrine of common grace is an important teaching of Scripture with significant ramifications for practical ministry. At the same time, different presentations of common grace can persuade Christians to adopt diverging postures toward non-Christian science and counsel. This two-part blog seeks to contribute to the conversation occurring within biblical counseling concerning common grace by explaining four universally recognized aspects of this important doctrine. This first blog discusses the significance of referring to common grace as “common” and explores common grace as a universal, non-saving work of the Holy Spirit. Continue Reading →

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Cornelius Van Til: The Godfather of Biblical Counseling

Cornelius Van Til: The Godfather of Biblical Counseling

Posted by | Oct 18, 2023 | |

While biblical counselors have much to learn from church history about the practices of counseling and soul care, the biblical counseling movement itself has a clear historical connection. It is the unconventional yet indisputable reality that the closest theological discipline to the biblical counseling movement is not pastoral ministry, nor psychology, nor counseling, but apologetics, due to the biblical counseling movement’s unlikely godfather, Cornelius Van Til. Continue Reading →

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