Author: Jared Poulton

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

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

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

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

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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Book Review of Do You Believe? by Paul David Tripp

After publishing many Christian best-selling books, his latest project is his biggest endeavor to date, a theology book titled Do You Believe? 12 Historic Doctrines to Change Your Everyday Life. In this book, Tripp seeks to address that gap between faith and practice by asking readers this question, do you truly believe the doctrines you confess? This work—between the size of a systematic theology and your average Christian living book—walks through twelve crucial doctrines for the Christian life. Continue Reading →

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