When I was in seminary in the early 80s (1980s, not 1880s), open warfare broke out over competing counseling models. During these debates, I was struck by the fact that no one was using church history as a guide to assess modern church counseling approaches. I kept thinking:
“Surely the church has always been about the business of helping hurting and hardened people!”
So, I started reading everything I could find (this was before Google and Amazon) on the history of soul care. For the past 40 years—that’s a whole generation—I’ve continued that study.
Sure enough, I have been able to learn a great deal about what makes biblical counseling truly biblical and what makes Christian counseling truly Christian by learning from that great cloud of historical witnesses—Christians who have been counseling one another for the past 2,000 years.
The Fruit of My Treasure Hunt
It’s been a joyful treasure hunt to learn from brothers and sisters in the faith who have gone before us. My historical treasure hunt has led to:
A course on The History of Soul Care that I’ve taught over two dozen times in seminary settings. The book Counseling Under the Cross: How Martin Luther
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