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RCCGNA SEMINARY
COUNSELING INSTITUTE - Introductions

AN introduction TO
CHRISTIAN COUNSELING
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RCCGNA SEMINARY
COUNSELING INSTITUTE - Introductions

Centuries ago, the major responsibility for

counseling rested with priests and theologians, but
gradually this moved into the area of medicine and later
into the fields of psychiatry, psychology and the social
services, and was kept outside the realm of the Church.
THE rise AND development OF COUNSELING

Following the rise of modern science, man began to try to find explanations for
himself and the world around him through scientific investigation, and this
brought about the intellectual climate out of which came psychology - the study
of human experience and behavior.

By the first half of this century, counseling became more and more identified as a
specialized discipline, set apart from the Church and assumed by professionals
to be out of the range of pastors and clergymen.

This professional approach to counseling, which put the counseling of in-depth

problems outside the range of ministers and clergymen, was partly due to the
influence of Freud, who believed that psychotherapy was as skillful a task as and
thus not something to be attempted by the untrained Ministers and clergymen
were free to enroll in his training program, but he made no secret of the
face that, in his opinion, religious people had neurotic hang-ups which could
interfere with their counseling effectiveness (The Future of an Illusion:
Freud, 1927).

In recent years, studies and experience have shown that counseling can be
undertaken equally as effectively by laymen. Organizations have e m e r g e d , s u c h
a s t h e Samaritans, Relate, Alcoholics Anonymous and Gambler A n o n y m o u s .
The Church is also beginning to recognize that it has an important role to play in
the counseling field.

Developing skills and understanding in a Biblical approach to counseling will

enable Christians to appreciate the causes and symptoms of abnormal behavior and
help them to understand human nature in the light of God's Word. A basic
appreciation of psychological principles will increase their understanding of
human personality and the world around them, and show them how to use God's
Word more effectively in resolving human difficulties.
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RCCGNA SEMINARY
COUNSELING INSTITUTE - Introductions

agree disagree STATEMENTS AGREE DISAGREE

1. .Counseling is confronting people with the error of their ways

and pointing out to them where they are wrong.
2. Depression is a sin

3. Every Christian should be able to counsel.

4. Once a person becomes a Christian, then he should have no more

emotional problems.
5. Mental illness is caused by a person having engaged in some sort
of sin.
6. The Bible is our only legitimate source of information about
counseling.
7. Since God gives different gifts to His people, some Christians
ought not to be involved in counseling serious problems.
8. If a person’s emotional life is stable, his spiritual life will be
stable.
9. Giving advice is poor counseling procedure.

10. People can be healed of emotional problems by prayer and Bible

reading without the necessity of a session of a counselor
11. The concept of ‘praising God for everything teaches us to deny
and suppress, true honest feelings.
12. Giving people Bible texts as ‘prescriptions’ for their difficulties is
the best form of counseling.
13. Things that have happened in our past have no relation to the
way we behave at present.
14. Psychology and Christianity are incompatible.
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RCCGNA SEMINARY
COUNSELING INSTITUTE - Introductions

CHRISTIAN COUNSELLING

The term 'Christian Counseling; is open to

many different interpretations, and thus it
becomes imperative to develop a Biblical
definition.
This Course of Study is concerned with looking at the whole subject of counseling
and helping people from a Scriptural perspective.

Christian counseling is:

I desire to know about counseling because:

I expect that this class will:

My Scriptures is:

My goal for this study process is

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RCCGNA SEMINARY
COUNSELING INSTITUTE - Introductions
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RCCGNA SEMINARY
COUNSELING INSTITUTE - Introductions

O ut of the 'Counseling Explosion' have emerged six major stances in

relation to helping people with their problems:

1. THE anti-Christian COUNSELOR

This is the person who has no time for religion or the Bible and will, if given the
opportunity, seek to ridicule and tear down a person’s faith in God.

2. THE non-Christian COUNSELOR

This person is not a Christian, but holds no brief against Christianity, and does not
attempt to scoff or prevent others from enjoying a positive Christian experience.

3. THE Christianized COUNSELOR

This is a person who, although inclined towards Christian teaching, has no definite
experience of conversion and uses Bible language to clarify many of his therapeutic
principles.

4. THE secular COUNSELLOR WHO IS A Christian

This is the professional Christian counselor who does not integrate his Christian faith
with his psychology.

5. THE Christian COUNSELLOR

This is a true Christian with a definite experience of conversion, whose basic aim is to
draw others toward spirituality, maturity, and bases his approach on Scripture alone.

6. THE integrated Christian COUNSELLOR

This is a Christian psychologist or psychiatrist who seeks to include the best
principles of psychology with those of Scripture, and attempts to help people toward
better mental health by an understanding of both.
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RCCGNA SEMINARY
COUNSELING INSTITUTE - Introductions