Heath Lambert - The Biblical Counseling Movement after Adams (Foreword by David Powlison)

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The rise of the biblical counseling movement has been one of the most important developments within evangelical Christianityand one of the most promising. In this timely book, Heath Lambert documents both trajectory and theology, offering the most helpful book yet to appear on this movement. I am deeply thankful for the return to the sufficiency of Scripture as the foundation for all true biblical counsel. This book will serve generations to come as a guide to the biblical counseling movement and its significance.

R. Albert Mohler Jr., President, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

Like any significant church movement throughout ecclesiastical history, the biblical counseling movement has been subject to many changes and considerable growth. It has become a worldwide, multicultural agent of change for the church of Jesus Christ. Heath Lambert has written an amazing account of key influences that God, in his perfect sovereignty, has brought about in this movement. This factual account is an important contribution to understanding how and why the biblical counseling movement has had such a profound and lasting impact. It is a must-read for anyone who desires to understand the movement.

John D. Street, Chair, MABC Graduate Program, The Masters College and Seminary

Having been a part of biblical counseling for some twenty-five years, I greatly appreciate and wholeheartedly endorse Dr. Lamberts incredible work. He informs the novice, the veteran, and the critic on how the great heroes of the biblical counseling movement have built upon one another. He shows how an understanding of the movement must proceed from both historical and biblical contexts. And, as he reflects on the past one hundred years of church history, Lambert contributes a clear perspective on present day biblical counseling by demonstrating its strengths and weaknesses. He does this work in a way that leaves readers challenged, more unified, and strengthened in their faith and resolve concerning the sufficiency of the Scriptures.

Stuart W. Scott, Associate Professor of Biblical Counseling, The Southern Baptist Theolgical Seminary; author, The Exemplary Husband and Biblical Manhood

A thoughtful analysis of the development of a growing discipline, Lambert offers a careful assessment of the intriguing history of the biblical counseling movement. He goes to great lengths to help the reader understand the rich heritage of biblical counseling, transitions in its development, and wise recommendations for its future. Definitely an insightful read!

Jeremy Lelek, President, Association of Biblical Counselors

I deeply appreciate the impact Jay Adamss teaching has had on my life, writing, family, and ministry. His emphasis on progressive sanctification, of continually growing and changing as followers of Christ, has been especially meaningful. This volume is a fascinating story of how Jays students, building on his remarkable foundational work, have caused the biblical counseling movement to grow and change for Gods glory. Thanks, Heath!

Randy Patten, President, TEAM Ministries; Director of Training Emeritus, Association of Certified Biblical Counselors

This book is an excellent resource for explaining the history of the biblical counseling movement, including the successes and failures along the way. Lambert presents a great framework for all who want to grow in and advance biblical counseling.

Dennis Lee, Program Manager, Hebron Center Addictions Recovery Program

The Biblical Counseling Movement after Adams
Copyright 2012 by Heath Lambert
Published by Crossway
1300 Crescent Street
Wheaton, Illinois 60187

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher, except as provided for by USA copyright law. Crossway is a registered trademark in the United States of America.

Quotations from Competent to Counsel by Jay E. Adams, used by permission of Zondervan. www.zondervan.com. Copyright 1970 by Jay E. Adams.

Quotations from Christian Counselors Manual, The, by Jay E. Adams, used by permission of Zondervan. www.zondervan.com. Copyright 1973 by Jay E. Adams.

Cover design: Studio Gearbox

First printing 2012

Printed in the United States of America

Scripture quotations are from the ESV Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Trade paperback ISBN: 978-1-4335-2813-2
PDF ISBN: 978-1-4335-2814-9
Mobipocket ISBN: 978-1-4335-2815-6
ePub ISBN: 978-1-4335-2816-3

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Lambert, Heath, 1979
The biblical counseling movement after Adams / Heath Lambert ; foreword by David Powlison.
p. cm.
Originally presented as the authors thesis (Ph.D.).
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-4335-2813-2 (tp)
1. Pastoral counselingHistory. 2. Adams, Jay Edward. I. Title.
BV4012.2.L245 2012
259dc23 2011020714

Crossway is a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

To Jay Adams,

who reawakened generations

to the sufficiency of Scripture, and

to Norman and Belita,

whose kind and gracious care

made this work possible.

The people of God have a huge stake in the issues captured by our word counseling .

What problems impel or compel a person to seek counseling help? The answer is simple, though the problems are complex. Emotions play in darkly minor keys: anxious, embittered, guilty, despairing, ashamed. Actions run in self-destructive ruts of compulsion and addiction. Thoughts proliferate internal chaos, obsessing fruitlessly. Sufferings hammer a person down until the experience seems unspeakable.

But something important often goes unmentioned in mentioning the obvious. Such life-disabling problems are complex intensifications of the utterly ordinary. The human condition intrudes brokenness into everyone and everything. Things go askew inside all of us. We live for good gifts, not the good Giver. Our instincts run to self-serving, even with the best of conscious intentions. We invest life energies in vanities and reap confusion. We addict ourselves to follies and reap pain. Relationships disappoint, and fragment, and alienate, and isolate. Others hurt youand you hurt them. We find ourselves without resources to face suffering and feel crushed and overwhelmed. Young or old, you suffer a cascade of losses, and then, one way or another, you die. We are more like each other than different, when you look below the obvious differences.