What about casting out demons?

A timely topic for Biblical counselors and Xians in general, Casting Out Demons.

Still plugging away...

...on my NANC Theology exam. I would appreciate your prayers!


Bibliology
1. The Bible is spoken of as “inspired.” What does this mean? Finalized
2. What is the relationship between infallibility and authority? Finalized
3. What is the Bible’s authority on theological controversies? Finalized
4. Compare and contrast the Bible and its authority to general revelation and its authority. Finalized
5. Many Christians today speak of continuing revelation. Relate this concept to inspiration and sufficiency of the Scripture. Relate this concept to the issue of miracles, prophecy and tongues. Editing


Theology Proper
1. State briefly the biblical basis for, and formulate the doctrine of, the Trinity. Editing
2. List and develop five attributes of God and how they relate to the believer’s life and counseling. Editing
3. State briefly the biblical basis for, and formulate the doctrine of, God’s omniscience. Relate this doctrine to the teaching of “open theism.” Editing


Anthropology
1. Who and what is man? Editing
2. What role does anthropology play in counseling theory and practice? Editing


Christology
1. Why did Christ die? Editing
2. He was “tempted in all things as we are” (Heb. 4:15). Discuss and relate to counseling theory and practice. Editing


Soteriology
1. “Justification by faith alone.” Discuss the meaning of this phrase. Editing
2. Sanctification is said to be past, present, and future. Discuss, including the idea of “union with Christ.” Editing
3. Do Christians persevere? What relationship does this have to counseling? Editing


Pneumatology
1. Who or what is the Holy Spirit? Editing
2. What role does this Spirit play in the believer’s life and the counseling process? Editing
3. Does the Holy Spirit guide Christians? If so, what means and methods does He use?Composing


Ecclesiology
1. What is the church?
2. What role does the church play in the believer’s life and the counseling process?
3. What is the biblical teaching on women being ordained as officers of the church?
4. What authority, if any, does the church have over individuals and the counseling process?


General Questions
1. Are you involved in a larger group, organization, or denomination, which disagrees with NANC’s Statement of Faith? If so, how do you differ from your larger group? Explain what you are doing to influence your group towards NANC’s position. Finalized
2. If received as a NANC member, can you unequivocally sign the membership covenant? Finalized

Jesus didn't need Freud...

...and neither do we.

Where were Christians before Freud? Up a tree? Were they bereft of all crucial knowledge about man's relationship to God and his neighbor? Was the church's counseling a hopeless, primitive, stone-age activity that should have disappeared with flint knives? Were Christians shut up to sinful, harmful living before the advent of psychotherapy? Did God withhold truth for living until our present age?

Or did men like Paul, Peter, Augustine, Luther, Calvin, Spurgeon and many others have something worthwhile to say to their converts and parishioners about how to live in a sinful world and about how to solve problems? Isn't the answer apparent?

Drop the question in that form for a moment if it's too hot to handle, and consider this (even hotter) one: How did Jesus Christ become the perfect Counselor that the Scriptures report Him to be apart from the "insights" of clinical psychology and psychiatry that we are now assured by unbelievers (and many Christians who follow them) are essential to effective counseling?...

"More Than Redemption: A Theology of Christian Counseling", Jay E. Adams

I'm Going to be a Little Busy ~ Theology Exam for NANC Certification

Just wanted you to know that my posting is likely to become even MORE sporadic as I attempt to devote more time to completing my NANC Certification exams.

I've listed the Theology exam questions below and noted where I stand on that question--composing, editing, finialized, etc. There's also a Counseling exam that I've been picking away at, but I have by far made the most progress on the Theology exam.

I would appreciate your prayers!


Bibliology
1. The Bible is spoken of as “inspired.” What does this mean? Editing
2. What is the relationship between infallibility and authority? Editing
3. What is the Bible’s authority on theological controversies? Editing
4. Compare and contrast the Bible and its authority to general revelation and its authority. Editing
5. Many Christians today speak of continuing revelation. Relate this concept to inspiration and sufficiency of the Scripture. Relate this concept to the issue of miracles, prophecy and tongues. Composing


Theology Proper
1. State briefly the biblical basis for, and formulate the doctrine of, the Trinity. Composing
2. List and develop five attributes of God and how they relate to the believer’s life and counseling.
3. State briefly the biblical basis for, and formulate the doctrine of, God’s omniscience. Relate this doctrine to the teaching of “open theism.”


Anthropology
1. Who and what is man? Composing
2. What role does anthropology play in counseling theory and practice? Composing


Christology
1. Why did Christ die? Composing
2. He was “tempted in all things as we are” (Heb. 4:15). Discuss and relate to counseling theory and practice. Composing


Soteriology
1. “Justification by faith alone.” Discuss the meaning of this phrase. Composing 2. Sanctification is said to be past, present, and future. Discuss, including the idea of “union with Christ.” Composing
3. Do Christians persevere? What relationship does this have to counseling?


Pneumatology
1. Who or what is the Holy Spirit?
2. What role does this Spirit play in the believer’s life and the counseling process?
3. Does the Holy Spirit guide Christians? If so, what means and methods does He use?


Ecclesiology
1. What is the church?
2. What role does the church play in the believer’s life and the counseling process?
3. What is the biblical teaching on women being ordained as officers of the church?
4. What authority, if any, does the church have over individuals and the counseling process?


General Questions
1. Are you involved in a larger group, organization, or denomination, which disagrees with NANC’s Statement of Faith? If so, how do you differ from your larger group? Explain what you are doing to influence your group towards NANC’s position. Editing
2. If received as a NANC member, can you unequivocally sign the membership covenant? Editing

Because I'm "worth" it!

The only thing I like more than good books, is great deals on good books! So, many of my/our books come from used bookstores, thrift stores, etc. But, there's a down-side to buying used books, and that would be the comments written in the margins by previous owners!

Take for example my discovery tonight. I was reading a $2.99 copy of 'The Biblical View of Self-Esteem, Self-Love, Self-Image' by Jay Adams. I was merely scanning through the pages as I stood in my husband's study when I noticed a handwritten note in the margin. I first noticed that the writing clearly wasn't mine or my husband's, but the poor theology spoke MUCH louder! Here's what I found written by a previous owner in the chapter titled, "Of Infinite Worth?",

'Would God have let Jesus die if we weren't of worth to Him?'

This line of thinking is common in today's psychologized church--it's not just the L'Oreal cosmetics commercials that teach this man-centered thinking!

I interrupted my husband's studying long enough to read the comment to him, and told him that I'd take care of the necessary "cleaning up". Fortunately, there aren't a lot of comments written in this particular book, but what is there is consistent with the "I'm worth it" thinking of many Xians today.

Thus Saith...

Paul Tripp in "Instruments in the Redeemer's Hands ~ People in Need of Change Helping People in Need of Change"

"We are more impressed with our righteousness than we are horrified at our sin."

To which I say, "Ouch".

2007 NANC Conference ~ a brief overview (finally!)

As I mentioned earlier, we attended the 2007 Annual NANC Conference recently. This was our second NANC conference to attend and it was time well spent!

The general session speakers and their topics were:

Jay Adams - "What is the Christian Life?"
Mark Dever - "Loving Christ Above All Else"
Randy Patten - "What is True Biblical Change?"
Paul Tripp - "The Gospel for Believers"
Steve Viars - "Reaching for the Heart in Counseling"
David Powlison - "Where Do We Go From Here?"

In addition to enjoying and learning much from the general session speakers, we also had the pleasure of selecting five different workshops from a list of well over 50 possible workshops! So, to maximize my/our benefits I tried to select workshops that no one else from our church (eight of us) planned to attend. Here are the workshops I attended:

Martha Peace - "Counseling Tips: Getting to the Heart of the Matter in a Timely Way"
Bill Moore - "Identifying the Counselee's Problem from a Biblical Perspective"
Dr. Robert Jones - "Making Our Counseling More Christ-Centered"
Ron Allchin - "Counseling Teens From Proverbs"
Dr. Laura Hendrickson - "The Autism Spectrum"

If you aren't familiar with some or any of these people, I highly recommend you follow the links provided and get to know them!

I hope to elaborate on some of the general sessions and workshops, but to be honest, I don't know when!! I have set a "loose" goal of earning my NANC certification this coming year, so that will occupy much of my "blogging time"!!

Thus saith...

Jay E. Adams ~

"Those who grasp at something less than the gospel to solve life's problems soon find that they have hold of a straw; frequently their disappointment is bitter."

Therapy God's Way - How should we approach personal "devotions"?

One of the basic disciplines of the Xian life is setting aside time and giving attention to personal "devotions". For many Xians there are countless joys and blessings to be had in spending time in God's word. However, for many Xians there are a variety of pitfalls to be avoided and/or corrected.

I've linked an article below in which the author points out that one of the pitfalls is that of approaching personal devotions with, "a mixture of legalism, Keswick experience, a reading of any portion of scripture...and just plain hope that something will spring off the pages to make them spiritual".

Another pitfall for some is entering into personal devotions in order to "get something fresh (seemingly from God) even though it may have nothing to do with what the Holy Spirit intended the passage to say." And still others seek "an experience with God that imparts a spiritual zap, lift or power that drives away the problems for that day. It makes no difference whether or not the believer now knows God or himself or how to handle life more Biblically or not."

I don't know about you, but I recognize some of these approaches at one time or another in my Xian life--and recall how dry they left me after a very short time. I think the author definitely hit the mark in his closing comments when he wrote, "I am in such desperate need of God's truth that every time I go to the Bible I must always hear, read, study, memorize or meditate looking to know Him, praise and thank Him, or honor and obey Him".

You can read the article HERE.

The "Therapist" in us all

For sometime now, my husband has been preaching through Psalm 119--he is an Elder at our church so is frequently called upon to teach/preach as the need/opportunity arises.

Recently he expounded verses 49-56 and opened with the following observations and challenge,

"You probably didn't realize it, but you are a full-time counselor. Don't believe me? When you men pass that arrogant co-worker in the hall at work and think, "Boy, I hate that guy!", you just counseled yourself. When you wives and moms think "I do everything around here and nobody appreciates me!", you just counseled yourself. When you wake up and your pain is still there and you think, "Why me? Why hasn't God taken this affliction away yet? Others don't suffer as much as I do", you just counseled yourself.

So you see, you're pretty active at it. You do it constantly. Now, you'll notice that I didn't say that you were necessarily doing Biblical counseling! But the Bible has a lot to say about what you say to yourself. It also has a lot to say about how you ought to be counseling yourself.

Is there any hope for you as a self-counseler? Can you learn Biblical Self-Counseling? "Yes!"

In Psalm 119, the writer lets us peek inside his thought-life--particularly the things that he says directly to God, as he wrestles with life's difficulties. He draws upon God's word as his source of Godly counsel and has lofty praise for it.

In this section of Psalm 119, the writer shows us how he counsels himself using God's word. He is suffering at the hands of wicked men, but God has help for him in Scripture. This man teaches us how to draw out that help and put it to use. He can help us replace the un-biblical counsel we typically give ourselves..."

I bet it won't surprise you when I say this sort of Biblical "self-counsel" is rooted in knowing God as He has revealed Himself in His Word, which of course results in the theology we embrace and "practice".

So, with this post I inaugurate yet another "series" I hope to present weekly (Wednesdays) for your pleasure and edification--and for my further sanctification in disciplining myself to such an ambitious goal! Pray for me, please! :-)