Biblical Approaches to Pastoral Counseling

What role should the Bible play in pastoral counseling? Donald Capps here explores the use of the Bible in counseling and shows how the methods and objectives of counseling can be defined and shaped by three biblical forms: psalms, proverbs, and parables. Applying these forms, Capps demonstrates how the Bible can influence the three major types of pastoral counseling -- grief, premarital, and marriage. He examines the capacity of these forms to comfort, to instruct, and to diagnose problems. He explains how through psalms feelings can be vented, through proverbs moral learning can take place, and through parables new understandings of experience can occur. With actual case study examples and practical suggestions, this refreshingly perceptive book offers positive steps for furthering dialogue between biblical scholarship and pastoral counseling.