Book Review Blurb: Counseling the Hard Cases

The Tuesday feature of the Worldly Saints is all about reading. The post is meant to share some of my reflections from the latest book or magazine article or blog post I have or am reading. At times, I may post a book blurb (a wannabe book review) or recommend books to be read by others.

If you want a book that illustrates the practicality of the sufficiency of Scripture, I have a recommendation for you: Counseling the Hard Cases: True stories Illustrating the Sufficiency of God’s Resources in Scripture, edited by Stuart Scott and Heath Lambert.

A foundational commitment to biblical counseling is the truth that the Scripture is sufficient. The Bible’s sufficiency refers to Scripture having everything we need for life and godliness. It means there is no other resource that needs to be consulted for someone to advance in their spiritual life. Keven DeYoung writes,

“God has given us all we need for life and godliness; Scripture is enough to make us wise for salvation and holy unto the Lord. If we learn to read the Bible down (into our hearts), across (the plot line of Scripture), out (to the end of the story), and up (to the glory of God in the face of Christ), we still find that every bit of the Bible is profitable for us. To affirm the sufficiency of     Scripture is not to suggest that the Bible tells us everything we want to know about everything, but it does tell us everything we need to know what matters most. Scripture does not give exhaustive information on every subject, but in every subject on which it speaks, it says only what is true. And in its truth we have enough knowledge to turn from sin, find a Savior, make good decisions, please God, and get to the root of our deepest problems.”

Well, this book illustrates that truth about God’s Word as it relates to biblical counseling.

The types of “hard cases” are real people with real problems, and each chapter is contributed by a different pastor, professor or counselor. The “cases” dealt with in this book with Scripture are as follows:

• Sexual abuse (written by Laura Hendrickson)

• Obsessive-compulsive disorder (written by Steve Viars)

• Postpartum depression (written by Heath Lambert)

• Fear (written by Dan Wickert)

• Anorexia (written by Martha Peace)

• Bipolar disorder (written by Garrett Higbee)

• Dissociative identity disorder (written by Stuart Scott)

• Homosexuality (written by Kevin Carson)

• Addictions (written by Robert D. Jones)

• Adultery (written by Robert D. Jones)

An additional chapter is written by Heath Lambert on Scripture’s sufficiency and how it relates to the biblical counseling movement.

If you are a pastor looking for encouragement in your own counseling and wisdom in the “hard cases,” this book is for you. If you are a Christian looking to pursue counseling education or certification, this book will encourage you that biblical counseling works. If you are a counselee looking for hope on your situation, this book will help.

Taking God at His Word, pgs. 54-55