. Introduction and Summary
The ceiling of the sanctuary of my local church is very high. It is so elevated until a balcony was created to alleviate crowding in the auditorium below. There are times in which a bird somehow enters the sanctuary and when that happens, you can hear voices saying get it out of here. However this task is not an easy thing to do. Try catching a bird that fly up into a ceiling elevated enough to provide a balcony. This task no matter how urgent by some is easier said than done. It is from a similar backdrop as this that the authors of the text “How to think theologically” felt motivated to write a third edition of this text. Authors Howard W. Stone and James O. Duke observed that “seminary professors
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That concept may have been that to think theologically one would need to be in a seminary, seminary professor or theologian rather than the average Sunday school teacher or Christian in ones local church. In response to this concept they write “Not me, you may say, I believe what I’ve been taught, but I am not equipped for theological thinking. Maybe, I’m not even very interested in it-to me theology is a subject for academic, philosopher’s professor, PH.D.s…when Christians are baptized they enter into a ministry…Their calling makes them witnesses of faith, and hence theologians as well.” The main message of the text which is stated repeatedly to show its importance is that all Christians are theologians. The definition give for theology is “a seeking after understanding or faith seeking understanding.” All believers regardless of their denomination have theology which has been poured into them by their church, and this theology is lived out in society which according to the authors is first order-theology and in religious languages “what we are calling embedded …show more content…
He has a smooth transition from chapter to chapter making the material easy to follow. There is not much that I disapprove in this book. However some words may be a problem for non seminary student such as your local church school teacher, lay member. Many in the lay community may have a problem with the idea that all Christians are theologians. Many may resist the idea that theology can evolve. That may be where the phrase warning “go to school and get your learning but do not lose your burning.” Many of the laity and pastors may view this idea of revisiting you’re the text as a move away from sound doctrine due to the scripture states “forever thy word is
Dr. Ken Nichols in his book “Masterpiece” said it best, “We may notice how God is changing us from the inside out, but over time, those who are watching us will be able to see the difference.” As discussed in chapter four, the direction of inclination of the approaches to cope with burnout by the pastors in the Northeast Florida was meditation, exercise, bible reading and prayer dialogue with others, study for renewing, listening to hymns, and so on. Most strategies that the African-American pastors suggested represent spiritual and conservative methods. Now, this chapter will bring to the light the practical and
Wilson, Barbara S., Arlene Flancher, and Susan T. Erdey. The Episcopal Handbook. New York, NY: Morehouse Pub., 2008. Print.
We as contemporary theologians, are encouraged to write theology in our context by paying close attention to “whom and for whom contemporary theology is being written” (15). At the end of this section, Yaghjian gives a workshop memo where the readers of this book can have practical workshop which is being very helpful in a seminar setting. She also gives tips to write theological assignment and some practical questions which are useful to initiate writing a theological
As a Christian counselor, we have the power of the Word on our sides, but so many of us do not understand how to properly apply scripture into the counseling relationship in an effective manner. In Interventions that Apply Scripture in Psychotherapy, Garzon (2005) attempts to accomplish the following; educate individuals on the various techniques one can use to apply scripture, and to encourage and stimulate God ordained creativity in the hopes to create new techniques and methods for applying God’s Word in the counseling relationship.
In African American Pastoral Care: Revised Edition, Dr. Wimberly spoke about responding to God’s unfolding and continually changing times when dealing with healing and reconciliation. In this revision of his classic book, Dr. Wimberly updated his message by examining current issues in African American pastoral care, counseling, and outreach ministry in the community. Dr. Wimberly reminded us that we need to do more for our members and proposed new pastoral care approaches to the crisis of disconnection. Using his own narrative, he explained and described how pastors and church leaders can claim a new narrative method for reestablishing the African American village. His paradigm for African American pastoral theology is inspiring African Americans.
Clinton, T. & Ohlschlager, G. (2002). Competent Christian counseling: Foundations and practice of compassionate soul care. Colorado Springs, CO: WaterBrook Press.
Over the last 100 years, the underpinning concepts in the fields of psychology and counseling were wrought. Within this period, these concepts have transformed and evolved from somewhat crude conceptions of the psyche toward more holistic interventions and approaches. As the profession continues to move forward, adaptations of the original theorists regarding the nature of man and the development of personality continue to emerge. These adaptations, along with the integration of new concepts and ideas, continue to contribute to the field. The author describes his view of man and human nature, personality development, and explores potential implications for counseling.
Crabb, L. J. (1977). Effective biblical counseling: A model for helping caring Christians become capable counselors. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.
Gary Collins, a Christian counselor, helps individuals to comprehend their full potential using a God-centered way of coaching. He believes that, through coaching, an individual builds up a vision for their life and a desire for a good future. The book aids coaches to acquire skills that they require to help others, to emerge winners during difficult and challenging moments in their life. The book is also designed to develop Christian coaches’ in questioning, listening and responding. These can help Christian coaches to assess themselves and build up a strategy for their work. Collins rewrote the second edition in order to simplify his coaching methods. The second publication develops his practical skills as a new head in the world that is changing quickly, which includes how to use diverse situations, insights based on the Bible and customized forms among others.
With this in mind, the objective of this essay is to focus on the main ideas of each theologian, and discuss how each theologian’s ideas are compensatory to the other. This is important because even though each theologian’s writings were inspired by the harsh realities of the societies, and also by the effect each writer experienced in their moment in history, their critiques specifically of Christian institutions remain a consistent amongst all three writings. Furthermore, not only are their critiques consistent, but their goals for providing new frameworks for the future of the Church and Christian discipleship are consistent as well.
As a future counselor, I have enjoyed learning about the different techniques and theories of counseling. Understanding each approach is important but I believe that the counselors self knowledge of her or his own values, worldviews and life philosophy is just as important for the counselor to do the job effectively. Each theory that we learned about, I could see being helpful to different people, their circumstance and individual problem. I can see myself using different parts of each in my future career. Currently, I more drawn to the Adlerian theory. I understand and agree when Adler believed that people do have the ability to monitor and control the direction of their lives.The unconscious shapes personality,
into a richer experience of worship and a more effect life of service" (Crabb, 1977, p.31). The method to establishing an
Values, Morals, and Beliefs are components that play a role in an individual’s self-identity. The establishment of these components shape human nature, behavior, and the development of an individual’s purpose. The basis of these fundamentals has contributed to my desire to become a counselor. This paper will discuss my views of human nature, factors of behavior changes, goals of therapy, the roles of a therapist, and the counseling approaches that I chose to incorporate in a practice.
The shepherd and sheep relationship is the best illustration for the relationship between pastor and parishioners. When Jesus asked Simon Peter does he love him three times and said to him “Feed my sheep”, the shepherd and flock relationship has been set. Since Jesus is our good shepherd (Jn. 10:11a), he laid out a good example for us to follow - to lay down his life for the sheep. (Jn. 10:11b) Thus, the wellness of both in and out of the parishioners should always be the concern in the pastors’ hearts. Soul care for the people is essential. Christian friendship is the foundation of Christian soul care. Pastoral ministry including preaching, teaching, and worship forms the broad context of pastoral counseling. Pastoral care is within pastoral ministry but broader than pastoral counseling. God’s love is the source and motivation. Within the pastoral care, there are spiritual direction and pastoral
For centuries Christian counseling and secular psychology has been viewed as models which should be maintained separately due to the fundamental concepts which each is based on. Christian counseling traditionally focuses on guidance and truth from the Scripture, being the only truth (Crabb, 1977). While secular counselors base their techniques on research and often built on “unobservable or hypothetical constructs”, this can lead to a fusion of data and interpretation (Crabb, 1977). Dr. Crabb’s model of counseling addressed in his book Effective Biblical Counseling addresses the need for the attempt to merge Christian and secul...