A Thread on Seeking to Look Through Sean Perron’s Eyes

#SoulCare #SoulPhysician #BibleCn #BiblicalCounseling #Empathy 

@seanperron 

After I posted on my blog 46 (Now 50 and Growing) Biblical Counseling Resources for Trauma and Trauma Care, Sean Perron posted on Twitter/X that,

“To label many of these resources as ‘biblical counseling’ demonstrates a fundamentally different definition of the term. It is a strange stew of Christian psychology, biblical counseling, and integration. The only common denominator is that the books are written by Christians and deal with suffering. Beware of eclectic counseling. Sadly, Bob isn’t a biblical counselor, no matter how much he wants to cling to the title.”

I’ve already respond on Twitter/X sharing my perspective. However, as a Christian, and as a biblical counselor, we are called to seek to empathetically look through the eyes of others. I want to seek to do that in this tweet thread.

Why might Sean see my resource list as an eclectic stew? Well, I included a Diane Langberg source in my list. Given that she does not claim to be a biblical counselor, I can see why Sean would, from his perspective, question her inclusion. While I would say, “Let’s read the resource itself,” I can still understand Sean questioning that resource and my giving the title “biblical counseling resources.”

I also included resources from people who Sean has publicly called “neo-integrationists” like Nate Brooks, Brad Hambrick, Tate Cockrell, Sam Williams, Kristen Kellen, Jeremy Lelek, and Eliza Huie. I also included posts from the Biblical Counseling Coalition, which some of Sean’s colleagues (and maybe Sean?) have deemed neo-integrationists. I also included posts by Ed Welch, and a recent 32-page article in ACBC’s Journal of Biblical Soul Care questioned whether Welch was a biblical counselor or an integrationist. Given all of those resource writers, and given Sean’s perspective on them, I can see why he would describe my post as “a strange stew” and “eclectic counseling.” Note: I’m not saying I agree with Sean. I am saying I can see where he is coming from.

I can also understand Sean saying, “Bob isn’t a biblical counselor, no matter how much he wants to cling to the title.” If the definition of biblical counselor is the one that Sean, Heath Lambert, and others are using in their posts about “zombie-infected, neo-integrationist” counselors, then I agree: I am not that biblical counselor. Sean has the freedom to deem me outside the bounds of his definition of biblical counselor. Sean has the freedom to publicly warn those who follow his model of biblical counseling that I am outside his definition of a biblical counselor.

I actually don’t “cling to the title.” Even though I was mentored by Bill Goode in the 1970s in nouthetic counseling, I never took on the title “nouthetic counselor.” For decades I have written about areas where I see missing components in the modern nouthetic counseling movement. For years, I’ve used various descriptors for my approach: “soul care,” “historic Christian soul care,” “historic Christian soul care and spiritual direction,” “historic Christian sustaining, healing, reconciling, and guiding,” “soul physician,” and “biblical counseling/biblical counselor.” 

Honestly, if the Evangelical Christian world were to swing to the place where the majority of people align with Sean’s definition of “biblical counseling,” then I would likely cease using that descriptor at all. I have dear friends who describe themselves as “Clinically-Informed Biblical Counselors.” I do not use that label for myself, but I respect their detailed descriptions of what they mean by that term.

I’ve defined my approach to biblical counseling in 25 books, in over 2,500 blog posts, and in 100s of published articles. I’ve encapsulated my approach with these words: “Here’s my 18-word description of my model of biblical counseling. Biblical counselors are:
Gospel-Centered/Christ-Centered, Theologically-Saturated, Relationship-Focused, Church History-Informed, Research-Aware Soul Physicians of Embodied-Souls.” I define all of those terms in detail in many places.

Sean can look at those descriptions, he can look at a post like my 46 (50) resources, he can read my public support for people like Nate Brooks, Jason Kovacs, Kristin Kellen, Brad Hambrick, Jeremy Lelek, and others, and he is free to say that Bob Kellemen is not a biblical counselor according to Sean’s convictions about and definitions of biblical counseling.

Sean is a man of convictions. His convictions and mine about what makes biblical counseling truly biblical are quite different. Sean is right when he writes that he and I have “a fundamentally different definition of the term” biblical counseling. The differences are so pronounced that it does seem to make some sense to somehow distinguish between Sean’s approach to biblical counseling and what I do as a counselor.

As someone who has written three books on the history of Christian soul care, of course I think I align with historic “biblical counseling.” But Sean does not have to agree with that. In fact, it is becoming clear to me that Sean should not agree with that. He and I have different approaches, different understandings of what the Bible teaches about biblical counseling, about common grace, about embodied-souls, about science, about neuroscience, about descriptive research, about embodied-soul interventions, etc. Just read that summary list of differences—that’s a lot. So again, I understand Sean saying that I am not a biblical counselor.

Now, while Sean is free to label me a “neo-integrationist,” I do not accept that label. As I’ve indicated, if I need to get kicked out of the modern biblical counseling movement, then I would choose some other labels such as: “Christian soul care giver,” “soul physician of embodied-souls,” etc. I provide pro bono counseling/soul care for scores of pastors, counselors, missionaries, and Christian educators. They know me. They don’t care about what label others place upon me. As I’ve said, I’m really not hung up on labels either.

Of course, to really see life through someone else’s eyes, it sure helps to talk. I would be glad to talk to Sean about any of these issues. If I were to talk, some questions I would want to discuss might include, “Who do you see as a true biblical counselor?” “Is it only ACBC and ACBC-aligned counselors who, in your mind, are truly biblical counselors?” “Do you see the BCC as a biblical counseling organization or as a neo-integrationist organization?” “Since Heath was a founding member of the BCC, when do you think the BCC changed?” “How have they changed?” “Do you see CCEF as a biblical counseling organization?” “If not, when did they change?” “David Powlison saw me as a biblical counselor when he asked me to be the founding Executive Director of the Biblical Counseling Coalition. Do you think David was wrong about me?”

I’d be intrigued to know what questions Sean would ask me. I’d love to hear his questions and respond in an interactive, face-to-face, brother-to-brother way.

Even the process of writing this has helped me to sense a bit more what life is like through Sean’s eyes, and what it means to fight for his convictions about what makes biblical counseling truly biblical. Of course, only Sean could indicate whether I am on track or off track in understanding him...which is why an interactive, face-to-face conversation would be so helpful...

Blessings, Sean.

Your brother in Christ, Bob.
#SoulCare #SoulPhysician #BibleCn #BiblicalCounseling #Empathy