I once heard Sam Crabtree, who wrote one of my favorite books “Practicing Affirmation”, say that he had thought of writing a follow-up volume about “Practicing Correction”. But he said that if he did so, it would need to be a much longer book. This is because Sam realizes that correcting people can be complicated. […]
Hope + Help for Parenting Methods with Jim Newheiser
In this episode of the Hope + Help Podcast, Christine Chappell interviews author and IBCD Executive Director Dr. Jim Newheiser about his book, Parenting is More Than a Formula. During the conversation, Jim summarizes common Christian parenting methods and examines the dangers of adopting unbiblical or extra-biblical approaches to child-rearing. Jim also demonstrates how belief in […]
The Coronavirus, Humility, and Civil Disobedience
God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble. (James 4:6) Civil Humility As I have observed the discussions and debates regarding the pandemic, both in the political sphere and ecclesiastical spheres, the above verse has continually been on my mind. The pandemic should make all of us much humbler for many […]
Droughts Expose Our Idols
When we lived in Southern California, we observed that the weather there tends to fluctuate between extremes. Some years the rain would be plentiful, then there would be years of drought. There’s a lake near where we lived, which during years of abundant rain would swell to the top of its banks and flow under […]
Counseling During COVID-19: When We Can’t Meet Face-to-Face
Since the COVID-19 outbreak, many counselors have discontinued in-person counseling in favor of remote methods. Thankfully, communication technology has exploded in the past few years. Some will counsel by phone, others by a means which allows “face-to-face” communication such as FaceTime, Zoom, or Skype. Each counselor is exploring the best way to minister to the […]
Helping in Cases Involving an Insubmissive Wife
Editor’s Note: In this first article of a three-part mini-series on the BCC Grace and Truth blog addressing counseling the husband of an insubmissive wife, Jim Newheiser discusses submission in light of biblical marriage roles and offers counsel on what can be done when a husband and wife have differing views on marriage roles. In other […]
Educating Your Elders About Abuse
Well-meaning church leaders often fail to distinguish between ordinary marital conflict and situations in which one spouse is abusing the other. The abusive spouse, usually the husband, is often able to manipulate inexperienced counselors by deflecting attention from his sin and focusing upon the sin of the mistreated spouse. Over time, as the oppression continues […]
Strategies for Fighting Depression Well
Because of recent events, there has been a lot written about the topic of depression and suicide, much of which has been very critical of churches and biblical counselors. We have a friend who has been engaged in a long-term heroic struggle with depression that has included times of fighting suicidal thoughts. She has been following the many blogs and believes that […]
Five Hard Lessons Learned from The Fall of a Once Revered Evangelical Leader
Many of us have been shaken by former church leaders who have fallen away, most recently Joshua Harris. Dangerous Calling by Paul Tripp has been the “go-to” book to warn pastors and seminarians against living a double life which can lead to spiritual shipwreck. Yet three of the five men whose endorsements appear on the […]
Preaching, Counseling, and Common Grace Wisdom
There has been much debate about the appropriate use of common grace wisdom in faithful biblical counseling. As a counseling professor who affirms the sufficiency of Scriptural wisdom to help people with their spiritual needs, I have struggled to develop a clear way of explaining which use of extra-biblical information and wisdom is faithful to […]