Legal Issues in Biblical Counseling aims to encourage the church to wisely engage in ministry while complying with civil authorities in a God honoring way. The book is edited by T. Dale Johnson Jr. and Edward Wilde with contributions from biblical counselors and lawyers. It covers important topics that are similar to what is taught in a business law class but specific to Biblical Counseling. The book is written towards church leaders and unlicensed biblical counselors “who are fearless in their desire to honor God at all costs but who also wish to avoid any unnecessary confrontations with civil authorities.”
“We are in danger of acquiescing to cultural tides. We are in danger of abdicating our responsibility. We are in danger of abandoning Scripture. We are in danger of relinquishing the God-ordained authority given to the church. Our pragmatic and politically correct conscience is, to varying degrees, eroding the foundations of our faith while preferring a form of godliness without substance.”
The book begins with an basic understand of what biblical counseling is and why the state has an interest in governing counseling. It provides necessary distinctions between biblical counseling and licensed counseling or therapy. While there are some legal protections that come from state licensure, it presents serious complications in providing counsel that is biblically faithful. The book goes on to explain various ways to legally structure and protect your ministry. In the litigious age that we live in, it is important to be wise and prudent in order to protect your ministry. This needs to be balanced with the call to minister to individuals in difficult situations; we need not be ruled by fear.
“When biblical counselors counsel, we are not necessarily seeking the immediate happiness (as subjectively defined) of anyone. Therapy is designed to help someone feel better on their own terms. There is a proposition underlying much of therapy which holds that the disquiet one feels when experiencing a conflict between conscience and desire must be resolved not by giving way to conscience but by ignoring conscience. The world of therapy is not one of conviction, repentance, and grace, which impels us to live in accordance with the instruction of God. Rather, it is one of medication to alleviate anxiety, to ignore guilt as a neurosis, and to become ‘authentic.'”
T. Dale Johnson Jr., MDiv, PhD, is the Executive Director of The Association of Certified Biblical Counselors and the Director of Counseling Programs and Associate Professor of Biblical Counseling at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is the author of The Church as a Culture of Care.
Edward Charles Wilde, Esq., BA, JD, is an associated attorney with Alliance Defending Freedom. He has written for the Daily Journal, the Whittier Law Review, the UCLA Entertainment Law Review, the Intellectual Property Law Review, and the Online Journalism Review. He also holds an MABC from The Master’s University, where he has been an adjunct professor since 2002.
I recommend this book for all biblical counselors and churches that are interested in starting a biblical counseling ministry. It provides helpful categories and questions to think through and discuss with a lawyer about your specific ministry. It also provides helpful language to include in your founding documents and consent forms. I found the book very helpful, but at the same time has the same issue that all books on law have, the answers and advice is always highly nuanced and situational which requires a local lawyer to help navigate. While it is a book written to address legal issues, it ultimately refers you to a local lawyer to discuss specifics. This is sound advice and necessary to navigate the complex world of business law.
I received a free copy in exchange for my honest review. The opinions I express are my own and I was not required to write a positive review.