Copyright © 2021 Earnest Fletcher Lang All rights reserved. The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary has permission to reproduce and disseminate this document in any form by any means for purposes chosen by the Seminary, including, without limitation, preservation or instruction. INCREASING KNOWLEDGE ABOUT BIBLICAL COUNSELING TO SUPPORT A GOSPEL CITY MOVEMENT IN BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS __________________ A Project Presented to the Faculty of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary __________________ In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Ministry __________________ by Earnest Fletcher Lang May 2021 APPROVAL SHEET INCREASING KNOWLEDGE ABOUT BIBLICAL COUNSELING TO SUPPORT A GOSPEL CITY MOVEMENT IN BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS Earnest Fletcher Lang Read and Approved by: __________________________________________ Robert K. Cheong (Faculty Supervisor) __________________________________________ Robert L. Plummer Date______________________________ To my wife and best friend, Megan. Thank you for being the visionary influence behind this project and a constant inspiration to me. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ........................................................................................... vii LIST OF FIGURES ......................................................................................................... viii PREFACE .......................................................................................................................... ix Chapter 1. INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................1 Context ................................................................................................................1 Rationale .............................................................................................................3 Purpose ................................................................................................................5 Goals ...................................................................................................................6 Research Methodology .......................................................................................6 Definitions and Delimitations .............................................................................7 Conclusion ..........................................................................................................9 2. BIBLICAL AND THEOLOGICAL FOUNDATIONS FOR BIBLICAL COUNSELING .................................................................................10 The Comfort of God Is Given to Individuals so That They May Help Others Who Are Suffering (2 Corinthians 1:3-4) .....................................10 God Comforts His People ........................................................................ 12 God’s People Comfort One Another ....................................................... 14 God Calls His People to Bear One Another’s Burdens to Fulfill the Law of Christ (Galatians 6:2) ...................................................................16 Bear One Another’s Burdens ................................................................... 16 Fulfill the Law of Christ .......................................................................... 18 iv Chapter Page Different People Need Different Approaches Depending Upon Personal Context (1 Thessalonians 5:14) .................................................21 Admonish the Idol ................................................................................... 23 Encourage the Fainthearted ..................................................................... 25 Help the Weak ......................................................................................... 26 Be Patient with Them All ........................................................................ 27 The Church Is the Primary Context for Biblical Counseling (Ephesians 4:11-12) ..................................................................................28 God Gives Leaders to the Church (Ephesians 4:11) ................................ 29 Church Leaders Equip the Saints for the Work of Ministry (Ephesians 4:12) .............................................................................. 31 Conclusion ........................................................................................................33 3. DEFINING AND DEFENDING THE CORE VALUES OF THE BOSTON CENTER FOR BIBLICAL COUNSELING .......................................34 Gospel-Centered ................................................................................................34 Hermeneutics in Counseling .................................................................... 36 Biblical Application in Counseling ......................................................... 40 Church-Based ....................................................................................................41 The Church Is Essential for Biblical Counseling .................................... 42 Church-Based Counseling in a Parachurch Setting ................................. 44 Clinically-Informed ...........................................................................................48 Intramural Differences in Emphasis ........................................................ 49 The Primacy and Sufficiency of the Bible ............................................... 52 The Helpfulness of Modern Psychology ................................................. 54 Conclusion ........................................................................................................58 4. DETAILS AND DESCRIPTION OF THE PROJECT ........................................59 Introduction .......................................................................................................59 Development and Evaluation of the Seminar (Weeks 1-25) .............................59 v Chapter Page Organizing and Communicating about the Seminar ................................ 60 Administering the Biblical Counseling Perceptions Survey ................... 61 Developing, Evaluating, and Editing the Seminar Curriculum ............... 62 Implementation Period (Weeks 26-27) .............................................................63 Session 1 .................................................................................................. 63 Session 2 .................................................................................................. 65 Follow-Up Period (Weeks 28-29) .....................................................................68 Conclusion ........................................................................................................68 5. EVALUATION OF THE PROJECT ...................................................................69 Introduction .......................................................................................................69 Evaluation of the Project’s Purpose ..................................................................69 Evaluation of the Project’s Goals ......................................................................71 Assess Understanding .............................................................................. 71 Develop Seminar ..................................................................................... 73 Increase Knowledge ................................................................................. 74 Strengths of the Project .....................................................................................76 Weaknesses and Improvements of the Project ..................................................78 Theological Reflections ....................................................................................81 Personal Reflections ..........................................................................................83 Conclusion ........................................................................................................84 Appendix 1. BIBLICAL COUNSELING PERCEPTIONS SURVEY (BCPS) .......................86 2. CURRICULUM EVALUATION RUBRIC .........................................................89 3. T-TEST RESULTS ..............................................................................................90 BIBLIOGRAPHY ............................................................................................................. 92 vi LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS BECNT Baker Exegetical Commentary of the New Testament EBC Expositor’s Bible Commentary ICC International Critical Commentary JBC Journal of Biblical Counseling NAC New American Commentary NICNT New International Commentary on the New Testament NICOT New International Commentary on the Old Testament NIVAC New International Version Application Commentary PNTC Pillar New Testament Commentary TNTC Tyndale New Testament Commentary WBC Word Biblical Commentary vii LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES Table Page 1. Pre-BCPS average scores per question ...............................................................71 2. Summary of scores for each criteria ...................................................................73 3. T-test analysis .....................................................................................................74 4. Pre- and post-BCPS results by question .............................................................75 A1. Pre- and post-BCPS results .................................................................................87 A2. T-test analysis .....................................................................................................88