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The Christ-based Counseling initiative is three-fold. FIRST, churches that have counseling ministries or refer to counseling services are subjecting believers to therapies that are psychological and humanistic. This is suitable for unbelievers, but denies the power of God for believers. Psychological therapies were born out of atheism (by definition they DENY God, whether admitted or NOT). The founders and many followers attempt to understand human functioning while ignoring the God who created human functioning, life-patterns, and relational-design, OR they consider His truths equal or secondary to psycho-socio theory. AND as opposed to developing creator-based approaches for believers, many persons with extensive psychological persuasion have tried integrating Biblical principles into their psychological therapy. This is equal to being a Christian evolutionist. Biblically, it is impossible! (See Pnuematology NOT Psychology the Appropriate field for Christian counselors). We recognize that psychology is well assimilated into the fiber of mainline ministries nationwide. This does NOT indicate that it is acceptable to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. A number of these organizations even refer to their ministries as the generic "Christian-based" distancing themselves from Christian counseling, which is all but destroyed by the imposition of psychological practices during the last 25 years. However, a request for their standards or Christian-based licensing will be met with hostility. They readily display their state licensing. The casual consumer does not realize that state licensing does NOT consider faith related standards, practices, strategies or therapies. Therefore, these ministries and associations are "in fact" highly unethical and representing the highest order of pretense. The same may even be true for those who graduated from highly prestigious Christian colleges. Again, their programs are often so permeated by the psycho-socio practices they have difficulty displaying any Christian-based standards, which demonstrate the faith related nature of their counseling practices. No matter how well received these personalities, schools, seminaries, associations and ministries may be they cannot distance themselves from the fact that the psycho-socio therapies find their foundation in atheism. Therefore, Christian counseling and the generic Christian based counseling could be any kind of counseling. Comparatively, Christ-based Counseling emphasizes the very basis for the counseling process, "Jesus Christ." WE submit, "if the ‘psychological’ therapy is appropriate for believers, it is already in God’s Word.” WE submit, "a believer may need a psychiatrist, but should never need a psychologist, UNLESS the psychologist is 'in fact' a Christ-based Counselor." The SECOND part of the initiative is that countless churches do not have a counseling program. These churches are not ministering to the daily challenges believers face. Jesus demonstrated that as He spoke to the multitude, this would cause them to seek him for one-on-one care. Some, with their drive toward mega-church status, AND even smaller churches have NOT instituted quality one-on-one ministries. A Sunday message, or group lesson may be helpful, but it falls woefully short of addressing the specific family pit-falls, cognitive challenges, fears, detrimental habits and addictions, and deprecating behavior plaguing believers daily. The mind influencing technologies in a typical home are devastating without countering with quality one-one-one ministries.
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The THIRD part is that Christ-based Counseling
and equivalent therapies are the
most effective counseling approaches for persons with a deep and abiding
relationship with Jesus Christ.
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