It is difficult to overestimate the importance of this book. The “counseling wars” of the past half-century have ignited passions often characterized by labels rather than by careful analytic thought. This is the first broadly comprehensive history of these developments. While trying to be open to truth and insight whatever their sources, Powlison faithfully argues that the Christian faith must play a constitutive role in building a robust model of Christian counseling. Amen and Amen.

-D. A. Carson, Ph.D., Research Professor of New Testament, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School; author of The Gagging of God, Christ and Culture Revisited, and An Introduction to the New Testament

Everyone interested in the modern biblical counseling movement needs to read this well-researched and well-written book. This is a fair and balanced presentation of one of the most important movements in the evangelical church. Readers will be equipped not only with historical insight, but, more importantly, with wisdom for how to speak the truth in love.

-Bob Kellemen,  Ph.D., author of Soul Physicians, Spiritual Friends, Beyond the Suffering, and Sacred Friendships

About the Author

David Powlison, M.Div., Ph.D. is Executive Director of Christian Counseling & Educational Foundation (CCEF) as well as a CCEF faculty member and Senior Editor of the Journal of Biblical Counseling. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania, as well as an M.Div. from Westminster Theological Seminary.

David has been counseling for over thirty years and has written numerous articles on biblical counseling and on the relationship between faith and psychology. His books include Speaking Truth in Love; Seeing with New Eyes; Power Encounters: Reclaiming Spiritual Warfare; and The Biblical Counseling Movement: History and Context. His minibook titles include Facing Death with Hope; Healing after Abortion; Recovering from Child Abuse; and Renewing Marital Intimacy. 

David has taught across the United States and in Korea, India, Brazil, Europe, and Sri Lanka. He blogs periodically at CCEF and The Gospel Coalition