Counseling in Hope

In this article, D. Clair Davis discusses the context in which biblical (nouthetic) counseling arose. Davis discusses the environment that existed when Adams began his work in biblical counseling: Pastors were convinced of their own ineffectiveness in pastoral work and led to many evangelicals turning over their calling as pastors to secular professionals. Adams’s call was one of hope and confidence given to the pastor at a time when hope was waning. Davis concludes that we have turned a great corner: we have learned to be competent to counsel and have learned how to change.