Christian Counseling & Educational Foundation
1803 East Willow Grove Avenue
Glenside, PA 19038
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Journal of Biblical Counseling
about the journal
Articles for biblical counseling & interpersonal ministry
For more than 40 years, CCEF’s Journal of Biblical Counseling has provided a forum for the development of clear thinking and effective practice in biblical counseling. We do this by publishing articles that faithfully bring the God of truth, mercy, and power to the issues that face the pastoral ministries of counseling and discipleship.
Journal articles cover a broad range of biblical counseling and methodology topics. Many are written by CCEF faculty, and we also welcome articles from other authors, pastors, and practitioners in the field.
“There’s a tone of compassion and humility throughout all of the articles that you simply can’t miss.”
—Andrea Sharp, Lay Counselor
The JBC Archive
Access to the digital JBC Archive is included with all individual subscriptions. The Archive includes all previous issues (over 1,100 articles) and is searchable and integrated into our website. With the online Archive, you will receive each new digital issue immediately upon publication.
Subscription Options
latest issue
Vol. 40 No. 1
Letter from the Editor
Brandon Peterson
Change finds all of us eventually, in ways big and small. This issue sits honestly with the grief, pressure, and disorientation that come with living in a world that is not yet as it should be. And it points, again and again, to a God whose love does not change even when everything else does.
Content with Weakness: Paul’s Paradoxical Proposal
Michael R. Emlet
Drawing from 2 Corinthians 12 and his own recent experiences, Emlet explores what it truly means for Christ’s grace to be sufficient in our weakness. If you’ve wondered how God could be at work in your hardships, this piece offers a grounding and perhaps surprising answer from Paul’s thorn in the flesh.
Restoring the Imago Dei in a Dehumanizing Age
Eamon R. Wilson
Three growing cultural narratives are quietly reshaping how we think about what it means to be human, and they’re showing up in our churches. Wilson names these trends and offers practical guidance for pastors and counselors who want to respond with wisdom and care.
Hospitality: Every Christian’s Calling
Paul S. Jeon
Formal counseling has its place, but so does an open table. Pastor Paul Jeon looks at the biblical foundation for hospitality, addresses common hesitations that keep people from practicing it, and shows the many natural opportunities for it within church life. Jeon’s article is a warm and practical read for any believer.
Help for Those Who Can’t Say No
Todd Stryd
For some people, knowing when it’s appropriate to decline a request is genuinely difficult. Stryd offers a decision-making framework grounded in the fear of the Lord to help with this common struggle and walks through a sample counseling conversation to show what working through it looks like in practice.
Using Chaos as a Metaphor in Counseling
Lauren Whitman
Whitman traces a lesser-noticed biblical metaphor (chaos) from its roots in Scripture through to Christ’s power over it. She then examines how this theme can be meaningfully applied in counseling and offers a case study illustrating how it might unfold in a person’s life.
Book Notes: Volume 7
Michael Gembola
In this volume of “Book Notes,” Gembola offers reviews of recent publications covering a wide range of topics, including celebrity pastors, the seven deadly sins, trauma care, multiethnic biblical commentary, honoring aging parents, and a theology of humanity.
“We believe that true, life-explaining insight into people necessarily involves thinking Christianly. Loving, lasting help necessarily involves practicing ‘counseling’ as one aspect of consciously Christian ministry. The deeper you gaze into what actually goes wrong with people—the weight of our sins and sorrows—the more clearly you see that Jesus Christ is essential to making it right.”
—David Powlison, Late Senior Editor of the JBC
Editorial Staff
Senior Editorial Board
Michael R. Emlet
Jonathan Holmes
Darby Strickland
Edward T. Welch
managing editor
Brandon Peterson
Developmental Editor
Lauren Whitman
consulting editor
Michael Gembola
content editor
Kimberly Monroe
proofreader
Aubrynn Whitted
More Information
JBC Submissions
We welcome articles from other authors, pastors, and practitioners in the field. Find out how to write for us below.
Write for the JBC
Individual & Past Issues
Though subscribers receive each new issue as it's published, you may want to purchase individual or past issues. You can find them below. (Note: all subscribers receive access to the online JBC Archive, which contains all past issues.)
Volume 40 (2026)
Volume 39 (2025)
Volume 38 (2024)
Volume 37 (2023)
Volume 36 (2022)
Volume 35 (2021)
Volume 34 (2020)
Volume 33 (2019)
Volume 32 (2018)
Volume 31 (2017)
Volume 30 (2016)
Volume 29 (2015)
Volume 28 (2014)
Volume 27 (2013)
Volume 26 (2012)
Volume 25 (2007)
Volume 24 (2006)
Volume 23 (2005)
Volume 22 (2003–4)
Volume 21 (2002–3)
Volume 20 (2001–2)
Volume 19 (2000–1)
Volume 18 (1999–2000)
Volume 17 (1998–9)
Volume 16 (199782)
Volume 15 (1996–7)
Volume 14 (1995–6)
Volume 13 (1994–5)
Volume 12 (1993–4)
Volume 11 (1992–3)
Volume 10 (1989–92)
Volume 9 (1987–9)
Volume 8 (1985–7)
Volume 7 (1984–5)
Volume 6 (1982–3)
Volume 5 (1981–2)
Volume 4 (1980)
Volume 3 (1979)
Volume 2 (1978)
Volume 1 (1977)
JBC on LOGOS
This JBC collection for Logos includes 39 years of past articles (1977–2016; 99 issues). It contains the 36 issues of the Journal of Pastoral Practice as well as 63 issues of the Journal of Biblical Counseling (through 2016). The 99 back issues include nearly 1,000 articles, book reviews, sermons, interviews, and editorials.
In the Logos edition, you can search and read the entire collection in Logos apps everywhere, whether home, work, or mobile. The Logos edition currently includes issues through Vol. 30. Every few years Logos and CCEF will provide an update collection to add new issues to the collection. For more information about updates to your Logos product, please reach out to Logos Customer Service.
JBC on Accordance
This resource requires Accordance 10.4 or above. This JBC collection for Accordance includes 40 years of past articles (1977–2017; 102 issues). It contains the 37 issues of the Journal of Pastoral Practice as well as 65 issues of the Journal of Biblical Counseling (through 2017). The 102 back issues include nearly 1,000 articles, book reviews, sermons, interviews, and editorials.
In the Accordance edition, you can search and read the entire collection in Accordance apps everywhere, whether home, work, or mobile. The Accordance edition currently includes issues through Vol. 31. Every few years Accordance and CCEF will provide an update collection to add new issues to the collection. For more information about updates to your Accordance product, please reach out to Accordance Customer Service.
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