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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.
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.
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Vol. 37 No. 3
Letter from the Editor
Kimberly Monroe
As editors, we are always pleased to hear about the different ways our readers use the JBC in their work and ministry. How about you? Do you share articles with your peers or give them to people you are mentoring? Does the JBC impact how you care for others? Let us know. We love to hear from our readers.
Trauma and Relational Hypervigilance
Darby Strickland
When someone is traumatized in a relationship (e.g., betrayed, rejected, abused), they may become relationally hypervigilant. To protect themselves from further pain, they develop a heightened and pervasive watchfulness that can damage relationships even with people who have not hurt them. Developing trust and moving forward is difficult, even with a caring helper, so Strickland provides guidance to help you get started.
Am I Doing This Right? What Lamentations Teaches Us about Grieving
Todd Stryd
At some point, every one of us will grieve the death of someone we care about. Though this experience is common, many of us struggle with expressing our grief and wonder if we are doing it right. There are many reasons for this, including culture, family dynamics, and individual personalities. Scripture, however, steps in to help. Using the book of Lamentations, Stryd shows us that there is no preset formula for grief. God gives us much freedom in how we express it to him and our community.
Not Everything Is PTSD: A More Balanced View of What Returning Veterans Need
Matthew McCraney
McCraney is an army chaplain who works with frontline soldiers struggling with the repercussions of their experiences in combat. In this article, he alerts us to the fact that many assumptions we have about these men and women, and about PTSD, are untrue and unhelpful. He discusses four ways these service members suffer and urges us to adopt a more nuanced view of how to understand, bless, and minister to them.
How to Talk with God: Four Days in Psalm 22
Edward T. Welch
This Counselor’s Toolbox offers a practical way for counselors to help people who struggle with past hurts. Ed Welch breaks Psalm 22 into four parts and guides the reader through a study that will bless anyone, but it will especially bless those who are less experienced at bringing their cares to God. This is a good addition to anyone’s toolbox, so we designed the layout to be easily printed or photocopied.
Book Notes: Volume 2
Michael Gembola
We hope this column will serve as a useful guide to some of the many books available on counseling and pastoral care. In this volume, Gembola reviews thirteen books and organizes them into categories so you can easily find what you are looking for. Topics covered include LGBT issues, mental illness, long-term caregiving, and loneliness.
Faithful: A Theology of Sex by Beth Felker Jones
Reviewed by Aaron Sironi
Sex is an important subject but is often avoided in counseling. Sironi hopes to change that and explains how this book can help by offering a thoughtful and accessible description of God’s good plan for sex. The book covers many topics, but perhaps one of the most interesting is the author debunks the idea that sex is only for pleasure and procreation. This alone makes it worth the read!
JBC Vol. 37:3 (2023)
Purchase the print or digital edition of the Journal of Biblical Counseling 37:3.
pdf: $5
print: $13
Editorial Staff
Senior Editorial Board
Michael R. Emlet
J. Alasdair Groves
Edward T. Welch
managing editor
Kimberly Monroe
Developmental Editor
Lauren Whitman
consulting editor
Michael Gembola
assistant editor
Brandon Peterson
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.
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.)