Biblical Counselors Society

While the decision to remove Grace Community Church by the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors is commendable it shouldn’t be viewed in isolation. It sits within a broader history of how abuse has often been handled within this particular group of biblical counselors. Over the years, there have been repeated concerns. In some cases, abuse has been minimized, reframed as primarily marital conflict, or addressed in ways that placed burdens back on victims rather than prioritizing their protection and safety. These outcomes are not accidental. They are, at least in part, connected to the underlying framework that has shaped this approach. This is where a historical critique of Jay Adams and the nouthetic model is necessary. Adams made important contributions in recovering the authority of Scripture in counseling. But his framework lacked in dealing with power, oppression, trauma, and abuse dynamics. As a result, situations of abuse could be flattened into categories of sin, conflict, or mutual marital struggle. That flattening is not just imprecise, it is dangerous. An example of this is found in an article from 1984 that has recently resurfaced, where Jay Adam’s addresses a case study of a father who sexually abuses his daughter. Adams’ language, at times, leaves room for the idea of “complicity” on the part of the minor victim and calls it an “affair.” He also frames the abuse in the context of marriage where he deals with the wife’s sin of withholding sex and her need to repent. He views the wife’s sin as creating the temptation that led to the husbands abuse of his daughter. He emphasizes that “developing a proper way to deal in the future with marriage problems will lead to no more ‘incidents'”. This comes from a sincere belief that we are all sinners and all of us need to consider our part in repentance - even in a case of childhood sexual abuse. Some have defended this article just this week. When categories are too narrow, when suffering is not adequately distinguished from sin, and when power dynamics are not taken seriously, the result is often that victims are misunderstood and abusers are not confronted with the full weight of their sin. Faithful, gospel-centered counseling is clear: • abuse must be named for what it is • victims must be protected and cared for • abusers must be held accountable • and the church must act with both grace and justice Recovering biblical authority in counseling was necessary. But continuing to refine our categories in light of Scripture and real human experience is equally necessary. I'm grateful for where that is happening.