Tim Keller, Puritan Resources for Biblical Counseling
In the most recent issue of The Journal of Biblical Counseling I spied a footnote that referenced a 1988 article by Tim Keller, Puritan Resources for Biblical Counseling. I was able to track down this original article and I found it immensely helpful. Here are Keller’s six headings for why the works of the Puritans are a rich resource for biblical counselors:
1. The Puritans were committed to the functional authority of the Scripture. For them it was the comprehensive manual for dealing with all problems of the heart.
2. The Puritans developed a sophisticated and sensitive system of diagnosis for personal problems, distinguishing a variety of physical, spiritual, tempermental, and demonic causes.
3. The Puritans developed a remarkable balance in their treatment because they were not invested in any one “personality theory” other than biblical teaching about the heart.
4. The Puritans were realistic about difficulties of the Christian life, especially conflicts with remaining, indwelling sin.
5. The Puritans looked not just at behavior but at underlying root motives and desires. Man is a worshiper; all problems grow out of “sinful imagination” or idol manufacturing.
6. The Puritans considered the essential spiritual remedy to be belief in the gospel, used in both repentance and the development of proper self-understanding.
Jbuzz, How might I get my hands on this interesting sounding article?
your bro schalesky
ditto what Christian said…I’ve been trying to chase this down myself just this past week.
Where can we get this article? Can you post it?
Fellas, you can get this 1988 article, which appeared in the Journal of Biblical Counseling, through getting the CD of back issues of the journal(http://ccef.org/store6.asp?sku=CD100015)
Justin
This is one of the best resources for counseling I have found. The section on the imagination and his summary of Owen is worth the price of the JBC CD alone!
Thanks for pointing to this Justin.
Weren’t Puritans kinda too much about works and not doing anything wrong. Hence the word pure?
I am totally uneducated on puritans but that’s the definition in my head. Not very joy filled people but rather concentrating on acting right.
Francis–I’m not a Puritan expert, but many, many of them had a good grip on grace. See Thomas Brooks’ Precious Remedies and Richard Sibbes’ a Bruised Reed. Not all did, no. Also, see Edmund S. Morgan’s groundbreaking “The Puritans and Sex.” New England Quarterly 15 (1942): 591–607. This article was a sensation, because, he revealed, that New England Puritans were very matter-of-fact and open about sex. So much so that journals of Morgan’s day wouldn’t print some of the Puritan pastoral letters about sex–they were too graphic.
Thanks for the insight Mr. Keller. It was very helpful.
Justin,Thanks for the link to the article! May God Bless your ministry!
Thanks for bringing this to our attention .
