The Case of the "Hopeless" Marriage: A Nouthetic Counseling Case from Beginning to End by Jay E Adams

You've heard about nouthetic counseling and wondered what it's like. People have told you all sorts of things—were they correct? Now you have the opportunity to judge for yourself. What you couldn't do before, you now can. Peek behind the closed door and see how a typical counseling case—from beginning to end—is conducted. In this case, which reads like a novel, Greg Dawson, a pastor and Nouthetic counselor, deals with a marriage that is on the rocks. In dialogue form, you will read the actual exchanges that occurred, wonder what will happen next, and be confronted by evaluative analyses as the case proceeds during its ten-week duration. You will experience a practical illustration of God's solutions to common problems. This book is a helpful read for any biblical counselor. I have utilized it as one of my four textbooks in my seminary Marriage and Family class since its original publication. Like Adams, over a fifty-year career, I've seen many marriages dubbed hopeless become vibrant relationships by challenging couples with the promises, instructions, and confrontations of Scripture. Howard Eyrich, DMin Director of the DMin Biblical Counseling Program Birmingham Theological Seminary ACBC Fellow and Member of the Academy TAC the Addiction Connection This is a fictionalized rendition of a counseling case, and as fiction, it isn't very good. But of course, that's not the point - it is meant to be instructive and educational, and in that way, this book excels. If you want to know what Nouthetic counseling is - what truly biblical counseling is - then this book shows you, by illustrating it. I've given away at least a half dozen copies of this book, and can see giving away dozens more, because this is a book that Christians need to read. And it is particularly important because so many are turning to counselors who, while Christian, are not Christian counselors - they base their practice on secular theories, rather than God's word. This book shows how bringing God's word to bear can bring about huge changes in people's lives. Jon Dykstra, Editor Reformed Perspective Read more