Here is why Matthieu Caron recommends reading the book "Biblical counseling and difficult cases"
Contemporary Western education is marked by the specialization of different academic disciplines and by the systematic methodology that is present within the learning of these disciplines.
Surprisingly, God reveals Himself to His children in the scriptures in a very different way. Indeed, the Bible is a collection of narrative accounts, prophecies, poems and letters. Regardless of the literary genre, all parts of the Bible center on the person of Jesus Christ and as a common thread the theme of the kingdom of God. So it is in a very unsystematic way, from a Western point of view, that God has chosen to reveal Himself in the Scriptures.
Paradoxically, theological education is usually very systematic in its format, both in the way most training is structured and in the types of books that are used for learning theology. Although systematic theology is relevant and full of benefits, it is advantageously enhanced when combined with more inductive works such as case studies. The case studies presented in this book are replete with biblical echoes, both in their format and in the way they help us to better appreciate the relevance of the Holy Scriptures to the problems that life in a world broken by sin often engenders. , and this, with all the suffering that this implies.
This is why I am deeply grateful for the French translation of this book. This collection of real cases (albeit modified to respect a good ethic of confidentiality) is evidence of the sufficiency of the Scriptures for our lives and of its transformative action in the hands of a sovereign and good God who desires to change the evil that others have done us well. These cases demonstrate how God wants to give his children a supernatural and profound consolation that does not exist anywhere else except in him.
Finally, the cases presented in this book are both complex and severe in terms of the intensity of suffering experienced therein. The great inner breaking that is present in the suffering persons who are counseled in these cases is a powerful reminder to the reader that, even in extreme situations, the consolations of the gospel of Jesus Christ apply in the same way as in more trivial cases, that is to say by means of faith.
The counselors offering the Bible counseling sessions in this book are all masters in their fields, both in knowledge and experience. And yet, one cannot help but be quickly taken aback by the simplicity with which they bring the Word of God to those who consult them in very difficult situations. My sincere prayer is that this simplicity may encourage readers not to feel uncomfortable using the Word of God to encourage and help the neighbor whom God will put in their path, but rather to imbue their encouragement with the Word. of God. It is indeed by cherishing and using the scriptures in everyday life that we grow in our ability to have gracious words seasoned with salt. God is pleased to use such words to change lives and to heal broken hearts.
Happy reading!
- Matthieu Caron, President of the Biblical Counseling Foundation
Obtain the book "Biblical Counseling and Difficult Cases" at the following Christian bookstores:
Christian Publications - https://bit.ly/39B9Bp1
CLC Canada - https: // bit.ly / 2UMpapM
Librairie Chrétienne de Québec - https: // bitly / 2HjIJxI
Excelsis - https://bit.ly/37kZhjL
House of the Bible - https://bit.ly/2ONAm1G
Amazon US - https://amzn.to/2vydmgA