Book Review: Counseling One Another

counseling-one-anotherPaul Tautges’ book Counseling One Another: A Theology of Interpersonal Discipleship seeks to provide theological application of how believers should disciple one another. For Tautges, true biblical counseling and discipleship are one and the same, which at times requires the reader to adjust to his use of terms. After going into a brief history of how the emergence of psychology (even in Christian settings) is connected to loss of respect for the Bible’s authority, he devotes several chapters to unpack a biblical vision. Chapter 2 reveals how the Great Commission (Command for Tautges) makes true discipling a priority for every believer. The next several chapters expound on how this must be done. Chapter 3 shows that as depraved sinners, our wholeness must come not from looking inward but a supernatural conversion where God saves us. Chapter 4 deals will the need for active engagement in disciplines to produce godliness. The next chapter shows how other people engaging with compassion to bring us into alignment with God and help restore us into communion is essential. Chapter 6 reveals the necessity of God’s word in this process to reveal our sinfulness and call us to holiness. Chapter 7 then shows how psychology and secular counseling fall short of what the gospel can do. To use it departs from Scripture and relies on worldly wisdom. He ends the book by calling Christians into a deep, Christ-centered community and rejecting the selfish, consumerist mentality of many Christians that leaves them unable to move into deep holiness.

Two negative aspects of the book should produce caution in its readers. The first is that Tautges has a tendency to employ the etymological root fallacy, which basically means he assumes that a word’s origin forms and shapes the meaning of the word. While this is a common mistake, it’s rather silly when examined. When we talk about Sunday or Monday, we are not making any reference to the Sun god or Moon god for which the days were named but are merely referencing the first and second days of the week. The root may have a point of contact with its present usage, but rarely should ever be referenced to shape nuance and meaning.

The second negative aspect of the book is his complete rejection of all psychology for the Christian. He writes, “we must resist the integration of worldly psychology into Christian theology…Christian psychology must be viewed for what it is: another gospel, luring believers away from pure devotion to Jesus Christ” (133). He substantiates this claim fairly well by noting how psychology tends to shift our focus from looking outward to God for salvation/healing of our brokenness to looking inward for it. He is absolutely correct to affirm that sin and our sinful nature are the true problem, not psychological maladies (though these aren’t mutually exclusive). However, the dismissal of an entire field is an overcorrection that should be cautioned against. He rails against using worldly wisdom (and the Christian should be careful). It’s inappropriate for the Christian to simply import their views unchecked, but the biblical authors have set a precedent for taking wisdom discovered by this world and shaping it to point and be fulfilled by the God of the Bible. Many scholars have remarked how Proverbs uses wisdom from non-Israelites but shapes and hones it to be Yahweh centered. They have confidence that non-Yahwists can indeed discover truth about how things work and how to make lives better, but these truths are incomplete until they find their fulfillment in God. The Christian should treat psychology similarly.

The strengths of this book include his dedication to a biblical outlook on life. Sin is our primary problem and holiness through the work of Christ is the solution. He rejects the popular assumption that Christian salvation is merely positional but pushes the Christian to allow God to sanctify the believer. Within this worldview, Tautges affirms the primacy and authority of Scripture and the call to real holiness, which is so often lacking in churches today.

A second major strength is how this book empowers the lay-person to minister. His rejection of psychology (with which I have stated my issues) opens the door for non-professionals to step into their role to minister. Since sin and not psychological maladies are the person’s major problem, the disciple-making process (to which we’re all called) is the solution. While the psychologist pushes the person to look inward for their salvation, the gospel calls believers to look outward to God for it, which the layperson is able to assist others to do.

Overall, Tautges provides a solid theological vision for discipleship and would be helpful to push Christians to live victorious, Christian lives that produce holiness. I would certainly recommend this book, though caution the couple negative aspects I outlined.

I received a copy of this book through Cross Focused Reviews in exchange for a review. I was not required to give a positive review.

Aaron Meservey
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