Counseling Under the Cross: How Martin Luther Applied the Gospel to Daily Life
Martin Luther was not only a theologian, a writer, and a preacher, he was a pastoral counselor who longed for peace with God. Now, 500 years after he posted his 95 theses to the door of the Wittenberg Castle church, his teachings on gospel-centered and cross-focused pastoral care can transform our approach to soul care, and teach us that daring faith in Christ alone can change our life today and give us peace forever. In Counseling Under the Cross, biblical counselor and noted author Bob Kellemen mines the riches of Luther's letters of spiritual counsel to give readers a new understanding of how Luther engaged in the personal ministry of the gospel. He guides pastors, counselors, lay leaders, and friends toward a deeper understanding of the gospel that will directly impact their personal ministry to others. Through lively vignettes, real-life stories, and direct quotes from Luther, readers will be equipped to apply the gospel to themselves and others, and learn that pastoral care is what every believer does in one-another ministry. As one of the most influential figures in Christian history, Luther was not only the father of the Reformation, he was also the father of "gospel-centered counseling." As sons and daughters in the faith, we have much to learn from him. Counseling Under the Cross equips us to apply the gospel richly, relevantly, and robustly to suffering and sin so that we find our hope and help in Christ alone.
Publisher: New Growth Press
Type: Paperback
ISBN: 9781945270215
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Bob Kellemen, ThM, PhD, is Academic Dean, Dean of Students, and Professor of Biblical Counseling at Faith Bible Seminary in Lafayette, Indiana. Bob is also the Founder and CEO of RPM Ministries, through which he speaks, writes, and consults on biblical counseling and Christian living. Dr. Kellemen served as the founding Executive Director of the Biblical Counseling Coalition. Bob and his wife, Shirley, have been married for forty years and have two adult children and three granddaughters. He is the author of twenty books, including Gospel-Centered Counseling, Gospel Conversations, and Consider Your Counsel.
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"And I thought I knew something about Luther! Counseling Under the Cross is such a well-researched and beautifully written book. Because Martin Luther desperately needed gospel counseling himself, he developed a perspective of soul care that reaches deeply into the heart of broken sinners who long for (and yet fear) intimacy with God. And although he wrote 500 years ago, we still need his perspective a perspective that proclaims God's self-giving love for anxious sinners demonstrated by the perfect life and substitutionary death of the Son he loved. Perhaps if the church had paid more attention to Luther's paradigm for soul-care, she wouldn't have given herself over to the futile philosophies of the world as she has. Bob Kellemen has given us a gift that has been sorely needed by the church: a revival of Luther's deep, gentle, and loving counsel. What a gift!" Elyse M. Fitzpatrick, Author of Counsel from the Cross