PACO Journal Critique Template
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Dec 6, 2023
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Journal Article Critique of
“The Holy Spirit, Common Grace, and Secular Psychotherapy”
Andrew Stephen Davis
PACO 501 Foundational Doctrines for Pastoral Counselors
September 12, 2023
Contents
Introduction
....................................................................................................................................
1
Summary
.........................................................................................................................................
1
Critical Interaction
........................................................................................................................
2
Thesis Development ............................................................................................................
2
Theological and Biblical Perspectives
.................................................................................
2
Strengths and Weaknesses of the Article
.............................................................................
3
Pastoral Counseling Implications
........................................................................................
3
Conclusion
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3
Bibliography
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4
ii
Introduction
The purpose of the paper was to demonstrate how the Holy Spirit, through common grace, may actively be working through secular psychotherapy.
1
Because of common grace, God has allowed Christians and unbelievers the ability to share in the enjoyment of many aspects of life. Food, nature, and medicine are just a few examples of things that God allows all people to enjoy under “common grace”. The writer asserts that common grace extends from simple things like food and extends even into the field of psychotherapy. Summary
As mentioned in the introduction, Lydia Kim-van Daalen seeks to argue that Christians can adopt the secular science of psychotherapy in their counseling. She often sites Calvin in her writings and uses his thought that anything true, even when spoken by non-Christians comes from God.
2
Common grace is spoken of often by Daalen and she uses it to support her assertion that all people can benefit from secular psychotherapy. She not only argues the benefits of psychotherapy for Believers and non-Believers alike, she takes it a step further and defends her main point that the Holy Spirit can and will use secular
psychotherapy. The writer believes that the church may not always have the resources to help their members in areas where psychotherapy can help.
3
While she makes these assertions, she her
paper is not one-sided. She is not ashamed to explain the issues of using secular psychotherapy in the Christian realm. While there are some issues present, Daalen advocates for Christianity to study and develop their own form of Christian psychotherapy that barrows from the secular world without losing the Biblical aspect.
1
Lydia Kim-van Daalen, “The Holy Spirit, Common Grace, and Secular Psychotherapy.” Journal of Psychology and Theology
40, no. 3 (Fall 2012), 229.
2
Ibid, 232.
3
Ibid, 233.
1
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Through common grace the Holy Spirit may be actively using and working within secular
psychotherapy.
4
Due to the useful nature of this field of study, Christian counselors should not be
so quick to throw out the advances that this field has made. The writer boldly claims that Christian professionals should actively engage with secular psychotherapy in order to participate in research and help people solve problems.
5
Critical Interaction
Thesis Development
As mentioned above, the authors thesis is to demonstrate that the Holy Spirit may be actively using and working within secular psychotherapy by virtue of common grace.
6
Through careful analysis the writer was able to defend the thesis effectively. By offering biblical examples, being honest about possible difficulties, and bringing out positive aspects she was convicting in her argument. She views secular psychotherapy as a blessing from God to all people through the work of the Holy Spirit. Theological and Biblical Perspectives
The writer quoted Calvin often but her theological stance was not overtly stated. She seemed balanced in her theological approach. While the premise of the paper was based on the work of the Holy Spirit she did not approach the subject from a charismatic standpoint. Through her writing and the men she quoted she seemed to have a view that would align with most Puritans and Reformers. She placed a value on the high view of God and how secular psychotherapy in the Christian realm could draw people closer to him through the work of the Holy Spirit. 4
Lydia Kim-van Daalen, “The Holy Spirit, Common Grace, and Secular Psychotherapy.” Journal of Psychology and Theology
40, no. 3 (Fall 2012), 237.
5
Ibid, 236.
6
Ibid, 237.
2
Strengths and Weaknesses of the Article
The greatest strengths of her article was her ability to have a balanced view. Her ability to
be critical of her own viewpoint was refreshing to see and shows that she was attempting to step away from her own personal bias. She had a logical train of thought that led the reader to understand her viewpoint. The biggest weakness of her paper was that she did not clearly define her terms. She talked about common grace and secular psychotherapy but did not give a clear definition to hold onto. She also made a few claims about the church that were not backed up by any official study. She asserts that the church is often not well equipped and the counselors do not have the proper training to aid people properly. While this may be true in some cases, in other cases churches have wonderful resources and very educated counselors. In her attempt to defend the need for secular psychotherapy she made the claim that churches are failing without it
which was not backed up properly by any statistics or studies. Pastoral Counseling Implications
For pastoral counseling this article can be helpful as we can open our eyes to the resources that our available to us. We should not be afraid to adopt secular advances when they can benefit us and our ability to counsel. While these practices may not be completely adopted, there may be something for us to learn and the Holy Spirit may use it in the lives of those we are counseling. Conclusion
The writer of the article posed the thought that Holy Spirit can use secular psychotherapy to aid all men saved and unsaved through common grace. This article proved to be helpful by leading the reader to understand that secular psychotherapy can be helpful in biblical counseling. 3
While there are some dangers present and we should be aware of them, secular psychotherapy can and should be adopted in pastoral counseling practices. As we adopt these practices we must be careful to keep the truth of God’s Word in sight as we develop a proper counseling model. 4
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Bibliography
Kim-van Daalen, Lydia. “The Holy Spirit, Common Grace, and Secular Psychotherapy.” Journal
of Psychology and Theology
40, no. 3 (Fall 2012): 229-39. 5