The Psychological Anthropology of Wayne Edward Oates: A Downgrade from the Theological to the Therapeutic

Samuel E. Stephens

Jul. 2020 · Wipf and Stock Publishers

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Theological education has historically placed a strong emphasis on Scripture as the source of principle and practice for ministry. However, when it comes to the arena of counseling, this has largely not been the case. Focusing on the significant influence of Wayne Edward Oates (1917-1999), the author seeks to explore how and why the American Protestant church arrived at the place where psychological counseling has become the norm and biblical counseling is treated as novel. A detailed study of Oates' anthropology, which served as the heart of his counseling theory and practice, demonstrates that it was shaped and informed by secular concepts, values, and principles instead of what God has to say about who we are as people, what plagues our souls, and where we find our true hope and healing. This subtle shift from the theological to the therapeutic has contributed to a much broader view from many in the church that counseling is more of a clinical and professional service rather than a personal or pastoral ministry of the Scriptures. Through these unsettling warnings and implications, the author hopes that the church will see the importance of once again engaging with the God-glorifying, Christ-honoring, and Spirit-empowering ministry of counseling.

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Samuel E. Stephens is the Director of Training Center Certification at the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors and is an assistant professor of biblical counseling at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is a frequent journal, blog, and podcast contributor and has most recently authored The Eternal Remedy: Why and How Permanent Change is Possible (2017). He and his wife Hannah raise their two daughters in Kansas City, Missouri.