Beyond Techniques, Abiding Facts About Christian Counselling, by Dr. Alex Mathew, 2008, Authentic Books, India

What a flashpoint the topic of counseling can be among believers. Views range from “counseling is of the world and the devil” to “Jesus is the Great Counselor” (Isaiah 9:6). This book is not a university textbook on how to counsel, though I wish it were required reading for Christian counselors! Every page exudes the wisdom that can be sought in a life in Christ. From describing the human condition and identity, through discussing the state of counseling, counselors, and various counselees, and contrasting those states with Jesus’ approach to people and counseling–whether by Scriptural example or His counseling through a believer today—Dr. Mathew enlightens us to many issues and principles, but always with an eye toward the breath of God flowing as love through His children to others.

Examples: Excerpts Pages 124 & 125, “Counsellor Qualities”

“Rush, rush and be done with, the faster the better. Quick fixes are the norm of the day.  Think of the response of Jesus to the centurion who came to Jesus for the healing for his ailing servant at home. Without bothering to enquire about how distant the place was or how to get to the place, He simply said, ‘I will come.’ That is what suffering people want to hear from you, that ‘I am with you in your pain.’”

“Another detail the counselor should be aware of is the fact of the nearness of Jesus when counseling is done in His name. Where the counselor and counselee are together in His name, He is right in the midst of them as He promises. Jesus makes Himself available to those in pain. The counselor has to apportion time wisely to be available to the counselee in a rush-free setting. Rush takes away the joy in fellowship. I do not suggest fellowships should be bracketed with counseling. Most often subjectivity and sympathy rightly rule Christian fellowships. That is a beautiful thing. But in counseling, the counselee needs an understanding person with a degree of unhurried objectivity to discern the intricacies of the issues involved.”

Excerpts 191-194, Chapter entitled “The Art of Abiding”

“What is the choice open to the Christian counselor? If the counselor picks the world’s choice, he has to turn to be a technician practicing the worldly stuff of psycho fixing, beefing up self-esteem and things related to it.

“The Word is beyond techniques and so is the love of Christ that constrains the Christian counselor.”

“’Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted’ (Luke 14:11) . . . I mention this again because of the big damage possibilities it holds in the counseling ministry in particular.”

“Christ is not a stingy provider of love; He fills us with His goodness and love and peace according to His promises. It is only after the filling that He expects us to share of it with all those who are in need.”

Pros: For a while I was afraid the book would never state what, in fact, a Christian counselor was. At the end, though, we get more than satisfaction as once again the readers see that everything comes in God’s timing through Christ and His ways. I loved seeing Christ on every page of this book. As a contrast to a how-to book on counseling, this is a what-to-be-in-Christ book with principles that enable Christ to be in a position to be the Counselor in the counselor’s heart.

Cons: Written with the Eastern mindset, it can seem to be bogged down or tedious in sections, but perseverance pays great dividends. The “Recommended Reading” section has some shocking entries, because it lists, as the author pointed out to us, books revealing what does not work as well as what is truth. In that regard, rather than being across-the-board “recommended reading,” the list should be considered to be the author’s bibliography through his decades of research and probing inquiry into the area of counseling and the human condition.

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