Theological Foundations for Counseling is an excellent introduction into why biblical counseling is so important and the methodology behind it. Using solid, reformed theology, Fesko proves that Scripture and secular wisdom work together mutually to foster unparalleled health and maturity for all mankind. God's word is true for believers and unbelievers alike, but it is of utmost importance that all Christians learn biblical counseling principles for our own well-being, even if we don't formally counsel. This world would be a better place if we consistently pointed one another back to Truth in humble, loving kindness. Our souls need heart checks in the good and comfortable as well as in the hard and miserable. If we don't use biblical theology as the logic for what we believe about God, life, and others, the world will fill that void for us.

This book covers both hermeneutic [the process by which someone interprets scripture: theoretically (concept, NIV), literally (word for word, ESV), and philosophically (thought, MSG)] and exegesis (the practical application of those principles to extract the original, intended meaning of a specific passage) breakdowns throughout to teach readers why accurate biblical counseling is paramount to understand for all believers. Every chapter is thoughtfully addressed and I could not find any statement that contradicts Scripture- please comment below if you did so we can discuss 🙂

Fesko includes extensive resources, cited thoughtfully with commentary for further reading and fact checking. There might be more references than pages in the whole book- that feature alone was incredibly impressive! For readers interested in further, more in-depth, specific counseling resources, I highly recommend:

- Systematic Theology by Gruden
- Competent to Counsel by Jay Adams
- How to Counsel Biblically by MacArthur
- Biblical Counseling and The Church by Kellerman

My favorite chapter focused on suffering. Fesko wrote, "Humans need discomfort and pain to be happy and strong because, apart from pain, we become weakened apart from pain we become weekend by a continual state of comfort This does not mean we should feel overjoyed when we encountered discomfort or suffering, but when we recognize that there is a psychological function for pain, we can more easily accept that we cannot always live in a state of comfort." Wow. What a concept to wrestle with personally!

Thank you J. V. Fesko for writing, and big thanks to Baker Academic & Brazos Press and NetGalley for this ARC!