Today, we had our first meeting in a combined class of theology and education students. The subject is Introduction to Biblical Counseling/Introduction to Guidance and Counseling. It is good that education students are taking this course, for they need theological guidance. In my experience in postgraduate studies, I observe that education is in the forefront of ideological tension. There are so many ideas out there, and basic to dialogue and a healthy intellectual discourse is the knowledge of your own stance as an educator. That is your entry point into the discussion, both in the form of appreciation and critique.

Distinct Course Description

Combining the two courses is challenging, for they have different course descriptions. In our catalogue, here is the description of MED04 Introduction to Guidance and Counseling:

An introductory course in guidance and counseling designed to give the students a general overview of school guidance. It encompasses the meaning, purpose, structure, principles, and methods/techniques of guidance, as well as the guidance services offered at the secondary level. It also focuses on the guidance personnel and their responsibilities, as well as on counseling as a guidance technique. It tackles the different factors that lead to wise career decision-making. The course takes into consideration the development of students into responsible and effective individuals.

IDC11 Introduction to Biblical Counseling has a different course description:

A view of biblical counseling as a discipleship model. Definition, procedure, and goal of biblical counseling as distinguished from humanistic, psychologically based systems and integrationists’ theories.

The above description is generic, and so I expanded it:

A general introduction to biblical counseling that covers the following: (1) historical background; (2) what biblical counseling is; (3) theological foundation; (4) how its theory and practice relate to and differ from some of the more common secular models and theories; (5) the four stages of biblical change; and (6) the overview of the practice of biblical counseling.

And then I integrated Hive:

Furthermore, this course also explores the integration of blockchain technology for documentation and digital engagement in a decentralized platform.

First Reading Assignment

For our first reading assignment, I gave my students the following instruction on MS Teams:

After sharing with you the updated syllabus during our second meeting, I will give a brief lecture on the historical background of the biblical counseling movement. As part of your preparation, your reading assignment will cover chapters 1 to 3 of John MacArthur's book, Counseling: How to Counsel Biblically, pages 3 to 47.

The reading assignment will be the basis for the Reading Response, which will comprise 30% of their total grade. I asked the students to include the following sections in their RR:

• Reflect on the most insightful/impactful point for your own life and/or ministry. Support it with a 3-5 sentence quote from the text and cite the page number in parentheses.

• Based on your reflection point, what are the applications for your life and/or ministry? Be specific. What specific ways of thinking or behavior need to change, or what should you start doing in light of your reflection point?

• Write down any questions or disagreements you have about what the author said.

And then finally I asked my students to either publish their Reading Response on their own, or they can email me for editorial purposes before publishing their content on Hive.

Grace and peace!