Jay Edward Adams is a Reformed Christian author. He has written over 100 books and these have been published in sixteen languages. He received a Bachelor of Divinity from Reformed Episcopal Seminary, a Bachelor of Arts in Classics from Johns Hopkins University,a Masters in Sacred Theology from Temple University, and a PhD in Speech from the University of Missouri. Adams' book Competent to Counsel launched the nouthetic counseling movement, a movement whose aim was to use strictly biblical counseling methods. He is the founder of the Intitute for Nothetic Studies.
Adams becomes repetitive after a while but the unique contribution of this book was its description of bad outside influences that can contribute to the breakdown of a marriage, such as media, friends, coworkers, and inlaw relationships.
Good short intro. If you approach this as the end all be all for marriage counseling you will be disappointed. It is also a great gateway to other resources. Which I really liked.
Took way longer than expected to finish. Simple book with helpful clarity. I wish there were more clear helps towards solving problems but when it comes to identifying problems—it is helpful.
This book spends more time advertising other books written by the author than it does providing help to counselors. Issues are covered on a surface level and chapters end with such great writing as, “Since this chapter has grown long, we will continue our look at the principal living patterns that cause difficulties in marriage, in the next chapter.” Do not waste your time on this book. It will not lead to any new insight for counselors, or to a reader simply looking to improve their own marriage.
While most marriage books focus on one or two main issues (love, respect, etc), this book is packed with multiple core issues that occur in almost every marriage - like spousal roles, familial ties, faithfulness and purity, discipline, financial wisdom, etc. For such a short book, it includes much pointed exhortation and instruction, which is helpful for both the one reading as well as those who might be counseled by the reader. A great resource for any married Christian!
This short read provides no depth on any single issues, but Adams helps the pastor know what main issues to examine when counseling a couple. It is a strong reminder to remain Biblically focused to discover God's solutions for marriages in crisis.