Sin and Grace in Christian Counseling: An Integrative Paradigm

by Mark R. McMinn

Sin. Grace. Christian Counseling. How do these fit together? In Christian theology sin and grace are intrinsically interconnected. Teacher and counselor Mark McMinn believes that Christian counseling, then, must also take account of both human sin and God's grace. For both sin and grace are distorted whenever one is emphasized without the other. McMinn, noting his own tendencies and the temptation to stereotype different Christian approaches to counseling along this theological divide, aims to help all those preparing for or currently serving in the helping professions. Expounding the proper relationship of sin and grace, McMinn shows how the full truth of the Christian gospel works itself out in the functional, structural and relational domains of an integrative model of psychotherapy. Christian Association for Psychological Studies (CAPS) Books explore how Christianity relates to mental health and behavioral sciences including psychology, counseling, social work, and marriage and family therapy in order to equip Christian clinicians to support the well-being of their clients.

Genres: Counselling, Psychology, Christian, Grad School

176 pages, Paperback

Published January 4, 2008

About the author

After a long academic career conducting research and teaching doctoral students in health service psychology, I now spend my time writing and growing fruit in rural Oregon.

I am married to Lisa Graham McMinn, an author, sociologist, and spiritual director. We have three grown daughters and six grandchildren.

Reviews

[Katy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must-read for any Christian counselor, or any Christian looking to understand the effects of sin and grace in their own lives.

[AmyRose · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Appreciated the intellectual hospitality McMinn demonstrated in this lay-friendly book. This book would benefit from a more clearly defined, cohesive thesis and tightly-woven argument.

[Ally Rayburn · Rating 1 out of 5]

Meh so hard to read

[Lizz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book! Made me think a lot and gave me many new ideas and perspectives to chew on.

[Chuck Kinsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent book written by and for a professional counselor but easily understood by the lay person. In Dr. McMinn's experience the psychologist and the biblical counselor see their approaches mutually exclusive and often view the other with suspicion. Instead, he outlines the need to integrate the insights and strengths of both.

McMinn builds on a Reformed theological perspective that sin is not merely an act but a condition and has resulting consequences. Yet to focus on sin without grace is to ignore the great reality of our human commonality and God's favor. Grace with an accompanying understanding of how our biology and relationships have been corrupted is central to the role of the counselor.

Among the insights he shares is the noetic effects of sin. We all have a tendency to be overconfident of our own perspectives and conclusions assuming our own rightness as opposed to another's. We have a confirmation bias, always looking for proof and support for what we already believe. And we have belief perseverance whereby even when faced with contradictory evidence we tend to ignore it or explain it away.

McMinn concludes by suggesting that three basic counseling perspectives should be integrated: the relational which looks at how past experiences have shaped or misshaped one's character, the skill-focused which deals with how cognitive or behavioral skills can help with life's complexities, and the moral which looks at mitigating consequences by living according to the natural principles of creation. Counsel focused on just one without the other two perspectives can be damaging and misleading. Underlying it all should be grace and recognition of the need for community.

[Jeffrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

McMinn's book is an excellent read and likely would be included in my very selective list of "desert island books." The book talks of two very familiar topics, the notion of sin and grace, yet does so in relational terms from a psychological perspective. We may think we know what these topics include, but after reading this book you might be happily pleased with the additional insights he has into grace and sin (not your old trite bible verse, quick explanation of missing the mark and moving on but robust, developed and relational concepts with examples). The first section of the book deals with sin and grace and how this affects psychotherapy and counseling. McMinn is an integrationist but balances his book well. The second section of the book walks the reader through an integrated approach to therapy (i.e. theology and psychology): first tackle the functional complaints of the person and teach new behaviors and manage symptoms, second tackle the cognitive aspects of the person and their interpretive schemas (beliefs of various levels, assumptions, etc), lastly, tackle the relational divides that are almost always present. An excellent book, well worth the read.

[David Cowpar · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is very insightful into the part a recognition of the reality of sin, and the need for grace, can play in a positive journey towards a healthy mental outlook.

I think McMinn is really able and has thought deeply about how advances in the secular realm of psychotherapy and the understanding of the world passed down by theology interplay.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book offers a balanced perspective on Christianity and mental health. McMinn provides clarity on the need for recognition of sin in one's life as well as an understanding of the biological and chemical components of mental health issues.