Christian Ethics and Sexual Misconduct What is Christian Ethics? Can pastoral care be separated from Christian ethics? What is sexual harassment or misconduct? Is it ethical to serve in Christian ministry if one frequently engages in sexual misconduct? As we attempt to answer these questions in the next few pages, we’ll get into some areas where most people may feel a little uneasy. On the other hand, these are areas and topics the church should (and must) address responsibly to clearly and lovingly point others to the holy and healthy life we can live in our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. In his book Choosing the Good (pg. 20), Dennis P. Hollinger writes, “Christian ethics is rooted in the very nature and actions of God and in our worldview as Christians.” This statement, Hollinger goes on to explain, is what God is calling us to reach for when it comes to our character and the calling God may have placed in our lives. In one way or another every human being has a sense of what’s right and what’s wrong, most people can differentiate between good and evil, and what it means to help someone or leaving them to fend for themselves. But this is not what Hollinger is describing here. He states Christian Ethics is not only rooted in God’s nature and actions, but is also developed and sustained through an intimate relationship with Him through Jesus’ sacrifice and love demonstrated on the cross. This love should be demonstrated and exemplified by every born-again
As a Christian counseling, I realize that I am an adjunct, specializing in a practice that is appropriately attached to and derived from the core practice, as it is legally defined (Clinton and Ohlschlager, p133). I also realize that I am more than a counselor; however, I have become a soul-care artisan, a disciple, a mentor, a spiritual director, and a guide into the deeper way of Christ (p132). Therefore, every Christian counseling session, I have encountered, has started with a prayer, to welcome God into the midst, as the Holy Spirit take the lead and guides what is said by me, as the counselor. As a Christian counselor, it is my hope that my knowledge of Spiritual formation reshapes the inner man, by being formed spiritually from the inside out, transforming from a selfish and carnal existence to a holy and joyful one; by one’s faith, as well as, the client’s faith, in God (Clinton and Ohlschlager, p130)
Boundaries and ethics are very important to know whether you a counselor, coach, pastor, and so on because there are limitations in what you can do and say. Almost everywhere you go a business, organization, church, etc. has a Code of Ethics to follow. Having a Code of Ethics in place is to protect the coach and the client to create professional boundaries that can help build a professional relationship. The American Association of Christian Counselors (AACC) has very strong approach on how a coach should have professional boundaries with their clients. Having Code of ethic or professional boundaries is important to understanding before you meet your client so you and the client can have a proper environment during your time together. When
As a Christian I rely on the holy word of God, the bible, as a guide to ethics, and morals, however not all see this the same way. Jesus Christ, his life is the model for ethics. Jesus is the Christ, he is the way. Jesus gives a guide to proper behavior and
Dr. Larry Crabb’s book “Effective Biblical Counseling: A Model for Helping Caring Christians Become Capable Counselor” Crabb, (1977), this book models how counseling can be gracefully integrated into implementation of the local church. The Goal of Christian Counseling that Dr. Crabb states within his book Crabb, (1977), is “any approach to counseling that is truly biblical will work most effectively when carried out into the context of a local body of believers” (pg. 13). As Dr. Crabb states within his book that “The goal of biblical counseling is to promote Christian maturity, to help people enter into a richer experience of worship and a more effective life of service” (pg. 31), This allows them grow
As Christians, we tend to believe that everyone has the same worldview as us. We believe that everyone thinks the way we do leading him or her to do the right thing. We assume the best and forget the worst. However, it becomes painstakingly real that is not the case in our world today. We are constantly faced with ethical issues in our profession and everyday life. Although we would like to believe that people always do the right thing that is not the case. This reality hits us in cases like the Tuskegee study, the obedience to authority study, and the Stanford prison experiment.
The author of this book Mark McMinn explains how psychology, theology, and spirituality can all be integrated into Christian counseling. He discusses the difference between the three overlapping principles. He wrote this book especially for Christian counselors, pastors, as well as students so that they may clearly understand the meaning of the three principles, allowing them to apply it to everyday problems. The main question this book poses to answer is, How does a Christian counselor integrate their faith into a counseling session in a way that can be beneficial to their clients. He discusses the
The concern for morality and ethics cuts across all endeavors of human existence. Focusing particularly on the helping professions – Pastoral care, Counseling, medicine, Psychiatry, Social Work, Law, and Teaching - the need for standard professional guidelines for conduct of practitioners becomes of paramount importance. Competence or knowledge of techniques of therapy is important; but A person who needs to be salvaged, who needs spiritual, psychological, emotional, psychiatric healing or direction would rather prefer to interact with an ethically seasoned” half trained
This paper is the development of my personal theory on Christian Counseling. I use many scriptural references to support my beliefs and stress the importance of gaining wisdom and knowledge from the bible. It incorporates all of the presentations, readings, and critiques I did at Liberty University’s Theology and Spirituality in counseling course. I talk about how I integrate Psychology, Theology, and Spirituality into my Christian counseling and believe that they all have a lot to offer the Christian counselor. The role of integration and multitasking is necessary to be an effective Christian counselor under the guidelines of the American Association of Christian
Christians are called to the higher purpose of fulfilling a spiritual life in accordance to God’s will (II Timothy 1:9 New Living Translation, NLT). At the same time Christians are a part of society and therefore participate in the wealth of the economy. Although some have challenged business is morally neutral, business can be a wonderful way to bring glory to God (Grudem, 2003). This is possible when Christians apply their Christian worldview and abide by a code of conduct constructed from this worldview (Ruddell, 2004). This paper will examine the process of constructing an ethics program based on a Christian worldview.
In 2011 Mark McMinn updates his book on Psychology, Theology, and Spirituality in Christian Counseling, which discloses three important perspectives of Christian counseling. This recently evolving frontier for Christian counselors is what McMinn calls interdisciplinary integration. The relationship between psychology and theology is not the vital key component, but it’s how Christian faith is practiced in counseling. Bringing religion into the counseling office will bring challenges but with personal spiritual training and professional development it can be accomplished. McMinn shares a theoretical map on the prospective values and dangers of using religious interventions in counseling. In the first two chapters McMinn establishes a framework on the variety of religious interventions like prayer, the use of Scripture, forgiveness, and so on. Theses chapters would be part 1 of a 2 broad part that lays down a foundation for the rest of the book. The chapters that follow would be part 2 that explains the indispensable components in McMinn’s methodology to the integration of psychology, theology, and spiritualty in counseling. Psychology, theology, and spirituality is highlighted in the sessions of Christian counseling by guiding the person who reads an insightful understanding of integrating stages of: prayer, scripture, sin, confession,
Psychology, Theology and Spirituality in Christian Counseling by Mark R. McMinn (McMinn, 1996) covers a Christian counselor's life in and out of counseling sessions. McMinn's book is dedicated to recognizing and developing the relationship between counseling and Christian faith rather than a dry Theology. This resource work divides the discussion into 8 chapters, each addressing a vital aspect of Christian psychological counseling and each having a section outlining challenges, methods and anticipated outcomes. The first chapter is co-written with James C. Wilhoit and stresses the importance of the counseling/faith relationship while presenting various challenges confronting the counselor and possible approaches to facing those challenges. The second chapter enumerates the Christian faith's major
The new Christian Counsellor: A fresh Biblical and Transformational Approach is a book that aims to teach people and empower them to take possession of their souls in the contemporary life of a multi-faceted approach design. The authors are seasoned Christian counsellors who have a vast experience in dealing with people’s psycho-spiritual issues from a Christian point of view (Hawkins & Clinton, 2015 p.6). Through their noble ideas, the professors seek to guide their reads through the power of the Holy Spirit in their lives, under the influence of God’s word and in a manner that is supportive of the accountability ideas of the entire community.
This paper is a comparison between the codes of ethics of the American Counseling Association (ACA) and the American Association of Christian Counselors (AACC). This paper aims to present the similarities and differences between the two codes of ethics. There are two main sections on this paper. The first section presents the general similarities and differences of the two codes of ethics. The second section presents the similarities and differences of the two codes of ethics on three specific areas: Confidentiality, Sexual Intimacies and Informed Consent. The author used the codes of ethics of both organizations in the process of comparing and contrasting. The general comparison reveals that the
In Chapter 10 of Rudolph K. Sanders’ book, Christian Counseling Ethics: A Handbook for Psychologists, Therapists and Pastors, Mark Yarhouse, Jill Kays and Stanton Jones discuss the “sexual minority” as it pertains to the field of professional counseling. This group is defined as “individuals with same sex attractions or behavior, regardless of self-identification” (Sanders, et. al., 2013, p. 252). By looking at counseling the homosexual community through its etiology, standards by which a counselor should proceed with treatment, and the options a client has on deciding treatment options, we can be better prepared as Christian counselors to be better prepared in serving the needs of others.
1. There are a number of dilemmas in sexual ethics such as homosexuality, marriage and divorce and pornography. For instance homosexuality is a major problem within sexual ethics because homosexual sex cannot lead to reproduction. However sexual ethic it differs between denominations compared to government law. Therefore these issues are a concern to religious belief; different faiths have different view on homosexuality or marriage and divorce.