Larry Crabb’s Theory of Biblical Counseling

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Larry Crabb’s Theory of Biblical Counseling

Dr. Larry Crabb has a unique approach to counseling. His system of counseling,

called Biblical counseling, will be explained in great detail. Dr. Crabb’s first book,

Basic Principles of Biblical Counseling, was published in 1975. The basic parts

and theories of his system, along many changes in theology and emphasis’ will be

also explained in detail. Crabb (1975) believes that ". . . the most basic problem

of every human being is his separation from God, a gulf made necessary by the

fact that God is holy and we are not" (p. 17).

Crabb, like most other Christian counselors, claims that his system is biblically

based. The foundation of Crabb’s counseling style is the Bible. God has revealed

truth to us in two ways, general and special revelation. Crabb (1987) believes

that,". . . many Christian counselors have adopted a method of study that treats

the bible as helpful, informative, and insightful- but neither authoritative nor sufficient" (p. 37). The bible is to be allowed the final word. The questions that

are answered by the Bible are authoritative.

Dr. Crabb divides problems into two categories, the first category are those

resulting from natural or physical causes. This would include such things as a

chemical imbalance, and learning disabilities brought on by common, perceptual

disfunctions. The second category is composed mostly of problem that are

essentially moral. Crabb believes the Bible is sufficient for providing a framework,

that is able to direct the counselor in dealing with every problem. The Bible

speaks meaningfully to every area of life. "The Bible teaches principles that can

comprehensively guide our efforts to counselor with warmth and insight, and it

lays out truths about human personality that are sufficient for leading us into athorough understanding of what therapists call "dynamic" (Crabb, 1987, p. 62).

Dr. Larry Crabb’s (1977) approach to integrating theology and psychology is

called "spoiling the Egyptians" (p 47). His approach is tries to screen out any

secular psychology which is not compatible with biblical principles and doctrine.

Counselors need to look at psychology from a foundation of theology and not

from a psychological point of view. Crabb believes that if non biblical ideas or

presuppositions are allowed to slip through, the christian message and theology

will end up being lost and something new will replace it. Crabb has tried very

hard to formulate what he feels is a biblical counseling system.

The most important concept in Crabb’s theory of counseling is the idea that there

is one basic need, the need for personal worth, that is satisfied in two ways. The

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believe they can make life work without God. There are two ideas used by

Crabb to describe why men are driven to make life work by themselves.

The first idea is what Crabb calls our "innermost being." Our innermost being is "a

deep part within us from which should flow rivers of life-giving water" (Crabb,

1987, p. 105). This "space" is a cavity within every person that longs to be filled.

When this hollow core is full we tend to experience good feelings, and when it is

empty we tend to ignore or deny our feelings. Only Christ can fill this core. If this

hollow core is not filled by the Holy Spirit, it will become a terrible, driving force

that tirelessly chooses the direction our lives will take. People unconsciously go

after whatever they feel will fill their hollow core. "When pleasures of any kind are

used to satisfy (or at least quiet) our crucial longings, then the craving for what

only God can provide becomes a demanding tyrant, driving us toward whatever

relief is available" (Crabb, 1988, p. 96). Any thing used to fill our hollow core,

other than God, will only increase our hunger

.

Any counseling method that does not take into account this empty space, longing

to be filled, is unbiblical. All emotional problems we experience comes from our

desperately trying to meet our own needs and fill the terrible ache in our hollow

core. All sin has its roots in our attempt to fill this bottomless void without God.

The second concept deals with us being "thirsty." People thirst to have their two

basic needs met. People are thirsty for love (relationship), and impact

(significance). Crabb (1987) says, "Relationship and impact are longings deeply

embedded in our hearts that put us in touch with our dependency" (p. 110).

When Adam sinned, God pulled back and man suddenly had an empty core.

Because of mans’ hatred and rebellion against God, man tries to means and

people to fill these needs apart from God. No human can meet these needs in us

fully. This causes pain and resentment between people. We feel hurt and angry

when they fail to live up to our expectations. People quickly learn to manipulate

others to get what they desire out of relationships.

Our thirst also includes our need for impact. We have to have a reason for living.

We want (need) to make a difference in our world. The Christian has a very

positive reason for living and making an impact. God has a plan for each

Christian’s life. We can make an eternal difference in the world around us. Crabb

(1987) defines the need for impact as, ". . . a desire to be adequate for a

meaningful task, a desire to know that we are capable of taking hold of our world

and doing something valuable well" (p. 114).

Crabb believes we are motivated to meet our needs when these needs are not

being met. This motivational energy is always directed toward meeting a goal.

This goal will be whatever it is we feel will meet our needs. Motivation is

channeled to meet this goal, because we believe the goal will satisfy our need. If

we cannot reach this goal, negative emotions will be produced. If we believe this

goal would have met our need for love or impact, we may feel worthless.

The way to change this motivational energy away from a faulty goal, is to change

the counselee’s thinking about what will meet their needs. Crabb (1977) say’s,

"My efforts to change should not focus on my behavior but rather on my wrong

thinking,"

(p. 78).

Dr. Crabb believes that only a Christian can become truly self-actualized. Since

only steps three and four can be met fully in a christian, non-christians will always

be to a degree self-centered. Since the need for love and Impact (purpose) can

never be fully satisfied in them, they will always be trying to use others to meet

their own needs. Every non-christian, to a degree, is forever trapped in Maslow’s

stages three and four. It is not possible to become a complete, whole person

without God, since they are operating from a deficit motivation





Why do christians live carnal lives then? The basic problem is unbelief. They do

not truly believe that God is good and that He will meet all their needs. God has

truly promised to meet all the needs of his children. Still a lot of Christians do not

believe God and experientially are operating from a deficit motivation.

To adequately counsel a client, the counselor must have an accurate

understanding of the human personality. The parts that Crabb finds important are,

the conscience mind, the unconscious mind, basic direction, will, and emotions.

The conscience mind includes the sentences we tell ourselves. Crabb (1977)

says, ". . . events do not control my feelings, my mental evaluation of events (thesentences I tell myself) do affect how I feel" (p. 89). What we believe about a

subject or event will affect how we respond to it. An example

would be if the evening news showed that lot’s of pro-abortion laws had been

passed by congress that day. The event would be measured by whether I thought

abortion was good or bad. Since I believe abortion to be bad, this event would

probably result in me having negative feelings. Albert Ellis has had a strong impact

on Crabb at this point in his theory of counseling. What the client believes about

an event will determine his emotions in response to it, and ultimately affect his

behavior.

The unconscious is a vitally important area for Crabb’s theory. He describes the

unconscious as, ". . . the reservoir of basic assumptions which people firmly andemotionally hold about how to meet their needs of significance and security"

(Crabb, 1977, p. 91). Stored in our unconscious is the belief that our basic needs

can be met apart from Christ. We believe we can fix and steer our lives without

the help of God. An example could be if the Christians mind has been

programmed to believe that only lots of money can make him significant. He may

believe or think that if only he had a little more money everything would be ok.

Most people find though that, as they make more and more money, it does not

satisfy. Adler refers to these untrue beliefs as a person’s guiding fiction.

When a counselor attempts to help the counselee change these attitudes or beliefs

that are in the unconscious, he must be prepared for resistance. The counselor

must understand that the client may perceive this as a threat and react with

resistance. The clients approach to finding worth is being threatened. Thecounselor needs to reassure the client that he is a worthwhile human being. The

counselee needs to feel safe and accepted before he will consider changing his

beliefs. The counselor needs to talk in a loving, caring way. Crabb (1984) says,

"The protection intended to block out rejecting words also prevents encouraging

words from reaching to the core of people" (p. 48).

The heart or basic direction of a person deals with both the rational and emotional

parts of a person’s personality. The heart is ". . . that essential part of the person

which chooses his basic direction in life" (Crabb, 1977, p. 97). The client has

only two basic directions: he can live for God, or he can live a selfish life. A non-

christian can only serve himself. A Christian can study the Bible and fill his

conscious mind with the biblical truths on how to find significance and security.

A fourth part of the personality structure is the will. People are able to chose their

behaviors. People can chose to do what makes sense to them. Their behaviors

will be based on their beliefs, and on how they perceive a particular situations

possible affects on them.

The final aspect of the personality structure are the emotions. The client has to

have correct thinking as a foundation in order to have good feelings. Feelings are

good in that they let the client know when something is wrong, and they help the

counselor by acting as a guide to trace the problem back to its roots. It is all right

for a Christian to feel some negative emotions as long as they do not interfere with

compassion for the lost. All emotions spring from a client being in deficit or

deficient in meeting his two basic needs, which in turn is caused by wrong



b | Larry Crabb’s Theory of Biblical Counseling

5

.

Having discussed the four parts of the human personality as being: the personal,

rational, volitional and emotional, we will now take a more in-depth look at the

rational circle.

The second part of the human personality being made in the image of God is that

they are rational beings. Crabb (1987) says, "Every ‘personal problem’ (any

problem in living not directly traceable to some organic malfunction) has its

ultimate roots in a broken relationship with God and a commitment to a higher

priority than knowing God" (p. 123). Counseling must deal with the securing of

obedience and repentance, to God, from the client.

The foundation for the change process is repentance. The client must repent for

more than just wrong, external behavior. Real repentance and change takes more

into account than just outward behavior or actions. The counselor needs to have

a biblical understanding of sin. A shallow view of sin is

a major problem in most Christian counseling. Sin is, ". . . an organic network of

compulsive attitudes, beliefs, and behavior deeply rooted in an alienation from

God" (Crabb, 1987, p. 128).

The sin in a clients life results from unconscious beliefs and motives. The job of

the counselor is to get past the clients self-defense mechanisms and expose these

deep forces in the person’s personality.

Crabb depends heavily on the idea of an iceberg representing a person’s

conscious and unconscious. With traditional methods of Christian counseling, like

nouthetic counseling, the great mass of sin below the surface of the water, is never

discussed, touched or changed. Human thinking is corrupted by the fall. A client’s

thinking will likely be sinful because of sin’s powerful affect.

What part of the human mind needs renewal or deep change? The change must

come from the person’s heart, mind, and soul. The images and beliefs of the client

have to be renewed. "As rational beings we are able to observe both the world

and ourselves and to form pictures of what we see" (Crabb, 1987, p. 134). Our

beliefs are formed by our efforts to think things through and it results in a relatively

firm set of beliefs. As we renew our minds, a shift from independence to

dependence on God occurs, and we end up with a changed set of images and

beliefs.

People form images or pictures in their minds that give them the ability to react or

respond to more than just present events. We do not respond to reality, but to

our frame of reference, or how we perceive reality.

A large part of Crabb’s belief of the rational part of man is his view that, "We are

all in pain without the fullness that comes only from God" (Crabb, 1987, p. 136).

Man’s rational circle is impacted by the constant pain and ache he always feels.

This pain, from relationships that cause us pain, motivates us to relieve the pain by

whatever method our image or picture of reality, filtered through our minds, tells

us to do it. We maintain the illusion, through our unconscious images and beliefs,

that we do not need God.

Counselors will need to find out what things have influenced a client’s images and

beliefs. Looking into the past is not done to find someone to blame the client’s

problems on. Clients will be better able to understand the images and beliefs they

now have, if they first understand what factors have influenced them during their

childhood. But Crabb (1987) also says, "We are also agents, responsible image

bearers who stubbornly refuse to turn to God for the life we fail to find in our

parents" (p. 139). The images and beliefs we accept are chosen by us in order to

have a way of dealing with life’s disappointments.

The unconscious is where real change has to occur in counseling. Crabb places a

lot of emphasis on the unconscious, but with some important distinguishing




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characteristics from a strictly freudian view. "My understanding of unconscious

elements within the personality is rooted in the biblical teaching that, above all

else, our hearts are deceitful and desperately wicked" (Crabb, 1987, p. 143).

An often used illustration of the conscious and unconscious is the idea of an

iceberg. The tip of the iceberg, the smallest part, is the same as the conscious.

The largest part of the iceberg, the unconscious, is below the water level. The

conscious contains such things as behaviors, emotions, and beliefs. The

unconscious, beneath the water line, contains the images and beliefs which we

have chosen, and also the pain from imperfect relationships we have experienced

during our lives. If a counselor does not change the unconscious, but changes onlythe conscious, it will result in only externalism and conformity in the client. Crabb

(1987) says, ". . . leaders who work only above the water line produce either

robots or rebels" (p. 144). These unconscious beliefs and images can keep us

from following and growing in our relationship with God. While these unconscious

beliefs and pain can control how we respond and react, we are still responsible

because we chose the beliefs and images. Our unconscious is not something

separate from us that we can blame for our problems. The unconscious does not

control how we respond. We are not victims of our unconscious images and

beliefs.

There are two elements that have to be exposed for healing and change to take

place. These two elements are self-protective patterns of relating, and relational pain.

People have pain buried in their unconscious that causes them to chose sinful

ways of relief. This pain is caused by the crushed hopes of not having another

love them fully, and the lack of impact on their close relationships. Because of the

pain we have received from relationships, we tend to keep a distance between

ourselves and others, to protect us from further pain. We also allow others to

touch us personally, but only in a limited way, so that if rejection occurs, serious

pain and hurt can be avoided. Crabb (1987) says, ". . . beneath every method of

relating can be found a commitment to self-interest, a determination to protect

oneself from more relational pain" (p. 148). People intentionally hide how they

manipulate and hurt others, in their unconscious.

Every person’s distress and psychological problems, results from not depending

on God to satisfy our two basic longings or needs. The sin that keeps us from

relying upon God, needs to be exposed and forgiven through repentance. During

repentance two steps have to be acknowledged and worked through. The first

are those times when our desire for protection from pain is put before obedience

to God. The second step involves replacing these self-protective measures with

obedience.

Repenting of a sinful behavior is incomplete and only partial repentance. To truly

repent the client needs to feel and experience his deeply entrenched pain within

his unconscious. By feeling and expressing the unconscious pain, the client can

recognize his methods of self-protection which he has been practicing.

Forgiveness and involvement are the fruit or sign of real repentance and change.Deep repentance in essence involves getting rid of manipulative styles of relating

in order to achieve risky involvement with others.

Our rational circles become filled as our wrong beliefs about how to manipulate

and meet our longings are replaced by the truth and wisdom of God. Repentance

is the first step towards filling our rational and personal needs or circles.

Repentance results from exposing the client’s wrong strategies for meeting his

needs, and the hidden pain within the unconscious.

The third part of the human personality involves a person’s volition or ability to

chose. People like to be in charge. Nobody likes to be confused about what

decisions to make. For fallen man, the accuracy of his decisions is not as

important as his struggle to believe he is truly independent. Because of people





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doing whatever it takes to live for themselves, their capacity to chose is badly

distorted to keep from having to admit their dependence. The client may settle for

a premature explanation, but still have a nagging doubt in the back of his mind,

because he is not willing to think further on an issue, because of the fear of

confusion.

Speaking of human responsibility, Crabb (1987) says, "Psychiatry and

psychology have rightly been criticized for sometimes explaining human struggles

in a way that weakens personal accountability" (p. 158). People were created in

the image of God with the ability to chose, and even though this has been affected

by the fall, are still responsible for their choices.

The final cause of all behavior is personal choice. The capacity of people to chose

can be divided into two parts. God created man with the ability to chose behavior

and to chose goals. All behavior is directed toward reaching a goal. A person will

chose a goal that is meant to relieve their personal circle pain.

People may, in reality, have a choice ov

er what they do, though they may not feel like they truly have a choice. While

most Christians would agree we can chose and are responsible for our choices, in

reality we may feel like we are just being dragged along by a mysterious force or

internal drive. An example would be masturbation. Most realize intellectually they

have a choice and responsibility to stop this habit, in reality they feel out of

control, as if, like an addiction, they cannot help but do it. The ability of a client tochose a godly response can be undermined by disturbances and sin within the

person. Crabb (1987) says, ". . . loss of felt choice does not mean loss of actual

choice" (p. 163). The counselor must not take away a person’s responsibility by

saying it is not their fault or its just an internal drive. Crabb (1987) makes an

excellent statement when he says, ". . . behavior will feel like a choice to the

degree that the goal of the behavior is recognized. . . behavior in pursuit of an

unrecognized goal does not feel like a choice" (p. 164).

The client will often have to face the sinful, ugly, goals beneath their behavior

before the route to true joy appears. The client must repent of trying to fill their

personal circle wrongly, and enter into their pain. Crabb (1987) says, "When his

core direction is perceived, the man will be able to understand that the root

choice he faces is not whether or not to masturbate, but rather, whether to trustGod for personal fullness or to depend on one’s own methods of fullness" (p.

167). The person’s feeling of being able to chose will be restored as they

understand how they have been trying to protect themselves from personal circle

pain. The fundamental goals must be seen before the client will feel his choice has

been restored.

The last part of the human personality deals with man as an emotional being. God

made man an emotional being. It is okay for us to hurt over life’s

disappointments.

There are three things the counselor needs to know in order to understand people

as emotional beings. "Hurting Christians must embrace their pain, not deny it out

of quilt" (Crabb, 1987, p. 173). Christians are not to deny their pain.

The first thing a counselor needs to know is where emotions originate from.

Emotions can be divided into two types: pleasant-unpleasant; and constructive-

destructive. Normally, pleasant events will produce good (pleasant) emotions,

and unpleasant events will produce negative (unpleasant) emotions. The second

type of emotions, constructive-destructive, are very important. Any emotion that

interferes with our relationships with others, and especially God, is destructive. All

emotions must be evaluated and not denied because they might be sinful. "A

commitment to trust the Lord deeply with the core of our being can turn every

emotion, even the most painful, into constructive avenues for more fully pursuing

God" (Crabb, 1987, P. 183).

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can warn us when we are heading in the wrong direction. Then can signal us when

there is a problem that needs to be dealt with. Emotions can also guide us in what

questions to ask, depending on the type of emotion.

The third thing we must know is what to do with emotions. The first thing we

should not do is deny them. "Our deceitful hearts are capable of hiding strong

emotions (particularly rage) which, if recognized and properly handled, could lead

to life-changing repentance" (Crabb, 1987, p. 185). We have to be able to "feel"

our own emotions before we will be able to touch another person deeply with our

relationship and God’s love.

With these aspects of the personality in mind, let us now take a look at how

problems develop. Problems develop when whatever has been providing the

client with a sense of worth is gone or damaged. Crabb makes a distinction

between the two primary needs, and the secondary or acquired needs. Acquired

needs are the ways we have developed to meet our primary needs. We "need"

whatever it is that makes us feel purpose and love. The acquired needs are taught

to us by our culture. An example would be how slim or fat a woman should be. In

the United States a woman is usually encouraged worth more when she is

skinnier. She will receive more positive remarks. She may then end up relying on

her physical appearance for her personal worth.

Motivation is the second concept Crabb discusses in dealing with how problems

develop. He says, "The direction which I am motivated to follow in an effort to

meet my needs depends on. . . what I think will meet those needs" (Crabb, 1977,

p. 117). The client is motivated to meet his needs for being loved and have a

purpose for living. Since man is fallen, his motivational energy may be directed

toward the wrong goal.

The motivational energy of the client is directed according to his presuppositions,

also called basic assumptions, that he has learned throughout his life. When a

client forms a basic assumption, his behavior now has a goal to work towards. If

the client is trying to fill his basic needs or longings with anything other than God,

psychological problems will result. The ideal is for God to meet the crucial or

basic needs of both single and married people.

The only goal that truly satisfies is God. If a client has a wrong assumption of

what will meet his needs, and does finally reach his wrong goal, it will not fully

satisfy. He will have to set another goal and then another and another. This

pattern may continue throughout the clients entire life.

Psychological problems, like depression, are caused by an obstacle blocking a

person’s effort, as they try to reach their goal. These obstacles can be divided

into three types: the unreachable goal, external circumstances, and a fear of

failure.

If the goal was unreachable, the client will feel quilt and develop a lower self-

esteem. If the client believes he was prevented from reaching a goal because of

an external circumstance, he may feel resentment towards what he perceives is

the obstacle. The last category is the fear of failure. If the client is afraid of failing

and is prevented from reaching his goal by this fear, he will experience anxiety.

These three emotions: quilt, anxiety, and resentment, are the foundation of most

personal problems.

The change the counselor tries to bring into the counselee’s life must agree with

God’s absolute standards. This change must bring them closer in their relationship

with God. So what does a counselor try to help a counselee change? The

counselee’s need for significance and security cannot be changed. The motivation

of the client to meet his needs is also an innate part of him and cannot be

changed. It is Crabb’s (1977) belief that, "Every problem in the model can be

avoided completely if the basic assumption is in line with revealed truths" (p.

139). The main, most effective way to help a client change, is to change their

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basic assumptions which are the causes of their problems. The client must be

shone how to depend on God alone to meet his fundamental needs. Crabb links

changing our basic assumptions, and renewing our minds, as being essentially the

same thing. The client’s wrong way of trying to meet his goal, his need for

significance and security, will change to a more biblical way as his thinking and

beliefs change.

Before continuing on, let us review the three main emotional problems that are at

the root of all psychological symptoms. The first is anxiety which is produced

when a person tries to reach a goal which is not guaranteed. If the goal is

reasonable and can be achieved given the persons circumstances, no anxiety will be produced. If the person may or may not reach the goal, that is it may be out of

their reach, anxiety will be produced. If the goal is reachable but the person does

not reach it because of irresponsibility, they will feel guilt. The client will feel false

guilt if the goal was never reachable. The client will

feel frustration and resentment against anything he feels is keeping or preventing

him from reaching his goal.

Let us look now at a general way Crabb’s system can be used to counsel, and

the steps that need to be taken. Crabb’s style or theory of counseling can be

divided into seven major steps.

The first stage would deal with identifying problem feelings. Feelings are to beused by the counselor as road maps to point toward the root of the problem. It

will not help the client a whole lot if they express their feelings but do not deal

with the underlying cause.

In the second stage the counselor tries to identify the goal oriented behavior that

is causing the counselee problems. Changing the behavior without changing the

goal may keep the counselee from improving. The counselor needs to find out if

the goal is truly biblical. He does this by finding out what is the basic assumption

of the counselee. The client’s basic assumption may not be biblical. If the client’s

basic assumption’s about how to meet his needs is wrong, then his goal will also

be wrong. If the basic assumption can be changed, the client’s goal will become

more biblical.

During the third stage the counselor tries to figure out the wrong patterns or

beliefs that have contributed to the client’s problems. The goal of the counselor is

to guide the client into replacing his wrong thinking with the biblical way. The

client has to understand that the biblical way of meeting his needs is the only way

that will work. The counselor needs to help the client understand where his wrong

assumption crept into his thinking. The client can change a faulty belief easier

when he understands how or where he learned it. It is also easier for them to

rationally consider their beliefs and thinking if they are allowed to express their

emotions freely. Changing the client’s thinking toward a biblical standard is stage

four.

The next stage, five, involves the counselor in trying to get the client to make a

commitment to act consistently with his new knowledge. The client has to act onhis new belief even when his feels like he does not want to. They have to act on

what is consistent with the Bible, whether they want to or not. Crabb (1977) says

that the client must act on his new beliefs, ". . . regardless of how he feels" (p.

156). The Bible holds us responsible for doing what we know is God’s will.

The client must decide what behavior must be done differently. The client must

then carry out this behavior in his life. He has to practice this behavior until it

becomes habit.

The last stage, seven, entails the client identifying the good feelings (spirit induced

feelings), that are present in the his life. The counselor can help the client to

recognize and focus on these good feelings which result from abiding in Christ.





Crabb identifies three different levels of counseling that can take place in a local

church.

The first level is a Christian giving encouragement to another who needs it. This

would involve a lay person encouraging another with the problems they are

experiencing. If the problem cannot be helped with this method, the client can be

referred to the next level. This first level of counseling can be done by any

Christian. The second level is the level of exhortation. The counselor would look

at their problem and come up with something the client could do to improve the

situation. Usually this level stays in the behavioral stage. This level of counseling is

usually done by a mature Christian. The third and final level is the level covered

by most of Crabb’s books. This is the level of enlightenment. The thinking behind

the client’s problems will be explored to find out were it deviates from a biblical

norm. This level is usually only done by a counselor who has had specific

education and training.

Let us now briefly summarize Crabb’s counseling approach.

First man has the need to feel worthwhile. This need can be broken into two

specific parts: the need for significance (Impact, power), and the need for security

(Relationship, unconditional love). Nobody in this world has these two needs

totally fulfilled. There are people around each person who have caused them pain

because of failing them, conditional love, etc.. Because man is fallen and sinful,

man has a thirst that drives them to find love and meaning. Only God can fullymeet these needs and so the person ends up with even more pain.

To help someone in counseling, several things need to be done. The first is the

person must "feel" their pain that they have pushed into their unconscious. Next

they have to see how they have chosen wrong images and wrong beliefs about

how these needs should be met. If the client can understand how their wrong

beliefs and faulty images of reality have caused them to reach for the wrong goal,

their behavior will change and the goal which they are trying to reach will also

change.

Though Larry Crabb claims to be biblical, there are many Christian counselors

who believe his approach to be unbiblical. Some of these points of difference will

be discussed both pro and con.

One argument against Crabb’s teachings is that his education and thinking is as a

psychologist. Owens (1993) says, "He thinks like a psychologist, talks like a

psychologist, and derives most of his presuppositions. . . from non-biblical,

psychological sources rather than from the Scriptures" (p. 22). This argument is

only correct if, as Owens assumes, all psychotherapy is unbiblical.

Crabb’s method of integrating theology and psychology, called spoiling the

egyptians, places a priority on making sure the foundation of his counseling

system is biblical. His approach is to begin with the Bible and a theological

framework. The data gathered by psychology can be used to fill in the theological

framework. There are as many different theologies as theologians. Crabb’s

teachings need to be measured by the Bible, and not rejected, out right, just

because of his background.

Some critics also try to find fault with him on his view of the sufficiency of

Scripture. The Bobgans’ (1989) say Crabb is, ". . . adding unverified

psychological theories and techniques to biblical data. . ." (p. 120). Crabb

believes that a counseling theory mustemerge from the Bible, and not just be

consistent with it. The Bible does not answer every question directly. All

important questions though will fit into a theological category or biblical principle.

No psychological theory or idea that violates any biblical truth is to be accepted

as true.

One of the major points of argument between Crabb and his critics, is the theory

’ ’




11/arntheology.com/crabb-biblical-counseling.html

o e unconsc ous. ra s cr cs usua y p ace reu s vew o e unconscous

onto Crabb’s. Most miss the point that while there are similarities, there are also

many differences between Freud and Crabb. A few of these differences are: the

unconscious does not control us, we are not victims of our unconscious, the fact

of sin and movement away from God, and human responsibility.

Some Christians differ from Crabb on the importance of the fifth level of Maslows

need theory, self-actualization. Crabb believes that on this level, the person

becomes non-egocentric, or other-centered. Adams (1986) says, "To speak of

‘the last need of self-actualization’ as ‘non-egocentric’ makes no sense. The

actualization of my need-even the need to give-is clearly egocentric in motivation"(p. 34). God can give us the ability to give in a godly way, without getting

anything in return. Crabb does believe that only a Christian can reach this last

stage (Maslow’s last stage or level). Crabb speaks to this subject when he says,

"If we are to to be more than humanistic, relying on our own resources to become

all we can be, then dependence on God as we seek to obey Him must go beyond

inspiring rhetoric, it must become vital reality" (Crabb, 1989, p. 21).

Crabb understands than it is possible for people to spend so much time on trying

to meet their own needs, that the

y become completely self-centered. Crabb (1982) says, "Psychological needs

have taken over as the focus of our discussion of roles in marriage. The Bible has

been reduced to an optional guidebook as we look for ways to meet our

emotional needs" (Crabb, 1982, p. 11). We are not to focus on meeting our needs but on living for others. "We must focus on the real problem: self-

centeredness" (Crabb, 1991, p. 59). Self-centeredness, selfishness, can create

many problems in our relationships. As our needs are met in God, we can

become more and more other-centered. Trevor Morrison has written a paper

which was designed to show that the Bobgans’ has misrepresented Crabb.

Morrison does not believe Crabb really depends on psychology. Hurding (1985)

uses an example of Crabb using psychology by saying, "This may involve Adler’s

‘Early Recollection Technique’ in which the client is asked to recall his or her

earliest memory. . . " (p. 298). Crabb acknowledges how important psychology’s

insights can be, but Morrison seems clouded in thinking as he tries to defend him.

He says, "Their failure to see the significance of Crabb’s use of the word

"longings" instead of "needs" shows that they have come to Crabb to test himagainst their preconceptions, instead of allowing those very conceptions to be

challenged by what he writes" (Morrison, 1993, p. 1).

Morrison shows how easy it is for someone who is set on finding error in

another’s teachings to find it, if they look hard enough, and also how easy it is to

misrepresent someone, even if your on their side. Crabb has to be understood for

what he teaches, not what others teach on the same subject matter.

Tony Walter ( 1985) believes that, ". . . human need was never central to

Christian theology. What was central was God’s grace, not human needs" (p.

13). Some counselors are so afraid to admit that people might have needs or

longings that could prevent them from being responsible for their behavior, that

they eliminate all needs as unnecessary and psychological. We can admit that people have needs or desires without allowing that belief to control all our

thinking and behavior.

Crabb is not the only Christian who believes that the need for significance and

security are important. Neil Anderson (1993) has written a book on the subject

which says, "Our tendency is to think only of our physical needs, but the critical

needs are the "being" needs, and they are the ones wonderfully met in Christ" (p.

14). The well know author, R.C. Sproul (1991) wrote, "Deeply ensconced in the

marrow of our bones is the aspiration for significance" (p. 20). Both of these

books go into great depth discussing the need of every person for love and

impact in their world.

One other point of difficulty with Crabb, is the idea that his system of needs only





takes into account good desires or longings. He does not believe that the desires

we experience are ever evil. Owens (1993) speaks to this point when he says,

"But Scripture also speaks of evil longings or desires (Gal. 5:16). All the longings

men feel are neither neutral nor related to our createdness" (p. 27). The NIV

(1984) version of the Bible says, "But each one is tempted when, by his own evil

desire, he is dragged away and enticed" (James 1:14). The NASV (1977) says,

"and especially those who indulge the flesh in its corrupt desires and despise

authority. . ." (2 Pet. 2:10). Crabb’s system does not take into account that even

our desires have become sinful. Crabb approaches the counseling situation with

the idea that the client’s goal is wrong. The Bible shows that not only can the goal

be wrong, the desire can be sinful also.

Speaking of the sufficiency of Scripture, Morrison says, ". . . the Bobgans’ seem

to conceive of him as teaching that the Scriptures are a structure with holes in it. .

." (Morrison, 1993, p. 5). To this the Bobgans’ respond by saying, "Either the

Scriptures are sufficient for life and godliness or they must leave room for extra

biblical additions to diagnose the condition of man and prescribe treatment"

(Bobgan, 1993, p. 15). Morrison seems to miss the point that Crabb uses the

Bible to provide a framework of biblical categories. Psychology can then be used

to fill in some of the more direct answers. The Bobgans’ would be right in their

understanding if there is nothing good in psychology. Morrison is afraid to admit

that Crabb might have used any psychology in his counseling.

In closing I would like to say that Crabb’s thinking has recently gone through a

major change in emphasis. His thinking is now focused on God and how to grow

closer in our relationship to him, instead of on personal problems to the degree he

used to. His brother died in 1991 and it caused him to rethink his priorities. His

basic system is still the same though. Some things he says now are, "As we

explore our own lives, we must never get so immersed in ourselves that we fail to

remember that there is something far more wonderful to ponder" and "I am not

the point. He is. I exist for him. He does not exist for me. . . are we committed to

knowing God. . . to becoming like the Son whom the Father adores. . ." (Crabb,

1993, p. 41). This particular book by Crabb has one goal, the only important

goal, finding God.

References

Adams, J., E., (1986). The Biblical View of Self-Esteem, Self- Love, and Self-

Image. Eugene: Harvest House.

Anderson, N., T., (1993). Living Free in Christ: The truth about Who You Are in

Christ and How Christ Can Meet Your Deepest needs. Ventura: Regal Books.

Bobgan, M., & Bobgan, D., (1989). Prophets of Psychoheresy 1. Santa

Barbara: EastGate.

Bobgan, M., & Bobgan, D., (1993). Trevor Morrison: Devoted to God and His

Word, or to Dr. Lawrence Crabb and His Teachings? Santa Barbara: EastGate.

Crabb, L., (1975). Basic Principles of Biblical Counseling. Grand Rapids:

Zondervan.

Crabb, L., (1977). Effective Biblical Counseling. Grand Rapids: Zondervan.

Crabb, L., & Allendar, D., (1984). Encouragement: The Key to Caring. Grand

Rapids: Zondervan.

Crabb, L., (1993). Finding God. Grand Rapids: Zondervan.

Crabb, L., (1988). Inside Out. Colorado Springs: Navpress.

Crabb, L., (1989). Inside Out: Study Guide. Colorado Springs: Navpress.

http://biblia.com/bible/nasb95/2%20Pet.%202.10

http://biblia.com/bible/nasb95/James%201.14

http://biblia.com/bible/nasb95/Gal.%205.16





Crabb, L., (1991). Men and Women: Enjoying the Diference. Grand Rapids:

Zondervan.

Crabb, L., (1982). The Marriage Builder: A Blueprint for Couples and

Counselors. Grand Rapids: Zondervan.

Crabb, L., (1987). Understanding People. Grand Rapids: Zondervan.

Hurding, R., F., (1985). The Tree of Healing. Grand Rapids: Zondervan.

Morrison, T., (1993). Misunderstanding People: A Rebuttal of Martin and DeidreBobgans’ Criticisms of Dr. Lawrence Crabb. Unpublished manuscript.

Owens, J., (1993). Christian Psychology’s War on God’s Word. Santa Barbara:

EastGate.

Owens, J., (1993). Inside and Back Out With Dr. Larry Crabb. Santa Barbara:

EastGate.

Sproul, R., C., (1991). The Hunger For Significance. Ventura: Regal Books.

The Holy Bible, New American Standard Version. La Habra: Lockman

Foundation.

The Holy Bible, New International Version. Grand Rapids: Zondervan.

© 2009, LearnTheology.com. All rights reserved. Permission must be obtained

from LearnTheology.com to use or copy any part of this post.

3 Responses

fred says:01/25/2011 at 1:04 am

After reading this article Dr.Crabb’s approach to “soul care” is an

integrated approach and I personaly do not recommend this

approach. There are far better resources that can be used. I

recommend Jay Adams Competent To Counsel. He is the best

resource for true non-integrated biblical counseling/dscipleship.

Reply

admin says:01/31/2011 at 10:43 pm

Hi Fred:

I would agree that Dr. Larry Crabb uses an integrated

approach. There are a few things/ideas in his earlier

teachings (such as being created by God with an inner

part of our nature that is made for God and can only be

‘filled’ with God) that I like. I don’t like his later

teachings as much.

Dr. Larry Crabb and Dr. Jay Adams approach the

foundation of counseling from two different beginnings.

While Dr. Crabb starts with a foundation that integrates

psychology, Jay Adams begins with the Bible and

Theology and then molds a counseling approach from

the Bible. Crabb’s understanding of Man and how he is

to be changed comes from a mix of psychology and

sometimes his psychological beliefs molding his

http://learntheology.com/crabb-biblical-counseling.html#comment-3529

http://learntheology.com/crabb-biblical-counseling.html?replytocom=3528#respond





/7/12b | Larry Crabb’s Theory of Biblical Counseling.

much more with Adams, but have some issues with his

strong Calvinism and how it has molded some of this

counseling theology.

Thanks for posting Fred.

Matthew

Reply

rajesh says:07/08/2011 at 2:30 am

Dear Brother,

Thank you for the article regarding the view of Dr. Crabbs. Please

help me find out what is the problem in his teaching according to

bible with clear illustrations and biblical examples. Please let me

know.

Thanking you,

Reply

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Larry Crabb’s Theory of Biblical Counseling

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