Sin and Grace in Christian Counseling

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.

Mark R. McMinn (PhD, Vanderbilt University) is professor of psychology at George Fox University, where he serves as the director of faith integration in the Graduate Department of Clinical Psychology. His books include Integrative Psychotherapy, Sin and Grace in Christian Counseling, Care for the Soul, and Psychology, Theology, and Spirituality in Christian Counseling. McMinn is a licensed clinical psychologist in Oregon, board certified with the American Board of Professional Psychology. He is a fellow of the American Psychological Association (APA) and a past president of the APA?s Psychology of Religion division. He has received teacher-of-the-year awards both at George Fox and at Wheaton College, where he taught from 1993 to 2006. Much of his recent research and clinical work has focused on clergy health and finding effective ways for mental health professionals and clergy to work together well. Mark is married to Lisa Graham McMinn, a sociologist, speaker, and writer. Together they run a small Community Supported Agriculture farm in Oregon where they use sustainable farming practices to grow fruit and vegetables, tend chickens, and keep honeybees.