Here at Reading For The Glory we are extremely grateful for our partnership with Beeson Divinity School. Beeson helps support the ongoing ministry of RFTG and the RFTG Podcast. If you’ve listened to the podcast lately, you’ve probably heard that Beeson is launching a new Master of Arts in Christian Counseling degree this Fall semester. We thought it would be good to let our audience know more about this great new program. Scheduling would not allow us to to have a conversation about this topic on the podcast ahead of the June 1 registration deadline. However, what follows is a conversation with the program director Dr. Gordon Bals.
Share with our readers a little bit about Beeson, and why it is a great option for seminary studies/higher education.
There are several significant reasons Beeson is a great option for seminary studies. We are committed to classical theological education. The Master of Divinity Students have 4 semesters each of Hebrew and Greek along with a four semester history and doctrine sequence. If you compare us to similar Evangelical seminaries, you will notice that Beeson is different in both the content of the classes and how we deliver them (in face-to-facecovenanted community). We believe formation happens best as you wrestle meaningfully with the text in close community. The new master’s degree in Christian Counseling will have a strong biblical/theological foundation.
What is your role at Beeson, and how long have you been on the faculty?
I started teaching at Beeson in 2013 as an adjunct professor of pastoral counseling and was hired full time in the Fall of 2023 as the Associate Professor of Pastoral Care and Counseling. I teach counseling classes (Pastoral Counseling, Marriage and Family, Sexuality and Trauma, Grief and Crisis).
Share with us about the new MACC program that Beeson will be offering this Fall.
The new Master of Arts in Christian Counseling is a theologically grounded program that prepares students to counsel from a distinctly Christian perspective. It is a 54-credit program that will incorporate 21 credits of biblical and theology and 33 credits in counseling theory and practice. Students will learn to think about people and their problems from a grounded theological perspective. That doesn’t mean they won’t learn about and incorporate evidence-based practices based on psychological research. They will and they will be taught how to think critically and evaluate what they are learning theologically so their counseling practice grows out of their faith and Christian perspective.
Why is a program of this nature important for a seminary to offer?
So much of how the everyday Christian thinks about life and how to approach their problems grows out of a therapeuticculture that emphasizes dependence on and amplification of the self. The self matters but not outside of its relationship to God and others. Such concepts as resiliency and self-determination are important biblical themes and it is not wise to divorce them from humility and dependence on the Lord. It in no way glorifiesGod when an individual is turned in on themselves and cannot engage the world meaningfully. We want our students to be able to meet those with real problems where they are and have confidence in how to guide them toward change and flourishing in a uniquely Christian way. That way will have both similarities and differences compared to contemporary counseling and our hope would be that distinctly Christian counseling guides a sufferer toward more than just improved mental health. We recognize Christian flourishing to be deeply connected to relationality and involves being able to give and receive in human community. We want our students to do the type of counseling that leads others beyond improved mental health toward richer relationships and more meaning at the same time.
What are the prerequisites for admission into the program?
Candidates must possess a four-year bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution and demonstrate Christian character and commitment to ministry.
Will this program prepare students to use their skills to work primarily in a church setting or can they work with a counseling center or in private practice? Does it prepare graduates to obtain their LPC or MFT?
This program does not prepare students for state licensure such as an LPC or MFT. Students will be prepared to work in church and parachurch settings, international ministriesand Christian non-profits/social service organizations.There are non-profit Christian counseling centers that offer outpatient counseling, and our students will be prepared to work in such settings.
How do you hope that the Lord uses the new MACC to equip students for ministry in counseling?
Our program is for students who want to provide counseling to deepen, reinvigorate and extend the work of the local church. Proverbs suggests that the purposes of man’s heart are like deep waters, but a man of understanding draws them out (20:5). Good biblical wisdom provides categories to help you understand the depths of a person’s heart and how to shepherd them toward flourishing. We want our students to develop grounded confidence that the good news of the Gospel speaks uniquely and profoundly to the issues of the human heart.
If someone is interested in applying, where can they find more information?
The best way would be to go to our website(www.samford.edu/beeson-divinity)
Photo credit: Beeson Divinity School
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