I suspect that the further I go with these posts, the further I depart from what Dr Welch actually says. The following comments are probably more then anything else the result of my own mind wandering during class, and anything dodgy written here should not be held against the lecturer.
i) The gospel is the power of God unto salvation – that cannot be taken to refer merely to the future prospect of glorification, but also involves changed lives here on earth. For example, although this idea cannot be taken too simplistically, it is the gospel of God's free grace that is the solution to the problem of anorexia. It would seem that anorexia stems from a sense of failure to measure up – either it is a result of a perceived failure to maintain the right body image, or it comes from punishing oneself for not meeting certain standards of morality or lifestyle. Either way the gospel addresses this issue – God's grace means that we don't have to try to measure up.
ii) Angry people need to be reminded of God. We can point them to God the Creator, if they think they is no standard above them – for angry people often see themselves as judge, jury and executioner. We can point them to God the Judge, reminding them that their concern about justice is legitimate, but that God's judgement trumps all others. And we can point them to God the Father, who is generous and patient with us.
Although what I've been writing about this week's lectures primarily regards personal counselling, both the principles and the advice are fairly general. We can see this in the last post: What do people with anorexia need to hear? The gospel of grace. What do angry people need to hear about? The love of God. It's the same things over and over again. It's the old, old story.
Hence, these are things that can, and should, be dealt with in the pulpit. Of course, people with anorexia will need individual care. Sure, angry people might not realise they are angry. But it is the same message that we all need to hear, and what we need to hear is in the Scriptures.
Thus, the proclamation of the gospel and teaching the Bible (which are, of course, two sides of the same coin) must be central in pastoral ministry. Although the counsel given to individuals will necessarily be tailored to their circumstances, in its substance it will contain the sort of things that we all need to hear. In fact, preaching the same truths in the pulpit will address problems in the congregation that might be unknown to the pastor.
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