Crabb and Hawkins Theory Critique

LIBERTY UNIVERSITY

LIBERTY BAPTIST THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY

THEORY CRITIQUE: CRABB AND HAWKINS

A PAPER SUBMITTED TO DR. JOHNNY BAKER

IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR

THE COURSE EVAN 507

THEOLOGY AND SPIRITUALITY IN COUNSELING

BY

JASON ANDREW BARR

PENSACOLA, FLORIDA

SUNDAY, JANUARY 27, 2013

Concise Summary of the Content

Hawkins, in his counseling model, begins with a discussion of the five forces that shape one’s personality. The primary internal force in the “core” is the Holy Spirit. Christians are to be influenced by the power and presence of the Holy Spirit in their lives. We are, after all, created in the image of God. Nevertheless, we still exist in flesh which has become corrupt as a result of the Fall. Not only does the Holy Spirit influence us at the core of our being, but so does the sinful nature in which we were born. Therefore, there exists a battle for the human soul at the very core of our inner being. The next layer is the “soul” or “will” which consists of our thinking, feelings and emotions. Closely related to the soul is our “body” which is our physical response or relationship to one’s problem. The final two are two significant external forces that affect one’s personality. “Temporal Systems” are those systems or structures which include such things as the society in which we live or family dynamics. The fifth and final system is “Supernatural Systems” as we know that our “…we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12, NKJV). These forces affect the way we think and behave so one’s personality may become instable at various times in one’s life. Counseling, therefore, can help one re-establish emotional and spiritual stability.

In Hawkins’ model for counseling, the counselor actively listens to the counselee as the problems...