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The Essentials Of Effective Pastoral Counseling, Otto E. Sohn

Concordia Theological Monthly

Pastoral counseling is an age-old art. When impenitent King David all but succumbed under the impact of a terrific sin, his divinely sent pastoral adviser, the prophet Nathan, deftly aided him to find a solution to his problem. By means of a well-chosen parable he first led him to recognize the enormity of his sin, and from there it was but a short step to confession, absolution, and a new lease on life. Scriptural examples of this blessed soul healing function could be greatly multiplied, especially from the ministry of Jesus and the Apostles.