Why We Use "聖書カウンセリング" Instead of "聖書的カウンセリング"

Within ACBC (Association of Certified Biblical Counselors) and among like-minded practitioners, the term "biblical counseling" refers to a distinct approach—not merely any counseling that happens to use the Bible. It distinguishes this model from secular counseling and especially from integrative approaches that blend Scripture with secular psychological theories or values.

When we translate "biblical counseling" from ACBC or similar organizations, we are not simply describing counseling that is "biblical" in some general sense. We are referring to a specific methodology with a defined history, principles, and practices.

The term 聖書的カウンセリング uses the adjectival suffix 的 (teki), which means "of the nature of" or "related to." While this is a common and natural way to translate the English adjective "biblical" (as in 聖書的世界観 or 聖書的原則), it has a broader meaning than we intend.

聖書的カウンセリング could refer to any counseling approach that incorporates Scripture—including integrative models that combine biblical principles with secular psychology. These approaches may be "biblical" in some sense, but they are not the same as the specific 聖書カウンセリング methodology we teach and practice.

A helpful comparison is the field of biblical theology (聖書神学). Biblical theology is a distinct discipline, contrasted with systematic theology (組織神学) and historical theology (歴史神学). Because it names a specific field of study rather than merely describing a characteristic, it is translated as 聖書神学—not 聖書的神学.

In the same way, we treat 聖書カウンセリング as a proper noun that identifies our particular approach to counseling.

The suffix 的 (teki) carries the nuance of "something like" or "having the nature of" rather than referring directly to the thing itself. Our translation team was advised to use this suffix carefully, particularly when precision matters theologically.

For this reason, we initially considered 聖書に基づいたカウンセリング ("counseling based on the Bible"), which accurately describes our approach. However, this phrase becomes repetitive when used frequently in teaching materials. As a more concise form, we adopted 聖書カウンセリング—now understanding it not merely as an abbreviation, but as the proper name for this distinct counseling methodology.

Those who adopt an integrative approach often call their method クリスチャン・カウンセリング (Christian Counseling). This is a broader term that can encompass various approaches. When you encounter 聖書カウンセリング, you can be confident it refers specifically to the approach taught by ACBC, JBCA, and like-minded organizations—one that firmly upholds the sufficiency of Scripture.