About the Author 

Jay E. Adams (PhD, University of Missouri) is a former director of advanced studies and professor of practical theology at Westminster Theological Seminary, as well as a retired pastor. He has written over fifty books on pastoral ministry, preaching, counseling, Bible study, and Christian living. His books include Competent to Counsel, The Christian Counselor’s Manual, and Marriage, Divorce, and Remarriage in the Bible

Publisher's Description

Here is a guide to Christian Counseling written specifically for laypeople. Jay E. Adams, a pioneer in the field of counseling, has taken the most essential elements of counseling and packaged them in this thorough but nontechnical volume. The result is neither simplistic nor superficial, but a complete, systematic course, useful for study groups, Bible colleges, church leaders, and individual study. Although this is a previously-published P&R title, it is now under a newly designed cover.

Endorsement

"Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted." (Galatians 6:1)

Ready to Restore is a high tribute to the authority of God's Word, as Dr. Adams actually expects Christians to take action on Galatians 5:1. Adams believes that each person is responsible to obey this passage, not merely the pastor alone.

To that end, Adams writes, "Is Christian counseling the work of a highly specialized group of persons? Does it belong to pastors and elders of the church alone? What of everyday man or woman-in-the-pew Christians; do they too have a ministry of counseling to which God has called them as laymen? ... The answer is simple, yet profound: God calls every Christian to counsel some people, somewhere, at some time about something..."

Adams addresses the barriers to obedience which the "you who are spiritual" must overcome: fear, knowledge, spiritual maturity, and integrity.

It is a short book, but worth every minute spent studying and reading. I simply love it when an author places his trust in God, God's Word, and assumes that God's people will obey. Adams demonstrates an immense respect for God and for Christians in this book.