Jay Adams, the father of “Nouthetic Counseling” turned 80 this week. He has some reflections on his life and work on his blog. He was Director of the DMin program at WSC when I began in 1984. I tried not to be star struck when I bumped into him in the library. He made things easier by dressing in a Hawaiian shirt, shorts, and flip flops.

That was when I knew I was in Southern California. Dude! I read his most famous book, Competent to Counsel as an undergraduate. That book  (and his 50 others) gave me a place to stand in the midst of what seemed like a torrent of criticism of Christianity from my social sciences profs. Jay fearlessly poked holes in the reigning anthropologies (doctrine of man). He showed the continuing viability of the Christian view of sin and grace and their relevance to counseling and he did so with wit, charm, and clarity. Happy Birthday Jay!