**UPDATED** Petition Against the Wrongful Firing of Dr. Eric Johnson

During my time at Southern as an MDiv candidate, Dr. Johnson's classes were among the most edifying and spiritually challenging I had the privilege of taking. I'm grieved others won't have the blessing of being influenced by his experience, wisdom, and extensive knowledge in the field of counseling. Our future church pastors need his influence now more than ever.

I am a current student at SBTS. Dr. Johnson was the first faculty member who greeted me at my table at Orientation. Seeing his position so blatantly mischaracterized by Lambert is unacceptable. Dr. Johnson's students (who are my friends) know better.

SBTS 2006 graduate. Masters of Arts in X'n Counseling. Went on to obtain licensure as a Marriage and Family Therapist. I was privileged to sit under Dr. Johnson's teaching during my time at SBTS. He was the last professor left of a great group of men that were discriminated against by this institution.

I've never taken a class with Dr. Johnson, though I know how SBTS works and the institution's penchant to make secondary and tertiary issues into issues of orthodoxy, as well as its often unfair treatment of employees and lack of clear/honest communication. So, I don't doubt the truth of the events laid out in this petition. I'm familiar with Dr. Johnson's counseling methods and they are, in no way, misguided or dismissive of Scripture's authority. He seems to be an intellectually honest and admirable professor and counselor. Removing him is an unfortunate, bullying move.

Eric Johnson is one of the most humble and loving teachers I've ever had. This is a disgraceful.

I too was very saddened when I heard about Eric's firing. While our working toward a biblical base in counseling is so critical, myself and many other practitioners have grown VERY weary of the judgementalism and harm that comes with overemphasizing theological critique. Many people like Eric, and unfortunately the very people we are called to counsel, have suffered from this mindset. We are praying Eric finds a place to continue his work and experience empowerment, appreciation, and healing.

B.s. Church Ministry: Children's Ministry from Boyce College. My father took his life while I was a student at Boyce. I didn't feel supported in my grieving process even when reaching out specifically for help to Dr.Lambert. It took my pastor at the church I was attending who was so concerned with the physical evidence of depression setting up counseling with an outside biblical counseling program that I began to find healing. I can speak from the personal experience the dangers of Scripture Only counseling, it was a contributing factor to my father's death.

Extortion is the way of the world. Another example of how we fail to be salt in this world.

As a good friend of Eric's, who has known him for years, I can attest to his Christ focused heart, and his desire and impulse to bridge differences in the Biblical Counseling, Christian Psychology and Integrative movements. It saddens me that differences can be expressed with such negative influences and consequences. We stand with and for you Eric..

The Pastoral Counseling movement butchers Scripture. It's heartbreaking. Especially to counselors and other mental health professionals who work so hard at integration, because a Gospel-centered worldview demands as such.

I'm greatly saddened to hear that Dr. Johnson is being fired. Only a few other biblical scholars at Southern made me work as hard, or think as deeply about biblical soul care, as Eric Johnson. I can't imagine this move improving their counselling program.

B.S. in Biblical Counseling. Very disappointed in Dr Lamberts actions.

I've known Dr. Johnson as a friend for twenty-five years and I know his heart for God and for Biblical counseling.

There is no room for Mr Lambert methods of "persuasion" in solid Christian doctrine

I'm a licensed psychologist who is privileged to have had Eric Johnson as a professor and mentor. To question his dedication to the kingdom is laughable and disgusting. He was instrumental in my Christian walk which ripples out in my work with those in therapy. I may not be doing the "right" kind of therapy in the eyes of the Biblical Counseling folks, but I'm doing kingdom work. Eric Johnson's teaching and mentorship taught me to focus on that. SBTS lost a true gem.

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M.Div. 2012

The tenants of this so called biblical counseling are untenable. They lack inherent integrity, involving which wisdom outside of scripture can be used. Do they oppose the use of medical knowledge when sick? No. And yet. When it come to the place where spirit infuses neurology they balk? To fire someone who opposes this is simply foolish.

I strongly object to the action taken to terminate Eric Johnson's employment due to the very impoverished Biblicist but unBiblical worldview of a few in a recent fad movement. With that step the momentum to give people in need effective assistamce faithful to Biblical teaching and precept as well as the platform for a truly remarkable and courageous champion of a Christian anthropogy in the contemporary secular psychology disciplines has been adversely impacted. A sad day for evangelism to that influential world in the mental health fields. A tragic day for a movement that thinks Itself the defenders of Scriptural sufficiency and authority that is creating essentially a magisterium within a Baptist culture that claims so final and a privileged voice on the Word of God that itonically with this step has moved SBTS to become Sola ACBC rather than Sola Scriptura.

pressuring others into getting ones way is absolutely not Christ-like or Christ-honoring.. I went to Boyce for my bachelors and strongly believe in standing firm in what the Bible calls sin (and what it doesn't mention as sin).. man made rules or definitions of sin were very common both in Jesus' and Luther's days.. let's not get back on that road, SBTS...