Law for the Christian Counselor George Ohlschlager and Peter Mosgofian, Word, Inc., Waco, Texas, 1992, US$15.99, hardcover.
Christian Counseling and the Law Steve Levicoff, Moody Press, Chicago, 1991, US$12.99, hardcover.
These two books grapple with a word that increasingly strikes fear into the hearts of pastors and church-affiliated counselors: "lawsuit."
And there is some substance to that fear. Increasing numbers of lawsuits are being filed against clergy and church counselors. Practitioners must be in formed about the legal implications of their work, and these two books set out to provide necessary background information.
The Ohlschlager-Mosgofian volume wins hands down in my opinion. It is more comprehensive (seven general parts with 24 chapters, 321 pages) and portrays more accurately the workings of the law and the legal system.
The Levicoff volume is less comprehensive (17 chapters, 193 pages). And it lost me as a reader through the use of a "straw man"--an American Bar Association seminar at which lawyers allegedly were being trained to sue churches--that was used in the book as a unifying thread. The illustration caused me to lose confidence because I attended that seminar. Many, if not most, of the speakers represented churches and their view points on legal issues. So Levicoff left me thinking, If I can't trust the illustrations, what about the substance?
I recommend Ohlschlager- Mosgofian' s Law for the Christian Counselor to every church counselor who is not acquainted with today's legal issues. And I recommend every reader take to heart the authors' warning: "Every reader with specific questions on personal and organizational liability is strongly encouraged to consult an attorney, your denomination, or state, provincial, and national professional association."
