David Powlison

David Arthur Powlison (December 14, 1949 – June 7, 2019) was a transformative figure in biblical counseling who served as executive director of the Christian Counseling and Educational Foundation (CCEF) from 2014-2019 and taught at Westminster Theological Seminary. A theologian and Christian counselor, Powlison shifted biblical counseling from a polemical stance toward a more compassionate, nuanced approach that integrated theological depth with psychological insight.

As CCEF's senior editor of the Journal of Biblical Counseling and author of numerous groundbreaking works on biblical counseling and the faith-psychology intersection, Powlison helped evangelicals understand how Scripture addresses the deepest human struggles with compassion and wisdom. His legacy continues through CCEF's ministry and his published works, which established him as one of the most influential voices in evangelical counseling. He died on June 7, 2019, following a battle with stage IV pancreatic cancer.