LIBERTY UNIVERSITY JOHN W. RAWLINGS SCHOOL OF DIVINITY
Christian Psychology an Introduction and Biblical Analysis
A Paper Submitted to
the Faculty of the School of Divinity
in Candidacy for the Degree of
Doctor of Education in Christian Leadership (Ed. D) Department of Christian Leadership and
Church Ministries
By
Mary Gracias
Lynchburg, Virginia
10/2022
Christian Psychology is a unique form of psychology which seeks to develop a distinctly
Christian model for understanding the human condition. Christian Psychology (CP) is a unique
form of psychology which seeks to develop a distinctly Christian model for understanding the
human condition. CP represents one of several ways that Christians have attempted to think
about the connection between Christianity and psychology. Today, CP does not describe an
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established Christian system of psychological understanding so much as it represents a loose
movement of psychologists, counselors, theologians, and Christian philosophers who seek to
develop such a psychology. When Christian psychologists refer to the development of a
uniquely Christian psychology, they mean a comprehensive understanding of the nature of
human beings from a Christian viewpoint. Robert C. Roberts explains:
The discipline I am calling Christian psychology is the conceptual and clinical exploration of
our [Christian] tradition for its psychological resources. It is properly called psychology because
it is a set of concepts by which the nature and well-being of the psyche are understood, by
which healthy and unhealthy traits, behaviors, desires and emotions are identified and to some
extent explained. It is a set of practices for making the transition from unhealthy to healthy
traits, behaviors, desires and emotions. That is essentially what a psychology (and its allied
psychotherapy) is.2
As a movement, CP seeks to understand both the nature of human beings (psychology) and
appropriate practices to address life problems (psychotherapy).
Background
Christian psychology is a relatively new movement, but its followers rightly point out that a
uniquely “Christian” understanding of persons began with the writing of the Bible itself and was
later developed by various authors throughout church history. This observation is important
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for understanding CP since its authors often refer to Christian writers in church history as
“psychologists.”4. Utilizing the term “psychologist” to describe ancient Christian authors may
seem odd to modern readers who think of a psychologist as a modern day professional in the
mental health care field. But Christian psychologists use the term “psychology” in a broad,
