Reflection of Psychology and Christianity
In this essay I will reflect on my current understanding of psychology and Christianity. In
order to accomplish this, I will begin with a brief overview of what psychology is and its history
followed by a brief overview of Christianity. Finally, I will provide an explanation of how the
two have integrated over the years.
What is Psychology
Have you ever wondered what makes people do the things they do and act the way they
do? If so, then you may be interested in psychology. Psychology is the study of human behavior
and providing context for their actions. When looking at psychology from this standpoint,
humans have been practicing psychology for centuries (Johnson, 2010). Entwistle (2015) says
psychology is the practice of looking at the world around you from the vantagepoint of the
workings of God. However, when we think of psychology today and the way it is practiced there
is much less emphasis on God. More modern psychology focuses on empirical evidence as a
basis for understanding the world (Johnson, 2010). Because of this, there is little to no reliance
on spiritual knowledge. Instead, modern psychology relies on three main methods for knowledge
and understanding. The first is the authority method which is information or knowledge gained
from a person, position, or text held as authoritative (Entwistle, 2015). The second is through
logic which states facts are beliefs are independent from each other and relies on reasoning. The
final is hermeneutics which is knowledge gained through the translation or interpretation of
information (Friston & Frith, 2015).
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What is Christianity
Before we can define Christianity, we need to look at the broader term of theology. So, if
psychology is about the workings of God, then theology is about how a higher being works with
and in the world which was created (Entwistle, 2015). Christianity then, is the understanding of
how the God of the Bible, the God of Abraham, Yahweh, interacts with the world at large and
more specifically, His chosen people and calls them to stand for His purposes. C.S. Lewis
expands upon this by saying that Christianity is about a God who came in disguise to rally His
troops in preparation for a battle with the enemy (Lewis, 2023). It is because of this mentality of
strong beliefs and the need to be ready for a fight that many Christians are pulled away from
psychology since its departure from theology and dependence on empirical evidence (Entwistle,
2015).
Integration of the Two
So then, how can these two, seemingly opposite mindsets, integrate together? First, it is
important to understand that the basic principles of psychology have been practiced by Christians
for millennia (Johnson, 2010). They understood the fact, one cannot know God without knowing
his creation (English Standard Version Bible, 2022; Romans 1:20). The major disconnect came
from the separation of the spiritual. However, the last several decades, steps have been taken to
integrate the two disciplines as Christians began to welcome the insight psychology offered
(Entwistle, 2015). Reading through the Bible, it should be clear that God cares about the
innerworkings of His creation. The authors were inspired by God to provide insight into how the
mind works and offers guidance of how to live a successful life. However, as with most things,
there were some Christians who found psychology was not to their liking. In an effort to get the
best of both worlds, these Christians removed the psychological rational and findings that didn’t
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line up with scripture or their worldview (Entwistle, 2015). One method used for the integration
of psychology and Christianity is a model called the Colonist (Entwistle, 2015). In this model,
Christians would explore, like a colonist from the 1800s, the world of psychology while keeping
to their traditional Christian beliefs and values. Of course, there are some downsides to this
model, namely that colonists tend to narcissistic in their views and fail to see when interpretation
of scripture is flawed. As one author puts it, never split the difference as it always results in loss
(Voss, 2017).
I am of the camp that supports integration of psychology. Many foundational
breakthroughs have been discovered regarding the way the human mind works thanks to
psychology. However, I also believe the conclusions that are drawn from this breakthroughs
need to be processed through the lens of Christianity. We cannot ignore something simply
because we don’t agree with it as the Colonist mindset suggests (Entwistle, 2015). Conversely,
we cannot dismiss discernment that comes through divine revelation. Everything we discover
must stand the test of measurement compared to God’s character. This is true integration and
where I hope to see the futre of psychology grow. As we discover more about ourselves, we
learn more about who God is.
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References
English Standard Version Bible. (2022). ESV Online. https://esv.literalword.com/
Entwistle, D. (2015). Integrative approaches to psychology and Christianity: An introduction to
worldview issues, philosophical foundations, and models of integration (3rd ed.). Eugene,
OR: Wipf and Stock Publishers.
Friston, K. J.. Frith, C. D. (2015). Active Inference, Communication and Hermeneutics, 68, 129-
143. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cortex.2015.03.025.
Johnson, E. (2010). Psychology and Christianity: Five views (2nd ed.). InterVarsity
Lewis. C. S., (2023) Mere Christianity. HarperCollins. (Original work published 1952)
Voss, C., & Raz, T. (2017). Never split the difference. Random House Business Books.
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