How do modern psychology and Christianity fit together? I believe that the
answer to this question is at least partially answered by how truth is pursued.
All truth begins with God. Proverbs 2:6 states, "For the Lord gives wisdom;
from His mouth come knowledge and understanding" (English Standard Version,
2022). Truth is divine revelation from God sought in the mind or soul.
Augustine established the foundation for knowledge by showing that truth is
eternal, immutable, and independent (Sproul, 2000). A person who knows truth
knows God. Thomas Aquinas followed Augustine, expanding on the premises of
truth. Aquinas furthered these ideas, stating that God is the source of all truth
and "all knowledge rests and depends on God's revelation. However, the
disclosure of truth extends beyond the Bible and shines through the cosmos
and all of nature (Sproul, 2000). God is not limited to the metaphysical world;
God can be known in the phenomena. These thoughts began the debate of
how theology and science can be combined and revealed that reason demands
the existence of God. This same pursuit of truth shapes and defines our culture
today, including the study of psychological science and how psychology and
Christianity can fit together.
The current culture has created a chasm between the study of theology and
psychology that is difficult to bridge. While both disciplines have similar goals,
to help and understand human persons, the approach to reaching these goals
varies greatly. Christians believe that all truth and knowledge begin with God's
Word. Modern psychology believes that truth and knowledge are found through
empirical evidence and research. Many Christian views of psychology
completely discount the value of science, and psychology tends to minimize or
completely ignore any contribution of theology to psychology. Hill (2005) writes
about the integration of psychology and theology. One of Hill's (2005) main
points is that to integrate psychology and Christianity, the Bible must gain
greater authority as a source of knowledge outside of Christianity. Hill (2005)
states that "a Christian understanding adds overall explanatory power to the
phenomenon under investigation" (p. 101). As the explanatory power of the
Bible is increased, it will gain greater authority as a source of knowledge to
explain human persons (Hill, 2005). Octavio (2014) states that a biblical
narrative allows the most pressing questions of integrating faith and learning to
be answered. This expansion of Biblical truth outside of the Church is a
pathway to enable Christian thought to add knowledge to modern psychology.
Similarly, modern psychology can add insight to the Church. While I believe
unequivocally that the Bible is true, I also think that there is value in secular
thought and that to impact the world, we must reach outside the Church.
Equally, I believe that psychology is a science of behavior and mental
processes. Answers to questions such as how emotions pass through neurons
or how an infant develops language cannot be answered through theology
alone; empirical research is necessary. The Integration of psychology and
Christianity provides a means to join together both the science of psychology
and Christianity to allow for proven scientific methods while always first
pursuing the Truth.
The idea that truth begins with God but expands beyond Scripture must be
central to our thinking. Sproul (2000) concludes that a new synthesis is needed
to rescue metaphysics and overcome agnostic philosophy by bridging the
special revelation of Scripture and the general revelation of nature. I believe
that these same ideas are central to combining theology and psychology. God
is the source of all Truth, so the search for knowledge must begin with God.
Yet, truth can be revealed outside of Scripture, and to fully understand humans
and bridge the gap between disciplines, Christianity must allow for knowledge
to be gained from other sources. At the same time, the relevance and authority
of Scripture can be expanded beyond the Church.
References
English Standard Version. (2022). Crossway. Retrieved from Esv.org
Hill, P. C. (2005). Living on the boundary: Scriptural authority and psychology.
Journal of Psychology and Theology, 33(2), 98-112.
http://ezproxy.liberty.edu/login?qurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.proquest.com%2Fschol
arly-journals%2Fliving-on-boundary-scriptural-
authority%2Fdocview%2F223668910%2Fse-2%3Faccountid%3D12085
Octavio J. E., (2014). Biblical worldview: The Christian higher education
foundation for learning. Christian Higher Education, 13(2), 91-100. DOI:
10.1080/15363759.2014.872495
Sproul, R. C. (2000). The consequences of ideas. Wheaton, IL: Crossway.
