What we know about a Levels of Explanation view is that it is the most
common faculty of secular colleges focuses on Theology, Psychology,
Biology and Chemistry. Humans are best at understanding in terms of
hierarchy of level or disciplines that should not be combined, Johnson,
(2010). What Dr. Worthington explains to us is that forgiveness is based
on two definitions, a Biblical view in that God tells us to forgive and a
psychology view of God does not tell us how to forgive therefore we as
individuals need to further define forgiveness. With the Biblical view, all
injustice has been turned over to God for him to decide on what to do
next. In many cases, this person that has exhibited injustice may have
fallen and thus redemption is necessary. On the contrary a psychology
view says that justice is based on the levels where a higher injustice
causes for it to be harder to forgive but a smaller injustice could be easier
to forgive. In any case to further understand a Levels of Explanation view,
we have to do just that, explain. When we talk about forgiveness, we need
to understand that it is not before we can understand what forgiveness is.
We are told from Dr. Worthington that forgiveness is not forbearance,
condemnation, or reconciliation but it is in fact a decision based on value.
We also need to look at emotional forgiveness by replacing negative
emotion with positive emotion. Overall, what we have learned is that
when injustice is evident, a Levels of Explanation view tells us that either
God will cure the injustice or we the people have to cure the injustice,
either way it is one or the other.
Johnson, (2010) speaks in terms of science and Christianity that seek for
the views to integrate. All truth is Gods Truth, but so is psychology as well
and that they can be integrated together. Dr. McMinn speaks to us about
positive psychology and the church and how we can integrate them
together because it is all about kindness and positive attributes. Positive
psychology is about how to reclaim what we lost based on human virtue.
While psychology and God is about happiness and goodness, what this
view seeks to tells is that we need to take the religion out to study the
science of psychology. It becomes not an ‘and/or’ but rather a ‘cause and
effect’. The focus is about self and psychology is all about the big ME
where the Church stood for something different. It was states to love God
as yourself and also love your neighbor. In this case Dr. McMinn talk about
forgiveness is about YOU and not the offender.
It is very interesting to hear the term forgiveness from two perspectives
about psychology and Christianity as it relates to a Levels of Explanation
view and an Integrated view. While both view points believe in
forgiveness, a levels of Explanation view looks at forgiveness as two
separate pathways, one where God takes control by trying to explain
‘why’ we need to forgive or psychology takes control by trying to explain
‘how’ we need to forgive. Whereas with an Integrated view there are
layers that psychology and the Church contribute to forgiveness because
the focus is still on self. The Church tells us that there is good in people
and through Scriptures of creation, humans have positive attributes and
with positive psychology is about taking the religion out because
psychologist do not acknowledge sin but we as human have the ability to
have attributes that allow us to reclaim what we lost. This integrated view
looks at the outcome of self the same but just with difference lenses as to
how we got there.
References
Johnson, E. L. (2010).9Psychology and Christianity: Five views(2nd9ed.). IVP
Academic.
