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). Psychology and Christianity: Five views (2nd ed.). IVP
Academic.
