Dr. Worthington demonstrates a Levels of Explanation (LOE) approach in his talk
on forgiveness by pointing out where God and the Bible do and do not explain or
relate to forgiveness. For example, he mentions that the Bible tells us that we
need to forgive, but does not tell us how to do that. He goes on to explain how
psychology does tell us how to do that and why. Dr. Worthington explains how
being able to forgive others makes us healthier overall, with less cortisol and less
risk of heart disease. Even when he discusses both God and forgiveness, he keeps
his points separate in relation to how and why to forgive. In his talk, God and
forgiveness and psychology and forgiveness are two different topics. Johnson
(2010) explains that the LOE approach keeps distinctly different categories for all
types of study, including psychology and theology. The LOE approach maintains
that each domain should remain separate, as should the means to study each
domain (Johnson, 2010). It supports the idea that each domain has its own
unique perspective, not to be confused with the other domains or their
perspectives (Johnson, 2010).
Dr. McMinn demonstrates an Integration approach in his talk on Positive
Psychology and the church by discussing how Positive Psychology opened up
conversation regarding forgiveness. He explains that forgiveness is really a
religious concept, and that psychology helps to support that concept. He
discusses how when Positive Psychology came out, Christian scholars also
became very interested in this psychology. Dr. McMinn points this out as a time
when it was evident that both psychology and Chrisitanity supported one another.
He also discusses some of the physical health advantages to forgiving someone,
but cautions to be careful as we often become used to an individual advantage
approach. He discusses how God wants us to love our neighbor and work
together, and how this interdependent psychology is important too. Johnson
(2010) describes the Integration approach as recognizing that Christianity has a
lot to contribute to psychology and its practices, as well as how psychology also
contributes to Christianity. The Integration approach does this while also
supporting psychology as a scientific discipline (Johnston, 2010).
Through watching both of these talks, I can see how psychology and religion can
be both viewed separately and integrated. However, even while listening to Dr.
Worthington, I couldn’t help but draw connections naturally between religion and
psychology. While he kept them separate, they also seemed to make sense in
relation to one another. If the Bible tells us to forgive, but does not tell us how,
and psychology is able to show us how to forgive, and they both explain why we
should forgive, then why not embrace both?
