Discussion Thread: LOE and Integration in Action
How did Dr. Worthington demonstrate a Levels of Explanation
approach in his talk on forgiveness?
In his lecture, Dr. Worthington defines forgiveness in two different
categories. First, forgiveness is a about how we intend to act decision
towards a person (The Table | Biola CCT, 2014).
Second,emotionalforgiveness replaces negative emotions with positive
ones (The Table | Biola CCT, 2014). Additionally, Dr. Worthington
describes several science-based benefits of forgiveness, including
bettering an individual’s overall health with a lower risk of cardiovascular
events, better immune function, and lower cortisol levels (The Table |
Biola CCT, 2014). Forgiveness also leads to better mental health, including
less risk of depression and less rumination (playing something repeatedly
in mind) (The Table | Biola CCT, 2014). Rumination is related to several
psychological issues, including anger, anxiety, post-traumatic,
psychosomatic, and obsessive-compulsive disorders (The Table | Biola
CCT, 2014). Nonetheless, forgiveness leads to less rumination and fewer
psychological disorders (The Table | Biola CCT, 2014).
The levels of explanation (LOE) assume a clear distinction between the
disciplines of theology and psychology (Johnson, 2010). LOE recognizes all
levels of reality (theological, social, psychological, biological, chemical,
and physics) as crucial but emphasizes the need for clear boundaries
within disciplines (Johnson, 2010). Although mentioning God and religion
in his talk, Dr. Worthington makes clear distinctions when discussing the
science-based benefits of forgiveness, which corresponds to an LOE view.
