I find it interesting when you mention that “the integration approach promotes the
reclamation of virtues and positive values that can help promote better health and
spiritual outcomes.” This affirmation foments a personal curiosity about the
“integrationists” need to reclaim these virtues.
Dr. McMinn explains the creation of positive psychology by investigating religious
virtues in a context separate from religion and focusing on studying them
scientifically (Westmont College, 2019). Dr. McMinn claims the possibility of
reintroducing faith into modern psychology discussions to develop more vibrant
and stronger constructs (Westmont College, 2019).
You mentioned, “The author notes that psychology, when dealing with forgiveness
and reconciliation, often separates the two and helps individuals improve and
forgive themselves without mentioning reconciliation with the other party.” One
could argue that faith (including all work on forgiveness) was never actually
separated from positive psychology due to its origin in the investigation of
religious virtue. Perhaps only the methodological approach became more
quantitative than a previous focus on qualitative descriptions. Another possibility
is the debate of religious virtues in a current manner to become more
approachable in modern society.
In that line of thought, questions could be raised about an LOE scientist’s ability to
unblur the boundaries within the different domains. Is a Christian-LOE scientist
able to be completely unbiased when interpreting his findings? A negative answer
would presuppose that all Christian-LOE adopt, in fact, an Integration View when
doing science.
References
Westmont College (2019, March 4). Mark McMinn, Jan 22, 2019 [Video]. YouTube.
https://youtu.be/I3gFPgcVAEw
