c I believe that the science of modern psychology and Christianity fit together
and complement each other. When we consider the question of where
psychology and Christianity get their truth and knowledge from, as a doctoral
student I know that psychologists are social scientists who practice the
scientific method to obtain truth (s). For example, psychologists make
observations, then they ask questions. Next, they form a hypothesis and then
conduct an experiment. After that they collect data and share their results with
others. Christians, on the other hand get their truth from the scriptures which
are God’s word. A Christian’s worldview is strictly shaped by her/his reading of
the scriptures. Relatedly, Christian reformer John Calvin wrote, "All truth is from
God," and St Augustine wrote, “All truth is God’s truth.” When we come to
understand what this means, we see that while psychology may seem to get its
truth from the scientific method, the truth which is revealed in this process was
God’s truth all along, not mankind’s truth. Within psychology unfortunately,
blasphemous secularism is at work trying to separate Christians from God’s
truth by making them think that the scriptures are outdated, invalid and
irrelevant. c Importantly, it seems to me that God’s truth is correlated with God’s
law. As per Wolters (2005), when men and women subject themselves to God’s
law it enables them to be free; however, blasphemous humanism looks upon
God’s law as bondage.
c c c c c Christianity and psychology seem to share similar goals. For example,
while psychologists use their extensive knowledge of human nature and the
mental health disorders found in the DSM 5 to help their clients’ overcome
obstacles and live their best lives, Christian clerics, lay-people, and pastors use
their extensive knowledge of human nature and the Bible to help people to
overcome and live their best lives. It seems moreover, that most researchers
consider the concepts of religion and spirituality as being related, with religion
enlarged to include spirituality. At any rate, it seems that an increase in a
client’s religiosity/spirituality has been shown to improve their mental health.
Koenig (2018) found that among people who receive mental health services,
increased religiosity/spirituality are usually associated with positive outcomes.
Importantly, research has determined that there is relationship between
religiosity/spirituality and good mental health. For example, immediately after
the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, Schuster et al., (2001) interviewed
a nationally representative sample of 560 adult Americans to assess their
stress symptoms. The researchers report that nine out ten American adults
were experiencing at least one symptom of stress. Importantly, most study
participants reported turning to Biblical scripture to relieve their stress (Schuster
et al., 2001).
c c c In the United States, suicide is the tenth leading cause of death overall,
and the second leading cause of death for people aged 10 to 34 (NIMH, 2021).
In a longitudinal study, Rasic et al., (2011) found that among all participants (N
= 1091) greater religiosity/spirituality was associated with less mental health
problems, less suicide attempts and less drug and alcohol abuse. Participants
who sought to increase their spirituality from baseline levels had a significantly
decreased risk of suicidality when compared to participants who did not seek
to become more spiritual (Rasic et al., 2011).
c c c When a psychological study suggests a finding that opposes the Bible, as
social scientists who are Christian soldiers, we should look at scripture as
discussing a relative phase or event in history. While the scripture’s message
may seem dated and no longer relative, in the big picture the message is
relative and valid because it is has become normed over time (Wolters, 2005).
Therefore, it is our duty as Christians to always give priority to what the Bible
is saying. Towards this end, while modern psychology fits in the church as a
way-shower, and a means by which we can help God’s children, the information
we glean from it must not be considered more accurate than what the
scriptures are saying.
References
Koenig, H. G. (2018). General applications in clinical practice. Religion and
Mental Health, 227–254. https://doi.org/10.1016/b978-0-12-811282-3.00010-0
NIMH. (2021). Suicide. National Institute of Mental Health. Retrieved April 10,
2022, from https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/suicide#:
Rasic, D., Robinson, J. A., Bolton, J., Bienvenu, O. J., & Sareen, J. (2011).
Longitudinal relationships of religious worship attendance and spirituality with
major depression, anxiety disorders, and suicidal ideation and attempts:
Findings from the Baltimore Epidemiologic Catchment Area Study. Journal of
Psychiatric Research, 45(6), 848–854.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychires.2010.11.014
Schuster, M. A., Stein, B. D., Jaycox, L. H., Collins, R. L., Marshall, G. N., Elliott,
M. N., Zhou, A. J., Kanouse, D. E., Morrison, J. L., & Berry, S. H. (2001). A
national survey of stress reactions after the September 11, 2001, terrorist
attacks. New England Journal of Medicine, 345(20), 1507–1512.
https://doi.org/10.1056/nejm200111153452024
Wolters, A. M. (2005). Creation regained: Biblical basics for a reformational
worldview. William B. Eerdmans Pub.
