I am so excited to be taking this class. c As a budding thought leader in the
field of Psychology it is imperative that we understand where Psychology gets
it truth and knowledge versus the origin of truth and knowledge in Christianity. c
In writing this discussion, I would first like to delve into a few definitions. A
"worldview" c is noted to be a person's basic belief system regarding any
thing/topic (Wolters, 2005). A "Biblical worldview" speaks of a worldview from a
Biblical perspective, in which all truth originates from the word of Almighty God
and His creation (Wolters, 2005). It is important to distinguish the two because
anyone can and does have a worldview, whereas Christians adhere to a Biblical
worldview. c Having a Biblical worldview originates with the Scriptures starting in
Genesis 1:1 (KJV) with the story of Creation and continues throughout God's
Holy word ending in Revelations. Another key definition is Epistemology, which
is the study of knowledge and belief (Wolters, 2005).
Psychology by its very definition is "the study of mind and behavior" (Merriam-
Webster, 1898). c Psychology originates from Greek, psyche meaning breath,
principle of life, life, soul with logia, speech, word and reason (Henriques &
Michalski, 2020). The goal of Psychology includes giving a secular or non-
Christian worldview of the mind and human behavior Wilhelm c Wundt was a
professor of physiological psychology at the University of c Leipzig, and is
considered the father of modern psychology )Johnson, 2010, p. 19). Scripture
says, "Sanctify them through thy truth: thy Word is truth" (John 17:17, KJV). In
other words, Christianity originates from God and His Word. c c Scripture also
says, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the
Word was God (John 1:1, NIV). c The goal of Christianity is to provide man with
truth, God's truth, so that man can receive the gift of salvation that God has
freely provided, in order to inherit eternal life. c
When a psychological study opposes God's Holy Word, scripture states that we
as Christians are to examine it through the lens of God's Holy Word. c A
Scripture that comes to mind, sounds pretty harsh, but cuts to the chase on
this dilemma. "God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is
written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome
when thou art judged" (Romans 3:4, KJV). The ultimate end of our journey is to
be able to stand before a Holy God, so we must defend His Word in this life. I
certainly do not want God to be angry at me at the end of life's journey, at the
time of judgement. c
Modern Psychology fits in the church and vice versa, c as the Bible is a
guideline for living, and does not answer every question. c For example, the
question of Autism and Developmental psychology is not explained in the Bible.
I have a 20 year old son who was diagnosed at the age of three on the Autism
Spectrum. c c The course I just took 725 Developmental Psychology, answered
some age-old questions that have been unanswered thus far on our journey
together. The church did not always show compassion and understanding
towards my son in earlier years until a Psychologist started attending and was
able to help my fellow church-goers to understand my son a bit better.
I believe that modern Psychology and Christianity fit together to a degree as in
my aforementioned last paragraph, I fknow that c God created the brain and our
mind and in all its complexities and in studying the mind, we learn more about
it and how to better help our fellow man. c I close by quoting 2 Timothy 2; 15,
"Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needth not to be
ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth" As a budding thought leader my
ultimate goal in my PhD journey is to discover truth.
References
Genesis 1:1. The Holy Bible. King James Version.
Henriques, G., & Michalski, J. (2020). Defining Behavior and its Relationship to
the Science of Psychology. c Integrative Psychological & Behavioral Science,
54(2), 328–353. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12124-019-09504-4 Links to an
external site.
John 1:1. The Holy Bible. New International Version..
John 17:17. c The Holy Bible. c King James Version.
Johnson, E. L. (2010). Psychology and Christianity: c Five Views. (2nd. ed.).
Intervarsity Press
Romans 3:4. c The Holy Bible. c King James Version.
Wolters, A. M. (2005) c c Creation regained: c Biblical basics for a reformational
worldview c (2nd ed.). William B. Erdmans Publishing Company.
2 Timothy 2:15. The Holy Bible. King James Version. c
