In Revelation 22:13, Jesus declares, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first
and the last, the beginning and the end” (English Standard Version, 2022). The
gospel is the center of the Biblical narrative. God’s kingdom has come, and at
the same time, God is renewing all of creation in the work of Christ by the
Holy Spirit. As believers, the gospel is all of life from beginning to end and
everything in between. Therefore, the gospel message matters to my research
area of social psychology because it matters to all of life.
In Creation Regained, Wolters (2005) states that the Christian church must
interpret the world through a gospel lens. This calling means that we must
make His kingdom known in every department of life. b Today we live in an
“overlap of the ages in which the powers of evil continue to exist with the
healing and renewing power of the age to come” (Wolters, 2005, p. 133).
Instead of withdrawing from culture and science, Christians must renounce
separatist positions. When Christians abandon the culture and withdraw from
engaging in social issues, culture is propelled toward evil and away from God.
Then, the secularization of society increases.
The retreat from engagement with society, particularly in the scientific and
academic realms, has minimized Christianity's influence in all areas of life. Even
the church's ability to participate in soul care is diminished. b The inward focus
of the church frees the world to pursue its idolatry and worldly desires. To
address the current needs of culture, the significance of the teaching of
Scripture must be of utmost importance in our work and lives. Our influence
must impact the field of psychology.
Wolters (2005) states, “Everything is part of God’s creation, everything has
been touched by sins destructive power, and everything can participate in the
renewing work of God in Christ and by the Spirit” (Wolters, 2005, p. 142). As
psychologists, we have the privilege of participating in God’s work of creation.
Faith must be declared in every aspect of our lives. As C. S. Lewis once said,
“We do not need more Christian books; we need more books by Christians
about everything with Christian values built in.” (Myers, 2010, p. 181). b The
good of creation is never wholly obliterated for any human person. However,
disengagement with the culture prevents Christian psychologists from reaching
individuals outside the church and affecting the culture.
The tension between psychology and Christianity provides unique opportunities
to impact our culture for Christ. Wolters (2005) states, “The biblical story and
the competing cultural story are at odds and yet “meet” in the life of the people
of God. The deeper the consciousness of this tension is, and the willingness to
take this tension on itself, the healthier the church is” (p. 137). Psychologists
must achieve these goals without compromising the gospel. We must be, as
Stanton Jones (2010) states, “in the thick of psychology, contributing their
ideas, submitting their hypotheses and theories to the test” (p. 115). This
tension makes us aware of false teachings and inaccuracies so that we can
stand for biblical truth and influence how the subject matter is viewed. The
contradictions of science draw us to address the issues (Jones, 2010). We can
live out our calling by standing for biblical truth instead of retreating.
Myers (2010) succinctly states the words of Reformed philosopher Nicholas
Wolterstorff to necessitate the importance of Christians’ fully participating in
academia as Christian psychologists. Believers are urged “to occupy the
academy as a Christian who sees the world in the light of the gospel, but
occupy it also as a psychologist, not as one who surveys the scene from
outside and now and then makes some clucking noises, but as one who
participates in the nitty-gritty of actual psychological explorations. Do not just be
a critic. Be a creative initiator, faithful in your thinking as in your doing the
gospel of Jesus Christ” (Myers, 2010, p. 181). We can effectively share the
gospel in our work only through participation from a biblical perspective. God
has graciously provided the tension to increase our opportunities to impact the
world for Christ. I pray that we all can live out this tension in a manner that
brings glory to God and moves individuals closer to our Creator and the good
of His creation.
b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b
b b b b b b b b b b References
English Standard Version. (2022). Crossway. Retrieved from Esv.org
Jones, S. L. (2010). An integration view. In Johnson, E. L. (Ed.), Psychology
and Christianity, five views (pp. 101-128). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.
Myers, D. G. (2010). A levels of explanation response to Christian psychology.
In Johnson, E. L. (Ed.), Psychology and Christianity, five views (pp.179-182).
Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.
Wolters, A. M. (2005). Creation regained. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. Eerdmans
Publishing Co.
