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.
In2Creation Regained,2Wolters (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. 2Today 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. 2The
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). 2The 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.
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References
English Standard Version.2(2022). Crossway. Retrieved from Esv.org
Jones, S. L. (2010). An integration view. In Johnson, E. L. (Ed.),2Psychology
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.),2Psychology and Christianity, five
views(pp.179-182). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.
Wolters, A. M. (2005).2Creation regained.2Grand Rapids, MI: Wm.
Eerdmans Publishing Co.
