The Need for More Preaching in the Psychologist's Office or “Why Therapy Never Should Have Left the Church in the First Place” (original) (raw)

A Place for the Church within Professional Psychology

Journal of Psychology and Theology, 2010

There are various reasons why Christian psychologists may resist fully participating in a church community. Among these are historic tensions between science and religion, the complexity of multiple role relationships, cynicism related to clients’ negative experiences in religious communities, and differing perspectives on attributions and human nature. Despite these obstacles, there are compelling reasons for psychologists to remain involved in church. Eight of these reasons are described—clustered into professional, relational, and transformational domains—and implications discussed.

Psychotherapy: Science or Religion? Some implications for Today's Church

The aim of this paper is to investigate the true nature of psychotherapy. In particular, an attempt will be made to answer the question: Is psychotherapy a science or a religion? It is a sad fact that today's church has to a large extent given up its call to minister to hurting people, because Christians believe the myth that psychotherapy is a science. The paper argues that psychotherapy, in fact, is not a science, but rather another religion and that today's church needs to return to the biblical counselling of the early church, which is far more effective than psychotherapy.

On Theology and Psychology: A Review Essay

Theology Today, 2023

A review essay of On Theology and Psychology: The Correspondence of C.G. Jung and Adolf Keller (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2020), edited by Marianne Jehle-Wildberger. A recent addition to the Philemon Series of the Philemon Foundation, this volume brings together the correspondence of theologian Adolf Keller and C.G. Jung. Their relationship spanned half a century, and for many years Keller was the only major religious leader to align himself with Jung and his ideas.

Exploring biblical reformational theology as a normative perspective for Christian psychology

In die Skriflig/In Luce Verbi, 2014

The process and importance of dialogue between Christian religion and psychology are continuously an active area of debate amongst Christian counsellors and psychologists as witnessed by the diversity of opinions in the focus area. The aim of this article is to contribute to the enrichment of the theological interpretation of practices within the confines of a Christian psychological worldview. A Christian approach to anthropology is shaped by the Bible as basis for Christianity's intellectual and religious conducts. The article cultivates and encourages a holistic sense of cross-disciplinary reflection that enables psychologists to respond to therapeutic situations with faithful, theologically informed practice. It is recommended that psychologists with a Christian worldview should look at the Bible and the Christian intellectual and religious tradition as a normative perspective for their practicerelated research across the field of Christian psychology. To justify the hermeneutic approach, a decision should be made about the interpretation of the interdisciplinary theory-praxis relationship with regards to a particular normative perspective for Christian psychology. It is the intent of this article to reflect an transversal model of cross-disciplinary dialogue between Christian religion and psychology, based on mutuality and respect where psychology could be enriched by a normative perspective that explores the theory-praxis interface with a biblical reformational theology that holds to the authority of Scripture, the sovereignty of God and redemption by grace through faith in Jesus Christ.

The Relevance of Christian Psychology in a Postmodern Age

The divide between sacred and secular created by modernism is now being bridged in this postmodern era. Whereas God was irrelevant and religion harmful, now the growing disillusionment with modernism is unmasking the deep spiritual hunger still present in human beings. In this new landscape, spirituality finds a valid and legitimate space. In this postmodern world the care of souls needs to be reclaimed by the Church, where soul care fundamentally belongs. This shift presents both opportunities and challenges for Christian theologians and psychologists and the Church at large.

Psychology vs. Theology: Friends or Foes?

Human Arenas Journal, 2021

The relationship between psychology and religion is not a matter of recent interest, but also, part of our tradition. Theology and modern psychology try together to tackle the same subject, the human psychosomatic world. How much do these two disciplines differ or they resemble to each other? In this presentation, we would like to examine the similarities and differences between psychology and religion/theology in terms of their purpose and aims, in the means and methods they use, in coping with difficulties and pain, in assisting those in need, and in their relationship with mental health. Besides, we examine the relationship between religion and mental health. Is this relationship always positive? If not, under which circumstances is it positive and under which is it negative? Clarification of the Purpose of the Paper People, who are engaged with the study of inner life, quite often turn their interest to both psychology and spirituality/religion to understand better how internal life functions and gain a better understanding of the meaning of life and possible solutions in life difficulties. These two disciplines seem to share a common interest in human's internal life, but at the same time, have some distinct values and principles, that this paper aims to identify and clarify. More specifically, this study aims to focus and compare the two disciplines, i.e., theology and psychology, in terms of their aims, their therapeutic means (confession vs. psychotherapy), the way they approach life difficulties (e.g., pain), which they consider are the obstacles in succeeding their aims, whom they consider to be a 'healthy person', and which might be some possible similarities, differences, and common reference points between them.

Psychology and the church: An exemplar of psychologist–clergy collaboration

Professional …, 2000

Despile the increasing attention being given to clergy-psychologist collaboration, many psychologists may wonder what clergy-psychologist collaboration looks like in actual practice. The authors describe an example of clergy-psychologist collaboration involving a careful needs-assessment phase followed by the development of a wide spectrum of preventive, consultative, and direct services. Current challenges include funding, establishment of trust, and the integration of psychology and spirituality. Implications for professional psychologists are discussed. Some psychologists may be persuaded by recent Professional Psychology: Research and Practice articles that too little attention has been given to psychologist-clergy collaboration (Weaver et al., 1997) and that collaborating with clergy holds promise as an emerging area of professional work (McMinn, Chaddock, Edwards, Lim, & Campbell, 1998). Those articles provide helpful information from national survey research and systematic analyses of American Psychological Association journals but may leave the typical reader of Professional Psychology: Research and Practice wondering what clergy-psychologist collaboration looks like in actual practice. Three of us (Mark R. McMinn, Amy W. Dominguez, and Daniel C. Aikins} are involved in a research program that has become KATHRYN M. BENES received her PhD from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 1990. She is the clinical director of Catholic Social Services in the diocese of Lincoln, NE. Her professional interests include school psychology, pastor-psychologist collaboration, and organizational consultation.

Pastoral Psychology as a Field of Tension between Theology and Psychology

Christian Bioethics, 2010

Ever since its beginning, Christianity ascribed an important role to care for bodily and psychic suffering. Up to modernity, psychological assistance was closely connected with theology. In modern times, philosophy and theology began to distance themselves from metaphysics and transcendence, thus opening the path for a purely psychological interpretation of religion and of religious life (cf. Kant, Schleiermacher). The founders of important psychological schools (Sigmund Freud, Carl Gustav Jung, Erich Fromm, Fritz Perls, and Carl Rogers) offered purely naturalistic interpretations of the human condition and discounted transcendence. Today, pastoral psychology is situated in a field of tension between a purely naturalistic psychology and openness to a spiritual dimension and to man's vocation for transcendence. What those recent psychological schools contribute is important for a deeper understanding of man, but it remains merely partial as long as his spiritual dimension is disregarded.