I was wondering it Christianity and psychology are compatible or incompatible? if you could email back as soon as possible that would be great. thanks so much

-- Rachel Walcott (Rachel_L_Walcott@cornerstone.edu), April 26, 2004

Answers

A very complex question that cannot be easily answered. I suggest that you check out a few resources as a start:

The Journal of Psychology and Christianity is published by the Christian Association for Psychological Studies (CAPS)--you can find information about them on the internet.

The Journal of Psychology and Theology is published by the Rosemead Graduate School of Psychology. You can find some information on the internet.

There is also quite a bit on "integration" in the Journal of Religion and Health, and in some issues of the Journal of the American Academy of Religion.

I cover 1000 books related mostly to psychology and Christianity in Vande Kemp, H. (1984). Psychology and theology in western thought, 1672-1965: A historical and annotated bibliography. In collaboration with H. N. Malony. Millwood, NY: Kraus International.

Another excellent resource is my book chapter in a collection by Ed Shafranske:

Vande Kemp, H. (1996). Historical perspective: Religion and clinical psychology in America. In E. Shafranske (Ed.), Religion and the clinical practice of psychology (pp. 71-112). Washington DC: American Psychological Association.

I argue that the integration of psychology and theology (primarily Christian) is a psychological specialty based on the publication of textbooks, founding of journals, degree programs and professorships, special textbooks, etc. You'll find the reference list on that chapter very helpful.

Another interesting resource is

(1999). D. Benner & P. Hill (Eds.), Baker encyclopedia of psychology and counseling. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House. Many of the entries in the encyclopedia include commentary on whether or not the perspective is consistent with Christianity. There is also an earlier edition edited by Benner.

-- Hendrika Vande Kemp (hendrika@cox.net), April 26, 2004.

Hi Rachel, I think that some people think that Christianity is compatible with psychology and some do not. The arguement against the compatibility in large part rests upon the conflict between details of Biblical and scientific accounts dealing with topics like geological history and paleontology. There is also the issues of verifing miracles and the difficulty of scientifically testing the existance of God and life after death. The argrument for compatibility may be helped by not taking a such a literal interpretation of the Bible (see it for its social-emotional meaning rather than being a strict history or science book) and emphasizing that religious ideas are mainly for our spiritual (emotional?) well being. The Bible may be seen as a book that touches some meaningful, but largely mysterious aspect of our personality. This perspective will often allow many historians, scientists, and other skeptical types of people to temporarily suspend their disbelief enough to appreciate the emotional and moral effects that can be enhanced with Christianity. There is empirical evidence that prayer and other religious activities can be quite helpful for many people. Religion can reduce distress in fearful and sad times, help people to stay motivated in difficult times, and help people get along with each other (e.g., though empathy, love, a feeling of community, and anger control). Internalized moral codes may be enhanced by religious principles and models of empathy and love, as well as enhancing concern about negative consequences if we behave inappropriately. It seems that contemporary Christianity in American (like Psychology in America)is increasingly emphasizing the positive aspects of empathy, love, and tolerance. There seems to be a contemporary movement in Christianity to shape Christian beliefs to be more compatible with science and more tolerant of people in other religions. If this is the case, it may make it easier in the future for a person to be a Christian and a modern member of the world community at the same time. I hope this helps. Paul

-- Paul Kleinginna (pkleinginna@georgiasouthern.edu), April 27, 2004.

Agreeing with the suggestions already provided by Hendrika and Paul, I would like to add my two cents. (I hope this is not too late!)

One way to approach the issue of compatability is to ask the questions "Which Christianity" and "Which Psychology?" Both are among the most diverse and varied concepts one can enter into. For example, some Christian traditions are more compatible with some aspects of psychology -- ranging, I suspect from highly compatible (Liberal Protestant theologies and humanistic psychologies) to largely incompatible (Biblical Fundamentalism and Evolutionary Psychology). And, of course, there is a whole range of possible connections (and disconnections) as one considers other Christian traditions and theological positions and other forms of psychological science and practice. So it really does depend on what the questioner has in mind by these terms.

The "integrationist" position that Hendrika describes is currently a rich field that seeks to carve out areas of compatability within which both theological and psychological understadings mutually and dynamically impact one another. So if you decided that that are not catagorically incompatible, then you might consider looking at this literature.

Trey

-- Trey Buchanan (Trey. Buchanan@wheaton.edu), May 11, 2004.