Integrating Psychology and Theology

            Pastor, thank you for taking the time to speak with me and to offer your opinions on counseling and religion.  I agree with Jay Adams that psychology involves sinful human beings, but I disagree with your belief that psychology is secular “mumbo jumbo.”  As you well know, the Bible teaches us that we are all sinners and we all fall short of God’s glory (Romans 3:23).  That much of Adams statement is true.  God knows this and he created a plan for us so that we did not have to earn our salvation, but simply believe in Christ and we will be saved by His grace (Ephesians 2:8-9).  I find it interesting that counselors who have a sincere desire to help others, particularly Christian Counselors, would be viewed negatively in your eyes.  Much like pastors have a role to fulfill in the church to teach and equip its members to spread the word of God, counselors have a role to fulfill in helping others see their own value and live a full and productive life.

            The models of integration referred to by Entwistle (2010) describe two approaches to integrating psychology and theology, and I cannot support either one.  Adopting a black or white or us against them mentality when referring to psychology and theology puts the church and the profession in a dangerous position.  The Secular Combatants view religion as the enemy of psychology and adopt an attitude that religion attempts to prove science is completely wrong.  The Christian Combatants have the opposite view and believe science is a sinful and searching for meaning behind theories goes against Biblical teachings (Entwistle, 2010).  Secular counselors are guided by a code of ethics that consist of following professional values such as doing no harm to their clients (American Counseling Association, 2014).  Counselors who adopt a Christian worldview follow the same code of ethics, but more importantly are guided by the Holy Spirit through a relationship with Christ.  The Bible is the source of wisdom for the Christian faith, and as such, God has entrusted me to use it accordingly to guide my pursuit of helping others.

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Reference

Entwistle, D. N. (2010). Integrative Approaches to Psychology and Christianity: An Introduction to Worldview Issues, Philosophical Foundations, and Models Of Integration (2nd ed.). Eugene, OR: Cascade Books.