Psychology and the Christian Faith Free Essay Example

Get vulnerable in 250 -300 words relate a personal life episode that this book triggered in your memory. Relate the story in first person describing action, quoting exact words you remember hearing or saying in the teaching style of Jesus. This is a do-it-yourself parable, case study confession. You will remember almost nothing about what you have read unless you make this critical personal connection. I remember well growing up until the age of approximately 13 to 14 when I was just discovering what the Christian faith is.

Although the atmosphere at home was very much “Christian like”, the experience was a bit far from it. There was a lot of tension every now and then. As a child, one of the things uppermost to my mind then was a chance to play outside the house, explore our backyard, and discover what our young neighbors were up to also. My father especially was very exacting and uptight. Many of the things that I remember he’d always say was “Do not ever .

. . ” and “Do this . . . ” That kind of perception speaks volumes. On the other hand, mother was at the same time very liberal and expressing of her naggings.

Though happy at the externals, I was an emerging ticking time bomb. I was very confused and unhappy, very possessive of friends and was trying to wage war with whomever will take my friends away. So I had this strange understanding of what kind of God was like, simply because my father often talked about Him and I thought that he must had known God.

This notion about God as a distant and menacing figure consumed my mind very much. Then someone shared with me the gift of salvation. It was so clear that there was no mistaking what God was communicating to me.

My journey towards understanding my world and the kind of world that God in the Scriptures is actually building in me was exciting, taxing, intimidating, and frightening at times. I succumbed many times to depression because I gave in to doubts about His perfect plan. Then I embarked on a career in psychology. I was torn many times because of the many insinuations of unbelief and the disregard of faith in many of the theories and theorists I met. But then I discovered also the many Christian scientists and mental health practitioners, those in the profession who managed to merge many of psychology into their Christian framework.

There is solid evidence as to the beauty of God’s transforming work in a person’s life. I am witness to that. However, I also see its parallel in many of the discoveries and breakthroughs, attempts by man to explain human nature. God’s work is unparalleled without a doubt. I still hold on to that notion. I understand better now also when I see things in man’s perspective, much like Solomon when he says “life under the sun. ” 3. Reflection. What new questions pop up for you in response to what you have read? Out smart the author by asking better questions than he has raised.

Begin with questions like `What bothers me about this book? Please keep this section to 250 words. Much appreciation goes to the scholarly work of Dr. Entwistle. His wide grasp of Scriptures and doctrines of the Christian faith is very impressive. It is with the impression that the author has a deep thirst of the things of God and of the beauty of His plan of salvation. Equally, his search for the basic functioning of the mind and behavioral activities of individuals are evident throughout the accounts in the book.

What bothers me about this book is that Dr. Entwistle must have kept his philosophical discussions to a minimum so that his audience or readership will be able to digest at that level. There are theological questions that are not satisfied just by going through the presuppositions. Though this is essentially a requisite, still, major doctrines in the Christian faith cannot be sufficiently addressed within the pages of his book. Just like when he mentioned about “Athens and Jerusalem” right from the beginning of his treatise.

The author should be careful about discussing the two kinds of wisdom that he proposed through the “locations” he mentioned. The Jerusalem that he talked about in his book as referred to by Tertullian is not representative of a thorough grasp of the Christian faith that is balanced and sound. Another thing is that no matter how important the contribution of Psychology is to the understanding of human behavior, to say that it can help our Biblical understanding is an affront to the admonition and declaration in 2 Timothy 3:16 that the Scriptures is complete and enough for it is able to deal with the entire man.

Though I do admire the work and breakthrough of psychology and its scientific procedures providing an honest and realistic proof to many of the realities of human activities, the important integrative approach is still to present both as important in their own right and yet the Biblical picture elevated to its rightful place. I guess that is what Dr. Entwistle actually really wanted.

Another thing that bothers me is that, how many Christian counselors are prepared to help their clients sort the distinctions and similarities between psychology and the Christian faith? This is important because basic to therapy success is that when therapist and client share similar worldviews, the therapy may then advance. Moreover, do Christian counselors and those in this kind of profession really pursue real interest and deep thirst for a systematic and regular study of the Bible?

If they do not do so, they will be deficient of the overall grasp of the Bible’s structure and content and lack a working knowledge of basic biblical doctrines. A deep and thriving relationship and commitment to an equally gifted Bible – believing church will also benefit the counselor in his/her personal life and practice, thus a necessary requirement.

Remember! This is just a sample.

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