For thousands of years, care of the inner self was primarily the domain of religion. The advent of modern psychology in the late 1800s put this care in new hands; today, approaches to integrating the worlds of Christianity and psychology span a broad range (Entwhistle, 2010). Some individuals or factions in each field of expertise view the other with contempt, viewing spiritual doctrine and psychological research/practice as incompatible. Others pick and choose aspects to sprinkle into their own field, such as psychologists who see therapeutic merit in prayer & meditation apart from the beliefs that ground them, or Christian counselors who develop or borrow therapeutic methods based on similarity to Christian disciplines without attention to empirical methodology
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First, “ways of knowing” are known as epistemology and can include logic and empiricism in psychology, with the addition of revelation in Christianity. Second, human nature is addressed through philosophical anthropology, with psychology and theology each offering their own contributions and limitations in this area. As Entwistle stated, “Theology may tell us about certain aspects of humanity (created in the image of God, tainted by sin), but psychology may be able to tell us how this fallenness is expressed in distorted thinking and relationships (defense mechanisms and unhealthy patterns of relating)” (Entwhistle, 2010, p. 120). Finally, the nature of the world in terms of metaphysics includes the study of the supernatural as opposed to the natural alone. An important question to address when evaluating a worldview is whether a supernatural perspective is necessary. Entwistle contended that it is, as it expands upon our observations of humanity by investigating the “ultimate ends of human purpose and activity” (Entwhistle, 2010, p.
First, “ways of knowing” are known as epistemology and can include logic and empiricism in psychology, with the addition of revelation in Christianity. Second, human nature is addressed through philosophical anthropology, with psychology and theology each offering their own contributions and limitations in this area. As Entwistle stated, “Theology may tell us about certain aspects of humanity (created in the image of God, tainted by sin), but psychology may be able to tell us how this fallenness is expressed in distorted thinking and relationships (defense mechanisms and unhealthy patterns of relating)” (Entwhistle, 2010, p. 120). Finally, the nature of the world in terms of metaphysics includes the study of the supernatural as opposed to the natural alone. An important question to address when evaluating a worldview is whether a supernatural perspective is necessary. Entwistle contended that it is, as it expands upon our observations of humanity by investigating the “ultimate ends of human purpose and activity” (Entwhistle, 2010, p.