Archive for February, 2010
Spirituality, Therapeutic Relationships, and the Ministry of Counseling
Posted by Nick Roy in Psychology and Spirituality Monday, 8 February 2010 21:26 No Comments
Suffering and pain can bring about great healing and transformation (Nouwen, 1975). Opposites shed light on each other, and therefore the beauty of healing is not seen as cleary unless it is against the backdrop of painful experience. Nouwen (1975) explains: “The paradox is indeed that new life is born out of the pains of the old” (p. 19).
Painful experiences that are a part of life give humanity a longing for healing, for “often it is the dark forest that makes us speak about the open field” (Nouwen, 1975, p. 19). The counselor is a guide for hurting people to help them come out of painful experiences and find healing. However, to rememdy the pain to quickly can short circuit the process and may cause dependency. The client who comes into counseling in despair gives the counselor the opportunity to promote solitude in the counseling session and to “speak about the fertile tree while witnessing the dying of the seed” (Nouwen, 1975, p. 53). The beauty of true life and transformation is that it comes out of death. It is the complete message of the gospel. Nouwen (1975) speaks of creating emptiness in a client in order for them to truly understand themselves, which drives them toward true living. It would not be wise to state directly to the client that pain must come first in an insensitive manner. Using professionalism and descretion over blunt verbiage would be best, but the message is still the same.
Reference
Nouwen, H.J.M. (1975). Reaching out: The three movements of the spiritual life. New York: Doubleday.
Worldviews and Educational Experiences
Posted by Nick Roy in Psychology and Spirituality Monday, 8 February 2010 21:23 No Comments
In my own education and experience, Jerusalem was always stressed as imperative, yet it did not negate the significance of Athens. I don’t mean to say that these two schools were taught to me as equals. The Bible was taught as God’s Word; a filter to view the world around me. However, I was not taught that the Academy and the Church were fundamentally opposed to one another, but complimentary. As Entwistle (2004) states, “Indeed, the rallying cry of integration is that all truth is God’s truth, so that wherever and however truth is discovered, its author is God” (p. 16).
Nevertheless, this statement cannot be taken niavely or without recognition that the conflict between the Academy and the Church is apparent when one sees a distinction between allegiance to God and allegiance to man (Entwistle, 2004). For this reason, I agree with Entwistle (2004) that “secular” knowledge, meaning knowledge obtained from observation and methods outside of reading the Bible, is still knowledge of God’s truth and must be viewed from a larger, Biblical framework.
My personal religious background and my education were influencial in my perspective. I attended public and Christian schools and colleges. Specifically, in my Christian educational experiences there was much concern and care taken to teach a Biblical worldview while also teaching secular knowledge through a Biblical lens. This type of education allowed for integration of God’s “Two Books”: the Bible and the creative order (Brewer, n.d.)
References
Brewer, G. (n.d.). [Lecture 2: Defining integration: Key concepts]. Liberty University.
Entwistle, D.N. (2004). Integrative approaches to psychology and christianity: An introduction to worldview issues, philosophical foundations, and models of integration. Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock.
Psychology Is Sinful Human Beings Sinfully Thinking About Sinful Human Beings
Posted by Nick Roy in Psychology and Spirituality Monday, 8 February 2010 21:19 No Comments
Contemplating the given statement begs the question, what does “sinfully thinking” actually mean? As Entwistle (2004) unpacks in the text, human nature is affected by the Fall and therefore the statement is correct in its declaration that humanity is sinful. This will always be the true when referring to the nature of humanity. To say that contemplating the inner workings of humanity, that is, what makes men and women think, act, and make a choice is a sinful act, asks for further definition.
Looking back into the history of the Church in regards to psychology will find that the care and healing of the soul was central to Christianity and the Church, long before our modern view of psychotherapy came into being (Entwistle, 2004). Viewing psychology, or soul care, as sinful is to make the statement that the Church of antiquity was wrong in its mission to care for human beings.
Entwistle (2004) proposes that the study of psychology is a study of God’s works and is therefore a way to learn about the God who created the universe and its inhabitants. What should be asked of this original statement is how one interprets psychology based upon worldview perspective. Defining psychology as a sinful endeavor lies in a Christian combatant perspective from Entwistle’s (2004) Enemies model. The perspective that theology and psychology must be in opposition with clearly defined territory stems from a fairly recent debate after the Enlightenment and Darwinism (Entwistle, 2004). Thus, one must recognize that this statement does not stem from a Biblical concept, but from a territorial debate from the very recent nineteenth century.
References
Entwistle, D.N. (2004). Integrative approaches to psychology and Christianity. Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock.