Integrative Approaches to Psychology and Christianity: An Introduction to Worldview Issues, Philosophical Foundations, and Models of Integration

Abstract

INTEGRATIVE APPROACHES TO PSYCHOLOGY AND CHRISTIANITY: AN INTRODUCTION TO WORLDVIEW ISSUES, PHILOSOPHICAL FOUNDATIONS, AND MODELS OF INTEGRATION. David N. Entwistle. Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2004, Pp. 312. Pb. Reviewed by Rod Bassett (Roberts Wesleyan College/Rochester, NY). I teach an undergraduate integration of Christianity and Psychology course. For several years, I have been looking for an updated replacement of Carter and Narramore's The Integration of Psychology and Theology: An Introduction (1979, Zondervan Publishing). I have used the Carter and Narramore book to provide a broad overview of the philosophical issues and worldview assumptions that impact the interplay of psychology and Christianity. In the last few years my sense of urgency in seeking a replacement has escalated (my current copy of the book is weathered and held together by a rubber band). I think I have found it! The first three chapters of Entwistle's book address the interplay between Christianity and culture, Christianity and science, and Christianity and psychology. The fourth chapter introduces and develops the concept of worldviews. Chapters five through seven address basic philosophical issues undergirding the interplay of Christianity and Psychology: the pursuit of truth (epistemology), the nature of the world (metaphysics), and the nature of humanity (anthropology). The eighth chapter introduces different models for jointly considering Psychology and Christianity: Enemies, Spies, Colonialists, Neutral Parties, and Allies as Subjects of One sovereign. The next four chapters flesh out these models. A final chapter provides a concrete example of integration and suggests future steps for the reader. The models provided by Entwistle admittedly correspond to the models provided by Carter and Narramore [which in turn were roughly based on the paradigms for relating Christianity and culture in Niebuhr's Christ and Culture (1951, Harper and Row)]. The main exceptions to this pattern are two-fold. First, Entwistle splits the Carter and Narramore Of model into theologically liberal and conservative versions. The liberal version forces Christianity into a psychological mold while the conservative version forces psychology into a Christian mold. Second, Entwistle provides a more nuanced view of integration taking advantage of Carter's Diamond Model (1996, Journal of Psychology and Christianity) and distinguishing between different levels of integration (worldview, foundational, disciplinary, applied, and personal). …

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