Integrative Approaches to Psychology and Christianity Essay Example for Free

Integrative Approaches to Psychology and Christianity EssayEducation and experience in the secular set-up or the what we call here(predicate) as A on that pointfores wisdom believes differently from the scriptural stand patch in whatever aspect of vivification. Psychology in general, though embraces slimly a neutral position according to some proponents, is non able to do justice to a balanced view of human behavior and virtually if not all of the individuals activities. Indeed, Author Dr. Entwistle (2004) argues about the general tendency to dichotomize or what he said as to buy into the duality between the sacred and the secular which is what seeing Jerusalem and Athens as mutually exclusive categories. From the outset I would like to say my piece regarding the point where Dr. Entwistle is coming from without backbreakinging arrogant in the same vein. He has mentioned a lot about presupposition while at the same time sounds like he doesnt anything about presuppositions . When he separated Jerusalem and the Church in his book, I present(prenominal)ly detected his lack of background in the realm of biblical theology. At the heart of Christianity or the Church that Dr. Entwistle is referring to, there is no such dichotomy.The Church in every dimension of it (or Christianity as we aptly put it) does not do any separation unless what Christ has separated. Meaning, our premise or presupposition starts with the fact that the Church and Christian spirituality or faith if one would put it simply, stands on the Judaeo-Christian context not a choice between Jerusalem or Church. The fundamental difference lies in the gr annihilate divide between Christianity and Athens or secular wisdom. It is only between the secular wisdom and biblical knowledge does the Bible place a dichotomy.Let me state what led me to this view it is because, theologically speaking, biblical authors explicitly wrote in their letters from the Old to the New Testament Scriptures that divinity has His own laws and statutes by which flavor in general must be regulated. The same knowledge explicitly and implicitly runs through the fabric of the whole Scripture (Old New), which means that the presuppositions of all of the Biblical authors, all fall into one primary election presupposition that there is one paragon, and that this One God has revealed Himself through His laws and statutes.Without the laws of God, man alone, with all of his learning, if they are all apart from the revelation of God, is mere natural or secular. This is the reason that every man ought to know these laws or statutes or biblical principles and only then can he apply these into all aspects of his secular life. This could have been what Dr. Entwistle mean to mean. One cannot come from the opposite side as what Dr. Entwistle had done instead as he hinged the argument from secular to the theological though he tested to get his ideas from the likes of great men like Dr. A. W.Tozer and early(a)s. All those peoples arguments come from biblical presupposition they have thorough knowledge of the Scriptures that they applied to various realms of life which in turn caused them to spur their readers to do the same. Trying to oppose the standpoint of apologist Tertullian, Dr. Entwistle manifestly misunderstands all of their positions, thus complicating what could have been an uncomplicated and unified sprout of thought. The main contri plainlying factors that led me to this viewpoint are my personal study of the Bible, and some works (massive) of Biblical scholars.The following discussion of renewing the mind then is a by-product of my own presupposition derived from the influence of these Biblical Scholars which include contemporary theologians like Dr. Vincent Cheung, Dr. Philip Johnson, and the father of Presuppositional apologetics Cornelius Van Til, to name a few. This thorough discussion of steering of the wicked (representing secular or Athens wisdom) and the d iscriminative counsel which embraces all of Judaeo- Christian principles (as all contained in the Bible) captures best the essence of faith-spirituality molded from this basic presupposition.The dichotomy is between what the Bible says all throughout as the Wicked or ungodly counsel versus that of Godly wisdom. Dr. Entwistle unintentionally pursued a trichotomous delineation of Judeao-Christian theological thinking from secular. This is not proper. Discussion Christians know that a big portion of Gods work in their lives is cin one casentrated on renewal of the mind. Our innate(p) again experience signaled the beginning of a new life for us rather than, as have been used by many figuratively, the end of our lifes quest for truth.It is the start of an individuals real life in that it is the time when a person experiences the quickening work of God through His Spirit (Ephesians 21-7). Lets think for a while our past life as portrayed to us in the Bible 1. ) We were once dead spiritual ly in trespasses and sins 2. ) We once walked (lived our lives) according to the course of this world 3. ) We once lived our lives (knowingly or unknowingly) controlled by Satan 4. ) We once behaved in a focusing that in everything we do, we only fulfill our desires and what in our minds looked good and pleasant.Now, knowing that we are naturally (without the saving power of God) unresponsive to God and fully responsive to the things that are not of God, we recognize our great need to be renewed or our minds oriented to the things of God things that really matter to Him and in this life (Romans 121-2). I. preferential Counsel. 1. ) Biblical/Godly Counsel Its Necessity. There is a trend being proliferated in the area of guidance or direction in ones life. The premise, if looked at the surface, seems to be sound and Biblical. It is somehow taken from the Bible. They are from the book of Proverbs.Where there is no counsel, the people fall but in the multitude of counselors there is safety. Proverbs 1114. Without counsel, plans go awry, but in the multitude of counselors they are established. Proverbs 1522. These verses, however, when balanced with other portions of the Scripture, do not say that believers should heed suggestions from others without discrimination. Lets take for example Psalms 11-6. Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the travel plan of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and in His law he meditates day and night.He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings by its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither and whatever he does shall prosper. The ungodly are not so, But are like the bait which the wind drives away. Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, or sin- ners in the congregation of the righteous. For the LORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly shall perish. It s ays here that the blessed man is he whose delight is in the law of the Lord. He meditates on it day and night (v. 2). What the Bible calls as blessed are not those who just swallow every information or trends who happen to be around. The blessed mans delight is in the law of the Lord, and his pleasure to Gods law/word is made evident in his meditating on it day and night. Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and in His law he meditates day and night. Psalms 11-2. On the other hand, this is also a warning.A warning to those who are not careful and would let down their guard with regards to their upholding the habit of meditating or checking everything with the teachings of the Scriptures. When someone starts to entertain the seemingly harmless conventional advices of the world without allowing the Bible (Gods Word) to filter those opinions/ suggestions, the lurking danger sets in and the undiscerning is on his way to the wrong direction for he has already given thought to ungodly counsel. He entertained and has given a benefit of the doubt to counsel other than Gods counsel. This is a real case of Gods word versus Satans lies.The enemy succeeded in tempting the first couple Adam and Eve. Then the LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it. And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die. Genesis 215-17. Going back to our immediate text in Psalms 11, lets try to divide its wordings in three divisions and see what does it say? It says Blessed is the man who does not (1) walk in the counsel of the wicked (2) stand in the way of sinners(3) sit in the seat of mockers. These three expressions are actually three stages of wi ckedness, or three steps towards spiritual deterioration. They illustrate the progressive stages of wickedness into which one who strays from God enters. According to the Word of God, this is what will happen to people who stray from the sound teachings of the Scriptures they will go from bad to worse. And note that, with each stage, the ungodly (anybody who ventures on this path is called ungodly) becomes more resolute and his hostility against the counsel of the inspired scriptures and function intensifies (Cheung, 2007).