Resources for a Christian approach to Psychology

Updated December 2017 (original Sept 2008)

Bussema, Ken.1993. 'Perspectives on developmental psychology.' Pro Rege 22 (1):1-8.

Charry, E.T.  and Russell Kosits. 2016. Christian theology and positive psychology: An exchange of gifts. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 1-12. doi:10.1080/17439760.2016.1228010

Coe, John H.  and Todd W. Hall Psychology in the Spirit: Contours of a Transformational Psychology. Downers Grove: IVP

Clouser, Roy A. 2005 (rev edn). 'Theories in psychology'. The Myth of Religious Neutrality (Notre Dame: University of Notre Dame Press) ch 9

Olthuis, James 2001. The Beautiful Risk: A New Psychology of Loving and Being Loved (Zondervan) [Reviewed here ]

De Graaff, Arnold.1980. Psychology: sensitive openness and appropriate reactions. Potchefstroom: I.A.C. (Series F2 no 17)

De Graaff, Arnold. 1977. Views of man and psychology in Christian perspective: some readings. Toronto: Institute for Christian Studies (mimeo)

Hackney, C.H. 2007. Possibilities for a Christian positive psychology. Journal of Psychology and Theology, 35 (3): 211-221.

Tory Hoff

• 1984. 'On the question of psychology as a science.' Journal of Psychology and Christianity 3 (2): 33-41.
• 1990 Theories of Body Expression in Their Historical Relationship to Psychological Concepts
• 1993 A Theoretical Framework for Psychology

Johnson, Eric L. 1997. Christ, the Lord of Psychology. Journal of Psychology and Theology. 25(1):11-27.

Johnson, Eric L.  2010. Psychology and Christianity: Five Views. Downers Grove: IVP.

Contributions by David G. Myers, Stanton L. Jones, Robert C. Roberts, P. J. Watson, John H. Coe, Todd W. Hall, and David A. Powlison

Jones, Stanton L. and Richard E. Butman. 1991. Modern Psychotherapies: A Comprehensive Christian Appraisal. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press.

Russell Kosits

• 2012. Whose Psychology? Which Christianity? McMaster Journal of Theology and Ministry, 13, 101-195.
• 2013. Deeply engaged and strongly perspectival? The impasse in the psychology-Christianity dialogue and its missional resolution. Perspectives on Science and Christian Faith, 65:163-178.
• 2013. Which Christianity? The creedal imperatives of Chrisitian psychology. Christian Psychology, 7, 12-19.
• 2017. Toward worldview pluralism in psychology. In B. D. Slife, K. A. O’Grady, &; R. D. Kosits (ed.). The hidden worldviews of psychology’s theory, research, and practice. New York: Routledge.

Russell Kosits and W. May. 2015. On Christian psychology: An interview with Russ Kosits by Werner May. Christian Psychology Around the World, 7:14-22.

Heather Looy 2013.  Psychology at the theological frontiers.  Perspectives on Science and Christian Faith, 65(3):147-155. 

Myers, David and Malcolm Jeeves. 1991. Psychology through the Eyes of Faith. Leicester: Apollos.

Pascoe, J.P. 1980. An Integrative Approach to Psychological and Christian Thought Based on a Christian World View. Jurnal of Pscychology and Theolog 8: 12-26.

Stevenson, Daryl H., Brian E. Eck, Peter C. Hill 2007. Psychology and Christianity Integration: Seminal Works that Shaped the Movement. Christian Association for Psychological Studies.

Ian Ridgeway

• 2006 'A Disclosing model of psychotherapy' [pdf]
• 2006 'Circumambulating interpersonal sensitive disclosure therapy using rational emotive behaviour therapy' [pdf]

Lectures given during 2006 and 2007 at Tabor College, Melbourne, Australia as part of the Bachelor in Christian Counselling program

• Lecture 1. Martin & Deirdre Bobgan
• Lecture 2. Behaviour Therapy 1.
• Lecture 3. Behaviour Therapy 2.
• Lecture 4. Jay Adams - Biblical Counselling
• Lecture 5. Reality Therapy - William Glasser
• Lecture 6. Rational-Emotive Behaviour Therapy - Albert Ellis
• Lecture 7. Cognitive Therapy - Aaron T. Beck
• Lecture 8. Christian Applications of Cognitive Therapy - William Backus & Chris Thurman
• Lecture 9. Contemporary Practice of Cognitive Therapy with Specific Problems (Depression)
• Lecture 10. Transactional Analysis (TA) - Eric Berne
• Lecture 11. Narrative Therapy
• Lecture 12 Theophostic Prayer Ministry
• Lecture 13 Christians in critical dialogue with REBT
• Lecture 14 Nondual Counselling

Earlier Lectures

• Lecture 1. Three Traditions
• Lecture 2. How to Critically Evaluate Psychological Theories
• Lecture 3. Freud
• Lecture 4. Freud and Humanist Judaism
• Lecture 5. Jung
• Lecture 6. Horney
• Lecture 7. Kohut
• Lecture 8. Hendrix
• Lecture 9. Frank Lake
• Lecture 10. Rogers
• Lecture 11. Frankl
• Lecture 12. Fritz and Laura Perls
• Lecture 13. Sensory Perception in Christian Counselling
• Lecture 14. Psychotherapy in Light of Truth

Harry van Belle

The Harry van Belle pages contain over 60 papers by Harry on aspects of psychology written from a reformational perspective.

2013. Explorations in the History of Psychology: Persisting Themata and Changing Paradigms. Sioux Center, IA: Dordt College Press.

Mary Stewart Van Leeuwen

D Russel Bishop. 1988. Integrating Psychology and Christianity. A Biographical Sketch of Mary Stewart Van Leeuwen PSCF 40 (December 1988): 229-231.

• 1976. 'View from the lion’s den: Integrating psychology and Christianity in the secular university classroom.' Christian Scholar’s Review 5: 364-373.
• 1978. 'The behaviourist bandwagon and the body of Christ.' Crux 14 (1): 3-28.
• 1982. 'The unfulfilled apprenticeship of North American psychology.' Christian Scholar’s Review 11 (4):291-315.
• 1982. The Sorcerer's Apprentice: A Christian Looks at the Changing Face of Psychology, (InterVarsity Press).
• 1984. 'The female reconstructs psychology.' Journal of Psychology and Christianity 3 (2): 20-32.
• 1985. The Person in Psychology: A Contemporary Christian Appraisal (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans)

Contents
1. Psychology in a Postmodern Age.
2. Non-western Psychologies from Ancient Times.
3. Ancient Greek Psychologies: Man as the Measure of All Things.
4. The Biblical Drama & the Meaning of Personhood.
5. Psychologists & Psychology's Paradigm.
6. Psychology & the Brain-Mind Debate.
7. Behavioral Psychology at Seventy.
8. The Cognitive Revival.
9. Social Psychology: A Battleground between two paradigms.
10. Personality Psychology; an Ambiguous Ally.
11. Psychology & the Agenda for the Future.

• 1987. 'Personality theorizing within a Christian world view.' In: T Burke (ed). Man and mind: A Christian theory of personality. Hillsdale, MI: Hillsdale College Press, pp. 171-198.
• 1988. 'Psychology’s 'two cultures': a Christian analysis.' Christian Scholar’s Review 17 (4): 406-424.

Paul Vitz. 1994. Psychology as Religion: The Cult of Self-Worship, (Paternoster/Eerdmans, (2nd Edition)).

Worthington Jr, Everett L. 2010. Coming to Peace with Psychology: What Christians Can Learn from Psychological Science. Downers Grove: IVP.

Roderick G. Youngs. 1953. A prolegomena to a Christian psychology Calvin Forum vol. 18 (March) pp. 150-155.

Organisations/ Journals etc.

Christian Psychology: A Transdisciplinary Journal

Christian Psychology is published twice a year, by Society for Christian Psychology. The journal began with the name Edification but changed into Christian Psychology in 2013 to more directly expresses our agenda: Christian Psychology. We are using the term Christian psychology very broadly to cover the disciplined inquiry into the nature of human beings from the standpoint of a Christian world-and-life-view.

Journal of Psychology and Christianity - the journal of the Christian Association for Psychological Studies

Journal of Pscychology and Theology - Biola University.