bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Religiosity and Family Values: Correlates of God-Image in a Protestant Sample
Authors: Lee Cameron , Early Annmarie
Published: February 2018

Religiosity is a multidimensional variable that can be measured in a number of ways, including religious behavior and conscious belief. Several studies have used measures of participants' images of God to operationalize the preconscious imagery that is theorized to be associated with the latter. A. Greeley, using General Social Survey (GSS) data, has examined the relationship between God-image and numerous social attitude variables. In a similar vein, the present study asks how measures of religiosity associate with progressive or traditional stances toward family life. Secondary analysis was performed on a dataset which included measures of God-image, religious behavior, family progressivism, and family traditionalism that were administered to a national sample of 523 Protestant Christians. The findings indicate that God-image and religious behavior are both significantly associated with the family values measures, and are relatively independent of each other. There is some question, however, as to the relative utility of each of the four God-image items. Implications for further research are discussed.
Freedom in Christ: Quasi-Experimental Research on the Neil Anderson Approach
Authors: Garzon Fernando , Garver Stacey , Kleinschuster David , Tan Erica , Hill Jennifer
Published: February 2018

This quasi-experimental investigation examined the psychological effects of participating in an intensive Freedom in Christ workshop offered at a graduate school of divinity. Pre-seminar, post-seminar, and three-week follow-up data were collected on 24 graduate student volunteers. Measures used included the Rosenberg Self Esteem Inventory, the Beck Anxiety Inventory, the Symptom Checklist 90-R (SLC-90-R), and a non-psychometrically normed 12-item inventory. Statistically significant reductions ( p<.05 or lower) were found in several scales of the SCL-90-R (global severity index, anxiety, depression, obsessive-compulsive, interpersonal sensitivity, hostility, somatization, paranoid ideation, and psychoticism). Anxiety was reduced as measured by the Beck Anxiety Inventory, and statistically significant increases in self-esteem and spirituality items were also found. The quasi-experimental nature of this research suggests great caution in interpreting these findings. Nevertheless, the results do demonstrate the appropriateness of further investigations of this healing model with more empirical designs.
A Wesleyan Spirituality: Implications for Clinical Practice
Authors: Kilian Marcus K. , Parker Stephen
Published: February 2018

This article seeks to integrate Wesleyan spirituality with psychology and clinical practice. Three particular aspects in the Wesleyan tradition are explored: human freedom, the doctrine of sanctification, and religious affections. The thesis of this article is that all three key points can be well integrated into psychology and clinical practice. The following clinical implications are proposed: God-given human freedom empowers the client and therapist; healthy relationships are seen as a critical measure of spiritual maturity; and religious affections are seen to contribute to psychological health in their ability to experientially build character. Correlation between Wesley's focus on mature relationships and certain emphases in object relations theory are also proposed.
Core Virtues for the Practice of Mentoring
Authors: Wilson Peter F. , Johnson W. Brad
Published: February 2018

Mentoring relationships in psychology and other fields are often long-term, complex, and multifaceted. Although mentoring is associated with a host of benefits and positive outcomes for protégés, excellent mentoring requires careful attention to potential ethical concerns. In this article, we review mentoring literature from the education and management fields, as well as spiritual-direction literature, with attention to the traits and virtues of mentors. We argue for the relevance of mentor character virtues and propose that three central virtues (integrity, courage, and care) offer a solid starting point for theory and research relevant to the significance of mentor character. We conclude with a discussion of implications for training and research in psychology.
A Phenomenological Model of Therapeutic Exorcism for Dissociative Identity Disorder
Authors: Bull Dennis L.
Published: February 2018

This article proposes a phenomenological model of therapeutic exorcism of demons for dissociative identity disorder by using the patient's view of perceived demons and empowering them to use their own spirituality to expel them. The history and literature is reviewed that shows potential negative and positive therapeutic results of exorcism. It is postulated that positive outcomes may occur by using noncoercive methods, understanding dissociative dynamics, and using the patient's own world view. The distinction between alter versus demon is left to the patient. Two short case studies are presented as well as a discussion of ethical and legal issues.
Evolutionary Explanation and Consciousness
Authors: Horst Steven
Published: February 2018

If there is a received orthodoxy in contemporary philosophy of mind and cognitive science, it is that all features of the mind, including meaning, action, and consciousness, can and perhaps must be naturalized (i.e., accommodated within the framework of the world of nature as understood by the natural sciences). At the same time, just about everyone working in philosophy of mind has realized for at least a decade that there are substantial problems with this enterprise of naturalizing the mind, in that there are features of the mind that do not seem to lend themselves to naturalistic explanation: in particular, meaning, consciousness, and free will. For naturalists (who comprise the majority of the field at the moment), this is seen as an urgent problem: they feel that we must naturalize the mind, and yet it looks as though we do not know how to do so. Oddly, even many of the writers who have forcefully argued that the mental cannot be reduced to the physical, or cannot be explained in evolutionary terms, still call themselves “naturalists,” even when they have no concrete naturalization of the mind to offer. A few other anti-naturalists and I, on the other hand, have tried to argue that the problems the naturalist faces are abiding and principled problems, and not merely a symptom of a current lack of development of psychology or neuroscience. In this article for the special issue, I shall attempt to do three things. First, I shall attempt to describe the current situation in philosophy of mind and cognitive science with respect to one special facet of the mind: consciousness. I shall try to explain, in a very abbreviated form, the historical factors that have led to the popularity of reductionist forms of naturalism, and then summarize several influential arguments to the effect that consciousness cannot be reduced to neuroscience or physics. I shall then differentiate two very different strands of this conversation: one which is about explanation (i.e., physical science cannot explain consciousness), and another which is about metaphysics (i.e., physical facts are not enough to determine facts about consciousness). Finally, I shall explain why I think that naturalizers of the mind can look for no solace from evolutionary explanation if–-as appears to be the case–-attempts at reductive explanation of the mind in terms of physics or neuroscience should continue to fail: in brief, because evolutionary explanation depends upon the fulfillment of a promissory note which only reductive explanation could make good on. It is thus only in the final section of this article that I shall approach the uniting theme of the special issue. However, to understand the status of evolutionary explanation in philosophy of mind, it is in my opinion necessary to see where it fits within a broader framework of naturalizing the mind.
Of Hoggamus and Hogwash: Evolutionary Psychology and Gender Relations
Authors: Van Leeuwen Mary Stewart
Published: February 2018

Evolutionary psychologists argue that genes determine not just human physical, but human behavioral tendencies to a much greater degree than many people want to believe. In particular, they argue that certain behavioral tendencies distinguishing men from women are reflective of different male and female reproductive strategies which evolved during the early history of the human race. In this article, evolutionary psychology's claims to be a rigorous science are questioned, with particular reference to its conclusions about gender relations. In addition, evolutionary psychology as a metaphysical world view is contrasted with the biblical creation account, which calls for gender co-operation, not competition, and which does not see pair-bonding as a reductionistic strategy for getting individuals' genes copied in the next generation.
“The Real Thing”: A Perspective on Sexual Revolution and a Challenge to Christian Professionals
Authors: Strauss Gary H.
Published: February 2018

Grounded in a consideration of what constitutes “the real thing” in contrast to various counterfeits where human sexuality is concerned, the issue of sexual revolution is examined along with the challenges to the community of healers. The thesis presented is that, in contrast to the typical definition, true sexual revolution consists of spiritual influences that have called humanity back to the nature and function of sexuality as created and intended by God, relying on Scripture for guiding precepts. It is proposed that there have been three universally significant sexual revolutions in human history initiated by (a) the giving of the Decalogue, (b) the teachings of Jesus and the writings of the Apostles, and (c) the writings of the Puritans, grounded in the work of the great reformers. Following a consideration of the state of sexual views and behaviors in today's society, including those in the church, a call is issued to all who serve in helping roles to do all that can be done to promote a return to a balanced position, which was held throughout history regarding sexual beliefs and was practiced by those committed to faithful application of God's revelation.
To Love and be Loved: Sexuality and People with Physical Disabilities
Authors: Chance Randi S.
Published: February 2018

People with physical disabilities are stereotyped as asexual, as lacking the same sexual and relationship needs and desires as nondisabled people. Yet people with disabilities are human beings, created in the image of God, and thus are sexual beings with the same capacity to love and be loved as any other human. In this article, the author discusses the sexuality and heterosexual experiences of adults with various physical disabilities. She explores possible effects of disabilities on sexual self-concept, romantic relationships, and sexual activities as well as describes some practical steps that can be taken to remedy specific difficulties. The author also briefly relates some personal experiences as a woman with chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia who is married to a man with cerebral palsy. Implications for clinical practice are discussed. The author encourages psychotherapists to prepare themselves to respond intelligently and comfortably to the sexual questions and issues raised by their physically disabled clients, regardless of the presenting problem.
Spiritual Direction, Social Justice, and the United Church of Christ
Authors: Gladson Jerry A.
Published: February 2018

How may spiritual formation, with its emphasis upon the individual, spiritual direction, and its shaping of spiritual life, and the ministry of social justice, with its stress upon the community, be balanced in a religious tradition? This study examines the United Church of Christ as an example of a social justice tradition within Protestant Christianity, with special interest in how it combines spiritual formation, spiritual direction, and social justice. Although during the first decades of its existence, the United Church of Christ seemed more interested in social justice, ostensibly to the diminishing of more spiritual concerns, during the 1990s the church began to develop greater interest in spirituality. At present, the denomination is starting to try to link spirituality, spiritual formation, and spiritual direction with social justice ministries.
Trauma and Traumatic Stress among Missionaries
Authors: Bagley Robert W.
Published: February 2018

Research was conducted to determine the extent and nature of traumatic events experienced by missionaries and the extent to which missionaries reported Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptoms due to traumatic exposure on the mission field. Ninety-four percent of missionaries reported having been exposed to trauma on the field, with 86% reporting exposure to multiple incidents. This was considerably higher than their exposure when off the field and could be attributed primarily to an increased risk of exposure to civil unrest and violent crime. Less than half of the missionaries reported symptoms at a level necessary for a diagnosis of PTSD at their most difficult period of adjustment to their most distressing traumatic experience. No missionaries reported current symptoms at a level necessary for a diagnosis of PTSD. The data suggests that missionaries from North America have a greater resilience to trauma than is found in the general North American population.
Critical Issues in the Dissociative Disorders Field: Six Perspectives from Religiously Sensitive Practitioners
Authors: Rosik Christopher H.
Published: February 2018

This article is a compilation of responses to six questions concerning critical issues in the contemporary psychological and spiritual treatment of dissociative identity disorder (DID—formerly multiple personality disorder). The panel of respondents, most of whom are well known in the dissociative disorders field, is comprised of Elizabeth Bowman, M.D., Harry Carlson, M. Div., Christine Comstock, Ph.D., James G. Friesen, Ph.D., Jerry Mungadze, Ph.D., Christopher H. Rosik, Ph.D., and Carl Wilfrid, M. Div. An overview of the responses indicated that the panelists varied sharply in their willingness to consider exorcism as a therapeutic option. Even those who were willing to consider exorcism differed in their understanding of the clinical threshold that needs to be met before initiating such a spiritual intervention. Clinical neutrality and caution regarding the veracity of specific traumatic memory content was commonly urged. The church community was seen as an important potential resource for healing, despite its historically mixed record in ministering to DID sufferers. Perspectives on the future of the dissociative disorders field ranged from guarded optimism to overt pessimism. These responses highlight the divergence of opinion that can exist over controversial issues and suggests the need for continued dialogue between and among clergy and religiously oriented therapists.
The Spiritual Self: Toward a Conceptualization of Spiritual Identity Development
Authors: Poll Justin B. , Smith Timothy B.
Published: February 2018

Both researchers and practitioners have demonstrated considerable interest in identity development, and positive personal identities have been associated with numerous positive mental health outcomes. However, major theories of identity development have neglected the salience of spiritual identity, even though the early work of William James placed this as a central component of personality. This article reviews four major theories of identity development (cognitive, psychodynamic, systems, and narrative) and suggests spiritual identity parallels to these theories. A tentative model of spiritual identity development is presented. Implications for therapy and future research concerning spiritual identity development are discussed.
Spiritual Development and the Epistemology of Systems Theory
Authors: Buker Bill
Published: February 2018

Based on systems theory, especially the contributions of Gregory Bateson, the concepts of first-, second-, and third-order change will be presented as a potential framework for conceptualizing spiritual development. The relevance of these concepts to the spiritual process of 12-step recovery will be explored, followed by an application to Christian spirituality. It will be suggested that one way of understanding Jesus’ teachings is to view them as addressed to a culture mired in first-order strategies of change. In attempting to introduce a Kingdom based on radically different principles, Jesus made use of paradoxes, reframes, parables, and metaphors as techniques through which the second- and third-order change necessary for an experience of Kingdom life could be facilitated. Specifically, it is the epistemological shifts characteristic of second- and third-order change that are considered constitutive of spiritual development. If these epistemological changes reflect new ways of perceiving, based on the principles of the Kingdom of God as espoused by Jesus, then spiritual development from a Christian perspective could be said to have occurred.
How to Create an America that Saves Marriages
Authors: Mcmanus Michael , Mcmanus Harriet
Published: February 2018

Michael and Harriet McManus describe their approach to community-based marriage interventions, particularly focusing on churches and ministry organizations. Their marriage mentoring program is described with case examples. The authors’ beliefs about why marriages are deteriorating with recommendations of how government, researchers and communities can improve marriages are made. Finally, recommendations for future marital counselors are included.
Married Women in Missions: The Effects of Cross-Cultural and Self Gender-Role Expectations on Well-Being, Stress, and Self-Esteem
Authors: Hall M. Elizabeth Lewis , Duvall Nancy S.
Published: February 2018

The present study explored the effects of self-expectations and societal expectations of the host culture on the well-being of 37 married missionary women. The results did not support a relationship between the expectations of the host culture, and well-being. Homemakers appeared to be more relaxed and to experience life as more satisfying and interesting than women involved more actively in the missions task. The congruence of roles with self-expectations, role satisfaction, and freedom in choosing a role emerged as highly related to several indices of well-being. These findings highlight the centrality of freedom in choosing a role, and suggest that important subcultural differences in self-expectations exist in the Christian subculture which should be taken into account in research on women's issues.
Meaning, Purpose, and Religiosity in at-Risk Youth: The Relationship between Anxiety and Spirituality
Authors: Davis Timothy L. , Kerr Barbara A. , Kurpius Sharon E. Robinson
Published: February 2018

This study investigated the relationship between spiritual well-being and anxiety in at-risk adolescents. The State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, the Spiritual Well-Being Scale, a revised version of the Allport-Ross Religious Orientation Scale, and the Social Provisions Scale were administered to 45 male and female high school students who were considered to be at-risk. The research found that the higher the spiritual well-being, existential well-being, religious well-being and intrinsic religious orientation were among males, the lower the anxiety. Only lower existential well-being was associated with lower anxiety among females. Spiritual well-being and female gender were found to be the best predictors of anxiety from the variables studied.
Thirty Years of Explicitly Integrative Scholarship: Comparing Phd and Psyd Contributions
Authors: Morris Jeremy D. , Sorenson Randall Lehmann , Gooden Winston E. , Pike Patricia L.
Published: February 2018

Johnson and McMinn (2003; see also McMinn, Johnson & Haskell, 2003) challenged integrative clinical psychology doctoral programs to show that PhDs produce scholarship and teach in the academy at rates that are demonstrably different from PsyDs. The entire publication history through 2002 of the two most influential integrative journals–-the Journal of Psychology and Theology (JPT) and the Journal of Psychology and Christianity (JPC)–-was analyzed to determine scholarship according to the author's degree. Across the past 30 years, integrative PhDs produced four times as much scholarship as PsyDs. By 2002, PhDs held 85% of the faculty positions in integrative programs, and faculty at these programs who graduated from integrative programs themselves were three times more likely to have a PhD than a PsyD. Implications of these results are offered in conclusion, along with a possible explanation for why integrative clinical psychology doctoral programs tend to receive low subjective ratings of quality from secular peers.
The Relationship between Religion and Anxiety: A Study among Anglican Clergymen and Clergywomen
Authors: Jones Susan H. , Francis Leslie J. , Jackson Chris
Published: February 2018

The 20-item anxiety scale proposed by the Eysenck Personality Profiler (EPP) was completed by 1,148 Anglican male clergy and 523 Anglican female clergy during their first year in ordained ministry. The data demonstrate that male clergy recorded higher scores on the index of anxiety than men in general. Female clergy recorded lower levels on the index of anxiety than women in general. These findings are consistent with the findings from earlier studies that male clergy tend to project a characteristically feminine personality profile while female clergy tend to project a characteristically masculine personality profile.
Referential Integration: An Emotional Information Processing Perspective on the Process of Integration
Authors: Hall Todd W. , Porter Steven L.
Published: February 2018

This article contends that the field of integration needs to examine the processes involved in achieving unified conceptual truths about human nature. A theory of emotional information processing (Bucci, 1997) that incorporates the concept of implicit relational knowledge is used to examine different models of integration. The authors argue that manipulative integration models tend to rely on linear, verbal (symbolic) processing, whereas non-manipulative integration models require linking nonverbal emotional (subsymbolic) processing with linear, verbal (symbolic) processing; a process referred to as referential activity (Bucci, 1997). Moreover, it is argued that this type of emotional information processing inherently links experiential and conceptual forms of integration that have been discussed in the literature. This approach is referred to as “referential integration,” which focuses on the processes involved in non-manipulative forms of integration. Referential activity in the process of scientific discovery is used as an example of this approach to integration. The authors conclude with practical implications for the integrative task.
God as Cause or Error?: Academic Psychology as Christian Vocation
Authors: Hall M. Elizabeth Lewis
Published: February 2018

Christian psychologists can find it challenging to work in the context of secular psychology, with its presuppositions of methodological naturalism and its secularizing values. Unthinking engagement with the secular field of psychology can result in significant problems that must be carefully navigated by the Christian scholar. The doctrine of providence is briefly presented as an important theological foundation for an academic vocation in psychology. This is followed by a discussion of potential pitfalls, including secularization, an implied “God-of-the-gaps” theology, distorted notions of God's ways of working in the world, an incomplete picture of humanity, and the adoption of secularizing values. Following this, issues in philosophy of science foundational to the current discussion will be reviewed, and, finally, some suggestions for a vocational practice of psychology will be outlined.
Integration Discourse: Modern and Postmodern
Authors: Dueck Al , Parsons Thomas D.
Published: February 2018

Psychologists and theologians are culture bound beings whose construals take place within history such that traces of the social context flow into their scholarly dialogue. The authors argue for the legitimacy of diverse voices –- modern and postmodern –- as they emerge in a sample of theologies and psychologies. It is proposed that conscious and unconscious precommitments to modern and postmodern assumptions shape the dialogue between psychologists and theologians. Three criteria will be used to differentiate discourses: epistemological foundationalism, autonomous individuality and the universality of scientific knowledge. While each discourse may limit the way spirituality is expressed, the authors argue that the differences in discourse should be recognized and explored.
A Multivariate Theory of God Concept, Religious Motivation, Locus of Control, Coping, and Spiritual Well-Being
Authors: Wong-Mcdonald Ana , Gorsuch Richard L.
Published: February 2018

A previous factor analytic study of the same data set was published as an incremental validity study of a new scale (Wong-McDonald & Gorsuch, 2000). The current analysis examines the multivariate domains of God concepts, motivation, religious coping, and locus of control for the prediction of Spiritual Well-Being. Questionnaires were completed by 151 Christian undergraduates. A traditional benevolent conceptualization of God and Intrinsic motivation were found to relate to greater Spiritual Well-Being (SWB). Moreover, Self-Directing coping associated negatively with SWB, while locus of control in God and Surrender coping related positively with it. Results indicate that acting independently from God relates to a lesser sense of Spiritual Well-Being, while reliance and intimacy with God contribute to greater well-being. Implications for Christian educators and counselors were discussed.
Emmaus Community: Efficacy of a Treatment Program for Women Religious
Authors: Handal Paul J. , Rankin Christine , Gilner Frank H.
Published: February 2018

This study was designed as a confirmation of the empirical evaluation of the efficacy of Emmaus Community, a residential treatment facility for women in religious life. Although a previous evaluation by Borrine and Handal (1989) provided preliminary support for the program's efficacy, their study was vulnerable to the internal threats to validity of history, maturation and statistical regression. This study provided controls for these threats and analyzed data from another cohort of participants. Results revealed that participants reported significant decrements in their level of pathological distress; they moved from an impaired to a non-impaired status on an empirically validated measure of psychological adjustment. Also, they reported significant improvements in their interpersonal relationships and their ability to express and receive a variety of affects.
Psychological and Spiritual Predictors of Domains of Functioning and Effectiveness of Short-Term Missionaries
Authors: Barnett Keri L. , Duvall Nancy S. , Edwards Keith J. , Lewis Hall M. Elizabeth
Published: February 2018

The present study investigated how psychopathology, current object relations, and spiritual development relate to short-term missionary performance and psychological distress. Forty short-term missionaries completed questionnaires measuring psychopathology, object relations, and spirituality before going overseas. Participants and their supervisors completed questionnaires assessing performance and psychological distress before returning home. Principle components analyses revealed three self-report performance factors and four supervisorreport performance factors. Zero-order correlations showed that having greater psychological symptomatology, greater conflict with authority, more social alienation, less satisfying relationships with peers, overly dependent relationships, and greater disappointment and instability in relationship with God were related to less effective performance. Partial correlations also showed that having greater psychological symptomatology was related to increased psychological distress. It was concluded that short-term missionaries' levels of psychopathology, object relations development, and spiritual development influence their effectiveness and psychological adjustment on the mission field.
Living on the Boundary: Scriptural Authority and Psychology
Authors: Hill Peter C.
Published: February 2018

For Christian psychologists to move from their marginalized position with mainstream psychology, they must be able to substantively demonstrate the unique insights that the integration of psychology with Christian theology offers to the discipline. To do this, Christian psychologists must be able to show, not just claim, the authority of Scripture by demonstrating its explanatory power on psychology's terms. Three factors in psychology's new zeitgeist provide both opportunities and challenges to demonstrating Scriptural authority: a growing cultural interest in spirituality, postmodernism, and novel approaches to cognitive science. Cognitive-Experiential Self Theory (CEST) is provided as a concrete example where Christian thinking provides greater understanding of an emerging psychological theory, thus demonstrating explanatory power and providing Scripture a more authoritative position.
Women Called: A Qualitative Study of Christian Women Dually Called to Motherhood and Career
Authors: Schermer Sellers Tina , Thomas Kris , Batts Jennifer , Ostman Cami
Published: February 2018

The intersection between spirituality, motherhood and vocation is largely unexplored in contemporary writing and research. The cultural and religious messages received by women regarding motherhood and vocation often produce complicated dilemmas for women who seek to participate in both domains simultaneously. Even though working mothers represent a significant number of women in America, the stories, themes and voices of deeply spiritual career mothers have been largely silenced in literature. This phenomenological study looks into the lives of eleven Christian women who are mothers working across career disciplines in a liberal arts university setting. Four dominant themes emerged from the analysis, including the meaning of “calling,” formative messages, the lived experience, and wisdom for the next generation. Though complex and demanding, overall these women were deeply satisfied and grateful for the opportunity to craft lives fulfilling longings to both motherhood and career. Implications for the community and future research are also addressed.
Soul Origin: Revisiting Creationist and Traducianist Theological Perspectives in Light of Current Trends in Developmental Psychology
Authors: Greggo Stephen P.
Published: February 2018

Current trends in developmental psychology regarding the origin of the person and the roots of personality reflect a complex, interactive “nature and nurture” process. These contemporary portraits of human development challenge evangelicals committed to theological integration and biblical authority to carefully examine beliefs and assumptions regarding the origin of the soul and divine activity in relation to the developing person. In traditional theology, the Creationist position has each new human soul as the direct creative act of God, while the Traducianist perspective assumes primarily human contribution to soul origin. Here the classic theological positions regarding soul beginnings are reviewed in light of contemporary developmental bio-psycho-social models of personhood in an attempt to clarify this divine and/or human process. An integrative solution labeled creative convergence is offered as a blended explanation for soul origin that is intended to stimulate further theological reflection on the nature and development of human beings.
Research on the Healing Power of Distant Intercessory Prayer: Disconnect between Science and Faith
Authors: Masters Kevin S.
Published: February 2018

Interest in non-medical treatments for illness has grown exponentially in recent years as evidenced by the expansion of health psychology and establishment of the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine. One particular area of research that has generated attention and even enthusiasm from the media and Christian groups alike is distant intercessory prayer (IP) for healing. Several double blind, randomized, controlled studies have examined whether a statistically significant effect can be found when prayed for groups are compared with controls. The central premise of this article is these studies lack any theological or rational theoretical foundation and consequently produce non-interpretable findings. It is further argued that the experimental methods of science are based on important assumptions that render them ill-equipped to study divine intervention. As a result IP studies are seen as a distraction from more appropriate work that should be done in the areas of religion and health.
Helping Christian College Students Become More Forgiving: An Intervention Study to Promote Forgiveness as Part of a Program to Shape Christian Character
Authors: Lampton Carey , Oliver Gary J. , Worthington Everett L. , Berry Jack W.
Published: February 2018

As part of a system-wide university intervention to help build stronger Christian character, an emphasis was placed on helping students become more forgiving. This effort involved chapel programs, newspaper articles, and general attention to forgiveness. Near the end of the community intervention, 65 students volunteered to attend a 6-hour psychoeducational Christian-oriented forgiveness workshop ( n = 42), or participate in an assessment-only control ( n = 23) condition. The content of the workshop is described in detail. Workshop attendees reported becoming even more forgiving than did students in the assessment-only condition. The use of interventions that are consistent with a student's Christian values and beliefs to promote positive character change within Christian college students is discussed.
Religiosity and Risk of Perpetrating Child Physical Abuse: An Empirical Investigation
Authors: Dyslin Christopher W. , Thomsen Cynthia J.
Published: February 2018

We empirically examined the hypothesis that Conservative Protestants are at greater risk than Mainline Protestants, Catholics, or the religiously unaffiliated to perpetrate child physical abuse (CPA), and explored whether other aspects of religiosity (interest, participation, orthodoxy, intrinsic and extrinsic orientation) were related to CPA risk. As part of a larger survey, college students (166 men, 270 women) completed self-report measures assessing CPA risk and various dimensions of religiosity. Conservative Protestants did not score significantly higher than the other groups on CPA risk. However, extrinsic religiosity predicted increased risk of CPA.
Factors Affecting Clergy-Psychologist Referral Patterns
Authors: McMinn Mark R. , Runner Steven J. , Fairchild Jennifer A. , Lefler Joshua D. , Suntay Rachel P.
Published: February 2018

Recent research on clergy-psychologist collaboration has resulted in helpful principles for clergy and psychologists working together, but very little is known about what specific characteristics in clergy are appealing to psychologists and vice versa. Two experimental survey studies are reported, both exploring characteristics that enhance or hinder collaboration. In Study 1, Southern Baptist pastors rated the likelihood of referring to a counselor who was identified as either a Biblical Counselor or a Christian Psychologist, and was identified as either being excellent in interpersonal skills or as using scripture and prayer in counseling. Pastors demonstrated a preference for counselors using scripture and prayer in counseling over those described as having excellent interpersonal skills. In Study 2, psychologist respondents rated the likelihood of referring to a clergyperson who was identified either as a Baptist or a Unitarian universalist, and was identified either as seminary trained or as having a doctoral degree from a prestigious divinity school. Psychologists demonstrated a preference for those with a doctoral degree. The weak effect sizes and comments offered on the surveys suggest that the individual relationship between clergy and psychologist is much more salient than particular demographic characteristics when considering the possibility of collaboration.
Psychology Returns to Love … of God and Neighbor-As-Self: Introduction to the Special Issue
Authors: Tjeltveit Alan C.
Published: February 2018

A variety of methods are being employed to develop psychologies of the love of God and neighbor-as-self: standard psychological methods and theories, combining those with theology to contextualize love, using religious experience and convictions to formulate research questions and hypotheses, drawing on Christian psychologies of love that date back to Augustine, critiquing the conceptual, ethical, and metaphysical assumptions of contemporary psychologies of love from philosophical and theological perspectives, and forms of methodological pluralism (e.g., those that embrace quantitative, qualitative, ethical, and theological methods, with the results of different methods alternately critiquing and contributing to one another). Psychologists and others can use this broad range of approaches to develop psychologies of various other psychologically rich concepts central to religious traditions.
Interpersonal Forgiveness as an Example of Loving One'S Enemies
Authors: Worthington Everett L. , Sharp Constance B. , Lerner Andrea J. , Sharp Jeffrey R.
Published: February 2018

We suggest that altruistically-motivated forgiveness is an ideal we rarely achieve. In fact, we often think such forgiveness is impossible. Our contribution is to identify ways that God promotes forgiveness—specifically the ideal forgiveness that demonstrates altruistic love for our enemies. We see God at work in the human psychological processes of forgiving with altruistic motives. We thus address four questions: (1) How do motives shape forgiveness? (2) How do virtues shape forgiveness? (3) How are motives transformed? (4) How do Scripture and God contribute to transforming motivations from justice-oriented motives to forgiveness-oriented motives? Compared with previous writings on forgiveness, we focus more on how transformations of motives and emotions occur.
With-Ing: A Psychotherapy of Love
Authors: Olthuis James H.
Published: February 2018

In this article the author sets out, in the first place, to sketch in the fundamentals of an anthropological model centered in God's creative and redeeming love. Secondly, the article seeks to develop a relational model of the psychotherapeutic process that flows out of and is congenial with this emphasis on love of God, neighbor, and self. The author suggests that the fundamental biblical affirmation of God's loving presence with creation—life-giving, forgiving, suffering with, and renewing—evokes and supports a “relational” model of psychotherapy as fundamentally a relational process of “with-ing.”
Christian Views of Self and God: Context Matters
Authors: Cook Kaye V. , Hillman Elizabeth
Published: February 2018

Twenty-four Christian college students and 24 state university students were interviewed using Gilligan's moral choice paradigm (Brown et al., 1988). Justice narratives predominated among the Christian college students; among the state university students, care and justice narratives were equally prominent. Eight state university students articulated belief in the Christian God. These state university Christians described themselves less often in justice terms than the Christian college students and more often in terms of both justice and care than the remaining state university students. Further, the state university Christians described God in terms of justice more often than did the Christian college students. The implications of these differences for faith development are explored.
Are Psychology'S Main Methods Biased against the Worldview of Many Religious People?
Authors: Slife Brent D. , Whoolery Matthew
Published: February 2018

This article examines some of the more problematic aspects of recent efforts to integrate psychology and religion. Specifically, many religious people—psychology's main consumer and client—make different assumptions than many psychologists about human nature and the world. This article attempts to explicate many of these conflicting assumptions, particularly as they affect psychological methods. Therapeutic and experimental methods are frequently viewed as theologically, if not philosophically, neutral to the subject matter they are investigating. This article aims to dispel this common myth. To discover or highlight these “hidden” assumptions of traditional methods, they are first contrasted to the assumptions of interpretive practices. However, interpretive practices are themselves often viewed as theologically neutral. Consequently, psychological methods are also compared to a theistic mode of inquiry that assumes that an active God is necessary to proper investigation.
Integration: Defending It, Describing It, Doing It
Authors: Jones Stanton L.
Published: February 2018

The extensive literature on the integration of psychology and Christian faith falls into three rough categories: defending integration, describing integration, and doing integration. This article series is a very welcome and capable rearticulation of core themes in the defense and description of the integrative task. After highlighting common themes in the series, I query two key areas where I wish the authors had developed their thinking more explicitly. First, the focus on an undefined “theism” as the religious core rather than Christianity is both puzzling and unsatisfying, as an abstraction like theism seems to have little substance to bring to bear on the integrative task. Second, the linkages in this series between theistic belief and consequences for psychological theory and practice were often implicit, and I argue that more substantive and explicit engagement with thick theological sources holds more promise to advance the integrative task. I close by applying the thrust of the series in rebuttal against contemporary voices of ambivalence about the integrative task.
Measuring Faith Development
Authors: Parker Stephen
Published: February 2018

James Fowler's theory of faith development has had a significant influence on religious education, pastoral care, and developmental psychology. Since he introduced the notion of faith “stages,” there have been several attempts to measure these, beginning with Fowler's own work. This article reviews and evaluates the adequacy of the various instruments used to measure Fowler's theory of faith development.
Organizational Commitment, Job Satisfaction, and Turnover Intention of Missionaries
Authors: Trimble Douglas E.
Published: February 2018

Affective organizational commitment, job satisfaction and turnover intention were surveyed in 468 missionaries. Tenure in the organization was a stronger predictor of organizational commitment, job satisfaction and turnover intention than was age (i.e., Generation X vs. older generations). Three models relating job satisfaction and affective organizational commitment to turnover intention were tested using structural equation modeling. When balancing model fit, and simplicity, one model was preferred—the model in which job satisfaction predicted affective organizational commitment, which in turn explained turnover intention. Mission agencies are encouraged to give greater attention to tenure than to age and to not ignore the role that job satisfaction plays in members’ commitment to the organization and intention to leave.
Higher Stages? Some Cautions for Christian Integration with Kohlberg'S Theory
Authors: Moroney Stephen K.
Published: February 2018

This essay examines the broad spectrum of Christian responses to Kohlberg's theory of moral reasoning and urges caution when integrating Kohlberg's theory with Christian Scripture. The past integrative models of Motet (1978), Shepard (1994), and Gibson (2004) are found to be problematic. Criticisms are also raised concerning the empirical validity of Kohlberg's theory and its compatibility with New Testament ethics. In the end, this essay calls into question Kohlberg's framework of lower and higher stages of moral reasoning, especially when this framework is used prescriptively.
From the Shadow of the Object to the Shadow of the Almighty: Astory of Transformation
Authors: Tisdale Theresa Clement
Published: February 2018

As background for a case presentation, two primary sources are used, The shadow of the object: Psychoanalysis of the unthought known by Christopher Bollas (1987) and Psalm 91 from the New International Bible. This story is about transformation, for the patient as well as for the therapist. The movement by the patient from a place of confusion, depression, anxiety and despair to a place of newfound, although not complete, freedom and clarity is detailed with reflections by the therapist who was both witness to and part of this transformation. The movement for the patient is described as transformation from living in the shadow of the object to the shadow of the almighty. For contextual purposes, a summary of some of Bollas' central theoretical ideas are presented as well as a brief exegesis of the biblical reference, Psalm 91. A background of the patient is presented and the history of the clinical journey is chronicled through excerpts from a memory book written by the patient and given to the therapist at the final session of treatment.
Preparing Psychologists to Work with Underserved Populations: A Faith-Based Pre-doctoral Training Model
Authors: Kruse Sandra Johnston , Aten Jamie D.
Published: February 2018

The purpose of this article is to provide a pre-doctoral training model for preparing future psychologists to work with underserved clients and communities from a uniquely Christian perspective. Another major goal of this article is to encourage others to develop pre-doctoral training programs dedicated to working with underserved groups. The training model presented in this article is based on the Chicago Area Christian Training Consortium (CACTC) Internship in Professional Psychology, which provides pre-doctoral interns the opportunity to work with underserved urban, suburban, and rural populations. In this work, interns are challenged to expand their repertoire to also include non-traditional modes of service delivery which, in many cases, is considered to be more effective in work with underserved populations. Consequently, the CACTC (a) mission statement, (b) program description, (c) training objectives, (d) CACTC sites, and (e) training philosophy are highlighted.
Leadership Development and Clergy: Understanding the Events and Lessons that Shape Pastoral Leaders
Authors: Mckenna Robert B. , Yost Paul R. , Boyd Tanya N.
Published: February 2018

While much work has been done in understanding the developmental journey of leaders in secular organizations, there is limited empirical research investigating the key experiences in the pastoral leader's journey and the associated lessons emerging from these events. One hundred pastors were interviewed about the key events in their development as leaders. Content analysis was used to develop detailed taxonomies of the key developmental events in their careers and of the lessons that emerged from each of these events. The results indicated that, consistent with past research on business leaders, the preponderance of developmental experiences occurred in-the-trenches (32%), during times of significant transition (27%), or in personal relationships (23%), indicating that pastors develop as they are doing their work and leading on the edge of their comfort zones. Results also indicated that events were tied to predictable sets of lessons. Implications for pastors, denominational leadership, and seminaries are discussed.