Emotion as an Integrative Topic: An Analysis of Faithful Feelings

Emotion is a topic of great interest to both academic disciplines involved in the integration enterprise. Biblical studies and theology address the topic because of its vital role in understanding the nature of God and the nature of human functioning. Psychology addresses the topic of emotion because of the central role emotion plays in psychological development, wellbeing, psychopathology, and clinical interventions. To form an integrative approach to emotion, scholars from both sides of the equation need to bring the best, most up-to-date data to the conversation. A new book, Faithful Feeling, represents a major contribution to the discussion of emotion from the discipline of biblical studies. This article analyzes its potential contribution to scholars in psychology working on the subject of emotion from the standpoint of relevance, scope, and depth. The challenges of integration are many and varied. Scholars and practitioners in psychology who strive to conduct their work within the context of Christian theology have a natural interest in exploring how the psychology of human emotion interfaces with the theology of human emotion. In fact scholars working in any of the social sciences will express this very same interest. However, psychological integrators face substantial challenges when they take material from their own discipline and seek to relate it to the teachings of Christian Scripture. Few people can afford the luxury of possessing doctor rates in both psychology and theology. Psychologists who work in the integration field must use their theological knowledge as obtained in the pew or in a few graduate courses. Or they must seek out theological and biblical resources that they trust are accurate, balanced, and up-to-date to use in their integration work. Psychological integrators have a great need for reliable materials written by theologians and biblical scholars that can provide material needed for the integration task (Beck, 2006b). A new book written by a New Testament scholar, Matthew A. Elliott, explores the topic of emotion in a fresh and informative manner. The book gives promise of becoming a valuable tool for psychological integrators and is a hopeful sign that more such material from the field of biblical studies will be forthcoming. This article will analyze the book, Faithful Feelings: Rethinking Emotion in the New Testament (Elliot, 2006), to explore its potential integrative contribution to the discipline of psychology. The analysis will discuss the book's relevance, scope, and depth. These three criteria (relevance, scope, and depth) serve as good markers to use in rating contributions to the integrative task from either side of the equation (theology or psychology). Relevance of the topic is an obvious marker and is most often present in materials being evaluated. Scope is a measure of the breadth of investigation. Scope or breadth of inquiry is valuable for integrators because it yields higher levels of confidence that the integrative work is being conducted with good perspective and is related well to the contexts of contiguous academic disciplines. Depth is a measure of the investigation's thoroughness within its own discipline. Depth produces higher levels of confidence in the results of our integrative work with regard to accuracy and potential stability of our findings. The integration enterprise has matured over the past five decades although much remains to be done. What can help us most now is an expanded effort to improve both sides of the equation. These efforts will not be easy and are perhaps beyond the ability of single individuals to achieve. Perhaps the use of research teams that include scholars from both theology and psychology will facilitate the process (Beck, 2006a; Hathaway, 2005). First, however, a few comments about the book in general. Elliott addresses his book to fellow New Testament scholars. The issues he raises and the challenges he makes are directed primarily to New Testament colleagues. …