Redeemer Counseling Services started as a ministry to help with pastoral care at Redeemer Presbyterian Church. Its inception came out of wrestling with the core question: What role should psychology play in pastoral care? What can Christians learn and incorporate from modern psychology that is grounded in secular methodologies, and more importantly, is steeped in relativistic cultural beliefs and individualism. As pastors and Christian counselors were presented with some of psychology’s competing theories and approaches, they responded on a large spectrum. At one extreme, some rejected psychology as worldly, depending on the Bible to address people’s emotional and mental health needs. At the other end, some accepted psychology without question as a distinct, credible resource in addressing aspects of human beings that the Bible cannot address. As Christian counselors and pastors continued to grapple with psychology’s place in offering care and healing to people, various perspectives on integration emerged, and a notable book was published on the subject, Psychology & Christianity: Four Views(2000). In 2003, Tim Keller wrote a paper called, “Four Models of Counseling in Pastoral Ministry” which included a brief description and review of each view discussed in this book.

Today, there is no doubt that both psychology and psychotherapy are integral contexts that people turn to in our society in order to orient themselves in this modern world. In our psychologized culture, we believe that Christian counselors must engage in the conversation and bring our curiosity and insights to the table. For psychology has much to contribute to our understanding of personhood. It reveals the sheer complexity of people and the multidimensional effects of sin in all of us. However, it is limited in that it acknowledges the spiritual aspect in people, but it cannot explain the nature of the human soul or spirit in its fullness. Therefore, theological perspectives are critical to the conversation. For we know that theology has much to say about human identity and personhood as well as the lasting transformation of the whole person.

In the spirit of continuing the conversation on how our faith beliefs intersect with psychology, this month’s newsletter toolkit is the insightful paper at the heart of Redeemer Counseling’s vision and mission. Readers should keep in mind that this was an internal white paper that Dr. Keller shared with Redeemer elders, staff and the counseling center, to challenge us to think deeply about the topic of integrating psychology and theology. Since a revised version of the book was published in 2009, some of the references and comments in this article may be outdated. Even so, this article highlights the rich and complex issues found on this topic.

As a counseling ministry serving the city, the process around integration has been an important part of our development both theoretically and clinically. This fall, each month’s newsletter will highlight some key themes that reflect on how both our foundational biblical understanding about humanity, and insights from psychology and psychotherapy, can be integrated.