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Psychology Through the Eyes of Faith
Identifies the major ideas that college and university students will encounter in a basic psychology course and explores connections with Christian belief.
256 pages, Paperback
First published October 7, 1987
45 people are currently reading
239 people want to read
About the author
David G. Myers
389 books179 followersDavid G. Myers is a professor of Psychology at Hope College in Michigan, and the author of 17 books, including popular textbooks entitled Psychology, Exploring Psychology, Social Psychology and several general-audience books dealing with issues related to Christian faith as well as scientific psychology.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
April 7, 2023
I wanted to like this book because it is psychology from a Christian perspective, but I didn't care for the book for several reasons. 1)It seemed to indicate that you need to accept yourself as you are, and indeed that is true, but when you are referring to something sinful, then you should not give up and give in. We should always fight against our sinful natures. 2) I had to make myself finish this book. As it progressed, the book got more and more dry and uninteresting. 3) This is an older book and, therefore, dated in many ways. It is a first edition and copyrighted in 1987. Perhaps the later editions are better.
I did find a few things worth quoting.
-Whatever God found worth creating, we can find worth studying. This is in reference to psychology.
-What is true of psychology is also true of the other academic disciplines, each of which provides a perspective from which we can study nature and our place in it.
-The biblical teaching is not that one has a soul, but that he is a soul.
-The book quotes C.S. Lewis in The Screwtape Letters. Screwtape counsels his junior devil to corrupt by diverting attention. "Success depends on confusing...The game is to have them all running about with fire extinguishers whenever there is a flood."
-People can be influenced by exposure to stimuli that is not consciously perceived. Imagine that as a subject in one of these experiments you are asked which of two words, penny and rabbit, is closest to a word that has been flashed on a screen. The flash is so brief that, consciously, you cannot tell whether any word has appeared amidst the flash. Remarkably, however, your guess is more likely to be right than wrong. If so, you processed information from the flash with no awareness of having done so.
-Perceptions also depend on where our attention is drawn, on our prior experience, and on our expectations.
-Out of our experience in the world, from infancy onward, we form schemas- ways of organizing and interpreting reality.
-The healing power of a period of aloneness can also be found in the lives of people who, by choice or necessity, have experienced periods of solitude. Many of today's institutions for mentally disturbed juvenile or adult offenders use "time out" rooms in which an agitated person experiences solitude. Many autobiographers and biographers confirm the creative power of solitude. Jesus, who began His ministry after 40 days alone and who lived a rhythm of retreat and engagement, provides the most noteworthy example. The Christian discipline of a daily quiet time affirms the value of restricted stimulation as a spiritual recharging for living in this world. In times of silence and solitude, God reveals himself.
-Our behavior is strongly influenced by the context in which it occurs.
-God is working in and through our lives and our choices.
-5 research-based principles for constructing a memorable and persuasive message
1) Vivid, concrete examples are more potent than abstract information.
2) Messages that relate to what people already know or have experienced are most easily remembered.
3) Spaced repetition aids retention.
4) Active listening aids memory and facilitates attitude change.
5) Attitudes and beliefs are shaped by action.
-Because our words influence how we think, we do well to choose our words carefully. Our labels for things affect our thoughts about them. Whether a space weapons program is termed "Star Wars" or "The Peace Shield" can subtly affect people's thoughts and feelings about it.
-It's a point worth remembering: the labeling of who we are--our race, sex, religious denomination, and the like-- also implies a definition of who we are not. The circle that defines "us" excludes "them."
-Giftedness is a decision made in the minds of those who use the word. Nothing is giftedness until someone names it that. Nature has not clustered children into well-defined groups corresponding to our value-laden labels. We, not nature, decide what is a flower and what is a weed. To paraphrase Ralph Waldo Emerson, a weed is but a flower that someone decides doesn't belong in the garden.
-In his letters to the early churches, Paul identifies more than 2 dozen different gifts, challenging his readers to consider which are theirs to give.
Administration-to organize and direct people toward a goal
Discernment-to distinguish truth from error, good from evil
Encouragement-to support and strengthen people
Faith-a special capacity for belief and trust in God's power
Giving-an especially generous, even self-sacrificial spirit
Hospitality-to be comfortably warm and open with strangers
Leadership- to set goals and inspire a vision
Mercy-to be deeply compassionate with hurting people
Prophecy-to proclaim God's message with authority
Service-to identify needs and give effective assistance
Pastoring-to guide, nurture, and care for people
Teaching-to communicate knowledge effectively
-Comparing with those who have more may breed envy, but comparing with those who have less breeds contentment. So count your blessings, name them one by one.
-"He that overvalues himself will undervalue others, and he that undervalues others will oppress them." Quoted by Samuel Johnson in an 18th century sermon. The Nazi atrocities were rooted not in self-conscious feelings of German inferiority, but in Aryan pride.
-Behavior follows attitudes. The reverse is also true: we are as likely to act ourselves into a way to thinking as to think ourselves into action. Evil acts shape the self. People induced to harm an innocent victim typically come to disparage their victim. Those induced to speak or write statements about which they have misgivings will often come to accept their little lies. Saying becomes believing.
-Helping someone typically increases liking for the person helped. Those who teach a moral norm to others subsequently follow the moral code better themselves. So an antidote for the corrupting effects of evil actions is repentant action. Act as if you love your neighbor--without worrying whether you really do--and before long you will feel a greater liking for the person.
I did find a few things worth quoting.
-Whatever God found worth creating, we can find worth studying. This is in reference to psychology.
-What is true of psychology is also true of the other academic disciplines, each of which provides a perspective from which we can study nature and our place in it.
-The biblical teaching is not that one has a soul, but that he is a soul.
-The book quotes C.S. Lewis in The Screwtape Letters. Screwtape counsels his junior devil to corrupt by diverting attention. "Success depends on confusing...The game is to have them all running about with fire extinguishers whenever there is a flood."
-People can be influenced by exposure to stimuli that is not consciously perceived. Imagine that as a subject in one of these experiments you are asked which of two words, penny and rabbit, is closest to a word that has been flashed on a screen. The flash is so brief that, consciously, you cannot tell whether any word has appeared amidst the flash. Remarkably, however, your guess is more likely to be right than wrong. If so, you processed information from the flash with no awareness of having done so.
-Perceptions also depend on where our attention is drawn, on our prior experience, and on our expectations.
-Out of our experience in the world, from infancy onward, we form schemas- ways of organizing and interpreting reality.
-The healing power of a period of aloneness can also be found in the lives of people who, by choice or necessity, have experienced periods of solitude. Many of today's institutions for mentally disturbed juvenile or adult offenders use "time out" rooms in which an agitated person experiences solitude. Many autobiographers and biographers confirm the creative power of solitude. Jesus, who began His ministry after 40 days alone and who lived a rhythm of retreat and engagement, provides the most noteworthy example. The Christian discipline of a daily quiet time affirms the value of restricted stimulation as a spiritual recharging for living in this world. In times of silence and solitude, God reveals himself.
-Our behavior is strongly influenced by the context in which it occurs.
-God is working in and through our lives and our choices.
-5 research-based principles for constructing a memorable and persuasive message
1) Vivid, concrete examples are more potent than abstract information.
2) Messages that relate to what people already know or have experienced are most easily remembered.
3) Spaced repetition aids retention.
4) Active listening aids memory and facilitates attitude change.
5) Attitudes and beliefs are shaped by action.
-Because our words influence how we think, we do well to choose our words carefully. Our labels for things affect our thoughts about them. Whether a space weapons program is termed "Star Wars" or "The Peace Shield" can subtly affect people's thoughts and feelings about it.
-It's a point worth remembering: the labeling of who we are--our race, sex, religious denomination, and the like-- also implies a definition of who we are not. The circle that defines "us" excludes "them."
-Giftedness is a decision made in the minds of those who use the word. Nothing is giftedness until someone names it that. Nature has not clustered children into well-defined groups corresponding to our value-laden labels. We, not nature, decide what is a flower and what is a weed. To paraphrase Ralph Waldo Emerson, a weed is but a flower that someone decides doesn't belong in the garden.
-In his letters to the early churches, Paul identifies more than 2 dozen different gifts, challenging his readers to consider which are theirs to give.
Administration-to organize and direct people toward a goal
Discernment-to distinguish truth from error, good from evil
Encouragement-to support and strengthen people
Faith-a special capacity for belief and trust in God's power
Giving-an especially generous, even self-sacrificial spirit
Hospitality-to be comfortably warm and open with strangers
Leadership- to set goals and inspire a vision
Mercy-to be deeply compassionate with hurting people
Prophecy-to proclaim God's message with authority
Service-to identify needs and give effective assistance
Pastoring-to guide, nurture, and care for people
Teaching-to communicate knowledge effectively
-Comparing with those who have more may breed envy, but comparing with those who have less breeds contentment. So count your blessings, name them one by one.
-"He that overvalues himself will undervalue others, and he that undervalues others will oppress them." Quoted by Samuel Johnson in an 18th century sermon. The Nazi atrocities were rooted not in self-conscious feelings of German inferiority, but in Aryan pride.
-Behavior follows attitudes. The reverse is also true: we are as likely to act ourselves into a way to thinking as to think ourselves into action. Evil acts shape the self. People induced to harm an innocent victim typically come to disparage their victim. Those induced to speak or write statements about which they have misgivings will often come to accept their little lies. Saying becomes believing.
-Helping someone typically increases liking for the person helped. Those who teach a moral norm to others subsequently follow the moral code better themselves. So an antidote for the corrupting effects of evil actions is repentant action. Act as if you love your neighbor--without worrying whether you really do--and before long you will feel a greater liking for the person.
October 9, 2016
A full outlaying of David Myer's position of the relationship between Psychology and Christian Faith. Organised in easy-to-read standalone chapters, I was faced with obvious and not-so-obvious connections between Christian theology/praxis and Psychological science/praxis. Myers presents a considerate (yet understandably Western) and well-formed ideological framework that is easy to appreciate, and accessible anyone (you don't need to know anything about Psychology nor Christianity to understand his book - he explains a lot of basic principles)
November 9, 2013
Unbelievably dry reading. Psychology Through the Eyes of Faith relies too heavily on outside sources without including enough original insight. I thought that the author would draw a stronger connection between Christian belief and the field of psychology, but the relationship is unclear at best.
August 20, 2024
TWO CHRISTIAN PSYCHOLOGY PROFESSORS PONDER THE CONNECTION BETWEEN PSYCHOLOGY AND CHRISTIANITY
David G. Myers (born 1942) is a professor of psychology at Hope College; he has written/cowritten many books, such as 'The human puzzle: Psychological research and Christian belief,' 'The inflated self,' 'Psychology Through the Eyes of Faith,' 'Psychology & Christianity,' 'What God Has Joined Together: The Christian Case for Gay Marriage,' etc. Malcolm Jeeves is a psychology professor who has also written books such as 'Psychology & Christianity: The view both ways.' [NOTE: page numbers below refer to the 224-page 1987 edition.]
They wrote in the Foreword of this 1987 book, "It is the conviction of the authors... that although psychology and Christianity are profoundly different, yet they interact... It is our conviction ... that Christianity is not just an expression of feelings or values but that it incorporates a body of claims; and that those claims are not just about God but about this world of ours, especially its human beings. Christianity incorporates nothing less than a world view. And about the human beings in that world, psychology speaks." (Pg. ix) They add, "This book is about the relationship between what psychologists are discovering and what Christians believe. Unlike most other books on psychology and religion, this one... identifies major insights regarding human nature that college and university students will encounter in a basic psychology course and ponders how the resulting human image connects with Christian belief." (Pg. xiii)
They suggest, "different levels of explanation can be complementary. The methods of psychology are appropriate, and appropriate ONLY, for their own purposes. Psychological explanation has provided satisfying answers to many important questions regarding why people think, feel, and act as they do. But it does not even pretend to answer life's ultimate questions. Let us therefore celebrate and use psychology for what it offers us, never forgetting what it cannot accomplish." (Pg. 9-10) They add, "Believing that both the natural and biblical data reveal God's truth, we can allow scientific and theological perspectives to challenge and inform each other... There is an additional reason why the Bible does not give us a completed psychology and why we therefore need psychological science. The Scriptures must embody truth not just for us in our twentieth century age but for all people, past, present, and future." (Pg. 15-16)
They argue, "Although Christian faith does not promise escape from the stresses and woes of life, it can help us walk through the valley of deepest darkness. It does so first by offering us an identity---a knowledge of who we are, of our ultimate values, of our mission in life... Second, religious communities offer support in times of stress... Finally, religious experience has the potential to be therapeutic." (Pg. 149-150)
For those Christians looking for a strongly "positive" attitude toward the relationship between psychology and Christianity, this book will be of great interest.
David G. Myers (born 1942) is a professor of psychology at Hope College; he has written/cowritten many books, such as 'The human puzzle: Psychological research and Christian belief,' 'The inflated self,' 'Psychology Through the Eyes of Faith,' 'Psychology & Christianity,' 'What God Has Joined Together: The Christian Case for Gay Marriage,' etc. Malcolm Jeeves is a psychology professor who has also written books such as 'Psychology & Christianity: The view both ways.' [NOTE: page numbers below refer to the 224-page 1987 edition.]
They wrote in the Foreword of this 1987 book, "It is the conviction of the authors... that although psychology and Christianity are profoundly different, yet they interact... It is our conviction ... that Christianity is not just an expression of feelings or values but that it incorporates a body of claims; and that those claims are not just about God but about this world of ours, especially its human beings. Christianity incorporates nothing less than a world view. And about the human beings in that world, psychology speaks." (Pg. ix) They add, "This book is about the relationship between what psychologists are discovering and what Christians believe. Unlike most other books on psychology and religion, this one... identifies major insights regarding human nature that college and university students will encounter in a basic psychology course and ponders how the resulting human image connects with Christian belief." (Pg. xiii)
They suggest, "different levels of explanation can be complementary. The methods of psychology are appropriate, and appropriate ONLY, for their own purposes. Psychological explanation has provided satisfying answers to many important questions regarding why people think, feel, and act as they do. But it does not even pretend to answer life's ultimate questions. Let us therefore celebrate and use psychology for what it offers us, never forgetting what it cannot accomplish." (Pg. 9-10) They add, "Believing that both the natural and biblical data reveal God's truth, we can allow scientific and theological perspectives to challenge and inform each other... There is an additional reason why the Bible does not give us a completed psychology and why we therefore need psychological science. The Scriptures must embody truth not just for us in our twentieth century age but for all people, past, present, and future." (Pg. 15-16)
They argue, "Although Christian faith does not promise escape from the stresses and woes of life, it can help us walk through the valley of deepest darkness. It does so first by offering us an identity---a knowledge of who we are, of our ultimate values, of our mission in life... Second, religious communities offer support in times of stress... Finally, religious experience has the potential to be therapeutic." (Pg. 149-150)
For those Christians looking for a strongly "positive" attitude toward the relationship between psychology and Christianity, this book will be of great interest.
May 28, 2024
This book is neither genuinely psychological nor faithful. For instance, the medical establishment tells us that 10% plus of the population is LGBT. The authors would have is believe the actual percentages are 3% for men and 1% for women which, in and of itself is misogynistic in addition to being heterosexist. The authors proceed to taught the legitimacy and effectiveness of reparative therapy, healing ministries, and ex-gay support groups. None of which are scientifically supported for universally endorsed among Christian denominations.
My fear is young persons will read this book, see themselves as beyond repair, healing, or support and conclude their only solution is suicide. Their blood would be on these authors’ hands.
My fear is young persons will read this book, see themselves as beyond repair, healing, or support and conclude their only solution is suicide. Their blood would be on these authors’ hands.
April 13, 2024
Though the title may be somewhat misleading, this book competently relates science and faith. Much of the book focuses on relating findings in the field of Psychology to the modern interpretation of Scripture and the religious practices of the Christ follower. A large portion also considers how scientific findings may inform our understanding of scripture. I would argue that much of the book is really more like 'Faith through the eyes of an empiricist.'
July 12, 2018
Not the greatest book I’ve ever read, but it did provide some food for thought.
October 27, 2023
3.5 stars -- Another textbook from my undergraduate. The class that used this book was one of the most fascinating courses. Very interesting book.
January 8, 2024
2 of my favorite topics and their overlap. Loved it.
May 9, 2012
Took portions from this book when I taught psychology at a Christian high school. Answers some good questions and helps you connect some dots when you have certain questions arise when you sit and learn about psych from a secular point of view.
March 13, 2008
Good book for any christian counselor or psychologist.
April 15, 2011
I do not agree with everything in this book, but it was interesting to see the fields of psychology and faith come together.
February 9, 2013
Not the greatest book.
May 7, 2016
Loved this book. so few Christian psychology sources take actual science into account! So glad my professor chose this book!
January 9, 2025
Honestly it's much better than what I thought it would be. The authors are pretty open minded and discuss various topics.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews