The Integration of Psychology and Christianity: A Domain-Based Approach

by William L. Hathaway, Mark A. Yarhouse, Stephen E. Parker (Foreword)

"Done properly, integration enriches our understanding of both Christianity and psychology. Through biblical and theological grounding, this expert overview takes stock of the integration project to date, provides an introduction for those who wish to come on board, highlights work yet to be done, and offers a framework to strategically organize next steps"--

Genres: Psychology, Counselling, Nonfiction, Christian Non Fiction

203 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2021

Reviews

[Geoffrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love reading books about the integration of psychology and Christianity, and this book was no exception. While the chapters on worldview and theoretical integration were necessary and helpful, I found the chapters on applied, personal, and, most particularly, role integration most insightful. These chapters fleshed out some ideas that I had not been able to articulate, especially as it relates to engaging a secular profession in a distinctively Christian way. I highly recommend!

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has lot to offer! For me, the first chapters were the best ones, but with gems in each one of them. A book like this, academic and dense, is also a bit dry and slow to read - but also equally rewarding. It was a letdown when the authors in the last chapter embrace EDI (Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion - as well as "Social Justice"), buzzwords that have more bat with them than good - and at least I think Christians have a duty to, yes, understand those concepts, but also be the harshest critiques of something that has a such a clear non-christian(Marxist) origin. The authors here may well be fair and careful enough, but embracing it so clearly is for me a red flag. Anyhow, the whole idea of integrating these two domains and struggle that it brings is such an important topic to grapple with, although this book is more suited for an actual practitioner than the common Christian. It gave me much tho chew on.

[Nathan Marone]

Hard to comment on, because this is really outside my normal reading and interests. That said, the chapter on role domain integration was quite good. There has been personal tension for me in that area - thinking about my professional role and my personal Christian commitments - even though my professional life is in the church. I found Hathaway and Yarhouse's discussion of those tensions both uplifting and informative.

[Nadia Weaver · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed walking through the different integration approaches and examples of how these methods are being applied in real life. The authors clearly have a motivated narrative to further explore this topic and call other Christian mental health advocates to do the same.

[Paul Hibbard · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent explanation and exploration into the history and different ways Christianity works with secular psychology. The author provides ways for the Christian counselor to sharpen their skills while growing spiritually and avoiding compromising Christian values.

[AddyF · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm a firm believer in integration, but this book wasn't very compelling to me.