Imprecatory Psalms, Integrationism, and Biblical Counseling

Last updated on: September 25, 2013 at 6:30 pm By Paul C. Maxwell

Helpful distinctions between different views about theology and psychology often become battle lines that impede helpful, constructive dialogue about the intersection of these disciplines. Too often, partisan polemics and political lines control critique, and are driven by the agenda of proving allegiance more than understanding truth. A journal that is devoted to exploring the intersection of theology and psychology, coming from a generally integrationist perspective, is the Journal of Psychology and Theology. Dominick D. Hankle published an article in the... Read more

Metaphor and Self, Part 2: The Emotional World of Romantic Love

Last updated on: September 4, 2013 at 10:38 am By Paul C. Maxwell

Our emotional life is not constituted by crass literalism, but is strewn with – composed of, even – literary devices. Don’t believe me? When your lover asks you to express your feelings about them in words, you will bend the knee. Zoltán Kövecses explains, “Emotion concepts are composed of a number of parts: metaphors, metonymies, [and] ‘related concepts.’”[1] What do these categories look like in terms of the “love” concept? Kövecses gives us a helpful start. Metaphor: love is a nutrient:... Read more

Metaphor and Self, Part 1: The External World

Last updated on: September 4, 2013 at 7:14 am By Paul C. Maxwell

How do you understand the world around you? Some philosophers argue that it is in terms of p and q. You’re reading this blog (p), and not another ~(~p). Yet Mark Johnson argues that there lies a besetting incompetence in such abstract philosophical language – an incompetence that bubbles to the surface when examined side-by-side with human language. As tempting as it may be to cast the world in a p–>q schema, it fails in its ability to retain semantic... Read more

Powlison on Discerning God’s Calling

Last updated on: August 27, 2013 at 7:26 am By Paul C. Maxwell

Last night, a friend and I were discussing calling – what is it? Of course, there is obviously the external call of: the encouragement of those around you, opportunities arising, etc. And there is the even more objective external call of the church itself. Conversely, there exists a notion of a subjective call – do I want to do this? No, am I burdened to do this? David Powlison (as always) gives us some helpful points to begin thinking about... Read more

Powlison on Burning Out and Self-Medicating

Last updated on: August 26, 2013 at 7:12 am By Paul C. Maxwell

I wildly vacillate from working like crazy to crashing. I cram, I take a break. And, since the semester is upon me, I face the temptation to fall back into this maddening dialectic of thrashing back-and-forth between expending more energy than I have, and resting more than I can afford. It’s the perfect recipe for burnout and addiction, and I turn into a sad, desperate being when I burn out and seek self-medicating pleasures. David Powlison gives a helpful description... Read more

Feminists on the Trauma of Abuse Research

Last updated on: August 25, 2013 at 7:05 am By Paul C. Maxwell

For the past month and a half, I have been writing a review essay on a recently released evangelical book on sexual abuse (SA). I have performed a considerable amount of research in the areas of SA, trauma, the effects of trauma, the sociology of SA, its many statistics, its many causes, etc. During this time, I felt a spiritual darkness creeping into my life. And, in my research, I came across some wisdom on the psychology of SA research... Read more

Thiselton on Embodied Sexuality and Personhood

Last updated on: August 24, 2013 at 7:16 am By Paul C. Maxwell

Anthony C. Thiselton gives a helpful picture of the relationship of “spiritual” actions and the body. Commenting on 1 Corinthians 6:18 v. 18: Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. “Far from devaluing sex, the very opposite comes about [in v. 18]. In this area Paul was far ahead of first-century cultural assumptions in perceiving the sexual act as one of intimacy and... Read more

The Science of Emotions and Embarrassment

Last updated on: August 23, 2013 at 11:10 am By Paul C. Maxwell

“Emotions are a primary idiom for defining and negotiating social relations of the self in a moral order.” —Catherine Lutz & Geoffrey White I recently read an article on the relationship between emotions and a person’s ability to function in society.[1] Throughout the entire thing, I thought, “This is a perfect description of the world of blogging.” And it applies immediately, with almost 1:1 correspondence, to the world I live in: the world of evangelical blogging and writing. If you’re... Read more

Calvin on Rest and Self-Justification

Last updated on: August 22, 2013 at 2:53 pm By Paul C. Maxwell

In his commentary on Habakkuk, Calvin comments that the difference between justification on the basis of faith, and justification on the basis of one’s own works, indicates not only a distorted view of God and salvation, but also betrays a misguided interpretative principle for one’s own self, and for the world. Moreover, Calvin contends, it is only with the appropriate lens of interpretation – justifying faith in Jesus Christ – that any man will ever find rest in this life,... Read more

Anderson on Intelligence and Religious Belief

Last updated on: August 20, 2013 at 11:07 am By Paul C. Maxwell

James Anderson, responding to recent studies that attempt to prove a correlation between religious beliefs and low IQs, lists five reasons why the relationship between intelligence and religious belief doesn’t determine whether a person (or a belief) is right or wrong: If intelligence were generally correlated with having true beliefs, we would expect there to be wide agreement among the beliefs of intelligent people. We find wide disagreement over major disputed issues among those with high IQs. The more intelligent a person is,... Read more