In recent years, the study of psychology has become more prominent as technical terms, concepts, and theories have gained prominence and acceptance among laypeople. However, the prevalence of talk about psychology has not always led to greater understanding of the discipline itself. This introductory resource for Christian students examines the field from a distinctly Christian perspective. The first section looks to the history of psychological inquiry, focusing on thinkers such as Augustine and Thomas Aquinas, the influence of the Enlightenment and Darwinism, and the development of modernist psychology. In section two, readers interact with the "great ideas" of psychology, such as the origins of morality, nature vs. nurture, the relationship between the mind and the brain, and the concept of personal identity.

How prevalent is homosexuality? What causes it? Is it a psychopathology? Can it be changed? Questions like these often accompany discussions of homosexual behavior. For answers we naturally look to scientific studies. But what does the scientific research actually show? More important, what place should this research have in shaping the church's response? Stanton Jones and Mark Yarhouse help us face these issues squarely and honestly. In four central chapters they examine how scientific research has been used within church debates--in particular within Methodist, Presbyterian and Episcopal contexts. They then survey the most recent and best scientific research and sort out what it actually shows. Next they help us to interpret the research's relevance to the moral debate within the church. In a concluding chapter they make a strong case for a traditional Christian sexual ethic. Church groups considering these complex issues will find helpful discussion questions at the end of each chapter. This book is essential reading for anyone involved in the church's debate over homosexual behavior.

How are Christians to understand and undertake the discipline of psychology? This question has been of keen interest (and sometimes concern) to Christians because of the importance we place on a correct understanding of human nature. Psychology can sometimes seem disconnected from, if not antithetical to, Christian perspectives on life. How are we to understand our Christian beliefs about persons in relation to secular psychological beliefs? This revised edition of a widely appreciated Spectrum volume now presents five models for understanding the relationship between psychology and Christianity. All the essays and responses have been reworked and updated with some new contributors including the addition of a new perspective, the transformative view from John Coe and Todd Hall (Biola University). Also found here is David Powlison (Westminster Theological Seminary) who offers the biblical counseling model. The levels-of-explanation model is advanced by David G. Myers (Hope College), while Stanton L. Jones (Wheaton College) offers an entirely new chapter presenting the integration model. The Christian psychology model is put forth by Robert C. Roberts (Baylor University) now joined by Paul J. Watson (University of Tennesee, Chattanooga). Each of the contributors responds to the other essayists, noting points of agreement as well as problems they see. Eric L. Johnson provides a revised introduction that describes the history of Christians and psychology, as well as a conclusion that considers what might unite the five views and how a reader might evaluate the relative strengths and weaknesses of each view. Psychology and Christianity: Five Views has become a standard introductory textbook for students and professors of Christian psychology. This revision promises to keep it so. Spectrum Multiview Books offer a range of viewpoints on contested topics within Christianity, giving contributors the opportunity to present their position and also respond to others in this dynamic publishing format.

Stanton Jones and Richard Butman present an updated edition of their comprehensive appraisal of modern psychotherapies. With new chapters on preventative intervention strategies and the person of the Christian psychotherapist, "Modern Psychotherapies"remains an indispensible tool for therapists and students....

The wide variety of psychotherapies that psychologists and students of psychology face can make for a confusing picture. The level of complexity is multiplied for Christians since they must ask how a particular psychotherapy fits (or doesn?t fit) with a Christian understanding of persons and their suffering. In this expanded and thoroughly update edition, Stanton Jones and Richard Butman continue to offer a careful analysis and penetrating critiques of the myriad of psychotherapies now current in the field of psychology including: Classical Psychoanalysis Contemporary Psychodynamic Psychotherapies Behavior Therapy Cognitive Therapy Person-Centered Therapy Experiential Therapies Family Systems Theory and Therapy Two valuable new chapters have been added: "Community Psychology and Preventative Intervention Strategies" and "Christian Psychotherapy and the Person of the Christian Psychotherapist." Opening and closing chapters discuss foundational concerns on the integration of psychology and theology and present the authors' call for a "responsible eclecticism." Modern Psychotherapies remains an indispensable resource. Christian Association for Psychological Studies (CAPS) Books explore how Christianity relates to mental health and behavioral sciences including psychology, counseling, social work, and marriage and family therapy in order to equip Christian clinicians to support the well-being of their clients.