4mat Review Entwistle Summary

The purpose of this 4MAT Review is to discuss Mr. David Entwistle’s book, Integrative Approaches to Psychology & Christianity: An Introduction to Worldview Issues, Philosophical Foundations, and Models of Integration, 3rd Edition, which is a scholarly analysis of the integration of the study of Psychology and the religion of Christianity. The beginning of Entwistle (2015) takes an in depth look at the reasons why throughout history there has been such a strong debate about the relationship between science and faith, specifically whether Christianity can and or should be combined with the practice of Psychology.

Traditionally science and faith have been considered incompatible and irreconcilable (Entwistle). One reason is because, it was thought

Entwistle makes a case that this is not entirely true, based upon the fact that the church and the scientific world have both been considered viable sources of knowledge throughout history and have borrowed from one another often (Entwislte, 2015). In one way or another, the church community has always influenced science, and vice versa. Therefore, in the second section of the book, Entwistle discusses in depth the historical interaction between “sacred” knowledge and “secular” knowledge with references to the struggles between the academic and church community over theories and beliefs about our world (Entwistle). He also compares moments throughout history where Psychology and Christianity were at odds with each other, as well as the times when they worked in harmony. It is pointed out that though there have been harsh proponents of religion being a hindrance to scientific progress, Christianity has played a huge part in the development of science

One reason was presented through a quote by Browning and Evisons which says both Psychology and Christianity, “…seek to heal forms of brokenness that stand on the ambiguous borderline between body and what is variously referred to as ‘psyche’ or spirit” (Entwistle, 2015, p. 40). In another quote, Entwistle (2015) highlighted that there are some experiences that cannot be explained by science alone, and therefore theories created without the use of a Christian worldview would discount the validity of such experiences, which would clearly be dangerous in the care of individuals who are religious. However, there are also instances in which secular knowledge cannot be ignored, such as in the case of demon possession versus mental illness. Therefore, there are ways in which each discipline- Psychology and Christianity- can contribute that the other may not be able to contribute.

In the following sections of the book, Entwistle (2015) discusses four epistemological strategies for understanding truth, which include logic, empiricism, revelation, and hermeneutics (Entwistle, 2015). He also highlights naturalism versus supernaturalism, and explains how, “both lead to different understandings of the nature of the world…” which are different but both correct (Enwistle, p. 139). The purpose of this is to show how truth can be