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The Art and End of Being Steadfast in Trying Times
By way of introduction to the Theology in Research and Practice column, the focus of this column can be framed in a classic question. Though voiced in many different ways, the question of how Athens relates to Jerusalem is as perpetual as it is pervasive. So, for our context, what hath psychology to do with Christianity? Whether you understand psychology in the classical sense as the study of the soul or the contemporary sense as the science of the mind and behavior, psychology seeks to unveil new and better ways for people to exist and thrive in a complex world (American Psychological Association [APA], 2013). Christianity, like all belief systems, has a particular take on what these concepts mean. It is hoped that this section of JPC will be a space to explore how the resources of Scripture and the Christian intellectual tradition give perspective on and insight to the evidence-based strategies of contemporary psychology. As Associate Editor of Theology in Research and Practice, it is not my goal to tell the reader about psychology or counseling. Many JPC readers are experts in these fields. What is desired is to provide insights from Christian resources that will sometimes be instructive, other times provocative, but at all times designed to encourage readers in their work of caring for others. And encouragement, in these times, is something most people can use.
Through the doorway of COVID-19 it seems we have entered a surreal world and been given reason to reflect on daily routines, relationships, and life itself. Life has demanded-perhaps, better, existentially confronted us with the need for-patience, endurance, and steadfastness. Whether viewed as a demand or confrontation, enduring the new norms of life is not easy.
As a Christian deeply interested in soul care, the wisdom of Scripture has been a steady staff on which to lean. It has offered insight to help navigate a remarkably disrupted life and even extend to others the comfort with which one has been comforted. A particular passage that has been ever recurring is James 1:2-4:
Count it all joy, my brothers and sisters, when you meet trials of various kinds, you know that the testing of your faith produces...