Taking Up the Challenge

In this article, Alfred Poirier discusses the 1997 debate in the Journal of Psychology and Christianity between biblical counselors and integrationists. The major criticism leveled against biblical counseling was a neglect of general revelation, especially empirical research. Poirier uses the book “To Forgive is Human” (McCullough, Sandage, Worthington) as a case study in how empirical research is used and misused. Poirier argues that what they draw from the psychological literature researching forgiveness is shown either to arise from common sense, or to be trivial, or to mislead. Poirier concludes that the most significant and deep dynamics of forgiveness are never touched by psychological research, because it excises the Godward dimension.