Geoffrey W. Sutton PhD, Psychology and Culture

Creation and Evolution: How Do Christians Bridge the Gap? As noted in my previous two posts, the famous Scopes Trial was 90 years ago. The issues at the heart of the 1925 trial continue to divide U.S. Christians. My focus in the previous posts was a consideration of how evolution informs an understanding of psychology in general and the psychology of religion in particular. My focus in this post is to consider why evolution is such a divisive issue for a substantial minority of Christians and what, if anything, may be done to reduce the acrimony and promote peace. A few days ago, news stories appeared about the resignation of respected evangelical philosophy professor, Jim Stump. Stump is a philosopher of science with a degree from Boston University. His former employer, Bethel College (Indiana), prepared a statement on human origins. The resignation appears to have occurred peacefully. Here’s a quote from the ChristianPost . "In considering t...

Updated 26 Feb 2018 What Christian Counselors Believe, Value, and Practice Part I: Beliefs I once asked a conservative evangelical Christian Chaplain how he handled counseling when he was pretty sure a dying patient was not a Christian and, according to his tradition, would soon spend eternity in hell. He sincerely said he would have to think about that question. A female health care provider told me she switched jobs so she could work with children rather than seniors, because she believed that, unlike the elderly, children would go to heaven if they died. In this case, her Christian beliefs appeared to have a cause -effect influence on her career. Counselors normally focus on the needs of clients and help clients find solutions in a supportive setting. Theoretically, rapport ought to be enhanced when counselors and clients share common values and beliefs.  Why ask what Christian Counselors Believe? The primary reason ...

Christian Therapist – Christian Client Matching:  Is it important? Answer #1: Yes. Matching is probably important. Seven reasons why matching Christian clients to Christian therapists might be important. (Gleanings from Stegman and colleagues, 2013). 1. Psychotherapists know little about religion and spirituality. 2. A large number of Psychotherapists associated with Christian counseling professional groups graduated from non-Christian programs. 3. The spiritual beliefs of Christians can seem like psychopathology to non-Christian clinicians. This is especially true when the beliefs are different from the typical beliefs in a culture. 4. Christian clients consider religious and spiritual issues important to psychotherapy and many wish to talk about these matters. 5. Conservative Christian clients expect their beliefs to be a part of psychotherapy. 6. Not addressing Christian beliefs can lead to early termination. 7. There is a general c...

Weddings : Values that Can Lead to a  Successful Marriage Two young people I know plan to marry this Sunday. My wife and I have known the groom and his parents for years. I came to know the bride when she was a college student worker. To all appearances, they are a beautiful couple in a loving and committed relationship. They met in college, dated, obtained master’s degrees from the same university, and attend the same church. Theirs will be a Christian wedding. Weddings and Culture Like a long flowing gown, or a brides' aisle walk to meet her bridegroom, weddings retain a cultural trail of values. Cultural traditions are often integrated with religious ceremony. Royal ceremonies encourage fantasies in children’s books suggest enchantment in romantic novels and movies for girls and women (and some men) of all ages.  Religious stories illustrate blessed relationships and joyful celebrations. Weddings used to mark the beginning of a new life together. ...