Geoffrey W. Sutton PhD, Psychology and Culture

Influential Christian clergyman, John MacArthur recently died (14 July 2025).  AI image for illustration only Bing Creator 2025 MacArthur's beliefs reveal the difficulty integrating faith and science for many Christians. I hypothesize that some beliefs are so different that patients and providers holding a MacArthur worldview would have difficulty interacting effectively with those patients or providers who hold a contrasting scientific worldview. Following are some beliefs collected from the internet.  Please offer corrections for any inaccuracies as to the facts provided, quotations, or links to the references provided. 1. Young Earth Creationism Belief : MacArthur teaches that the Earth was created in six literal 24-hour days and is only several thousand years old. Supporting Citation: “The duration of ‘the evening and the morning’ on the first day of creation was the same as the evening and morning of any solar day” (MacArthur, 2001, p. 37). Contrast with Science: Radiomet...

Soon the U.S. Supreme Court will review an abortion case. As an  npr broadcast  informs us, this is the week, 47 years ago, that the court made the Roe v. Wade decision. The Disestablishment of Christianity in America Like others, I think the 1973 decision was the “Wake-up call” for American Evangelicals who could see a trend toward a more secular American society. I suggest the recent beginning of the trend was the 25 June 1962 decision by the Supreme Court that judged a New York prayer as a violation of the establishment clause in the U.S. Constitution ( See Engel v. Vitale ). The next year, 1963, the court ruled against Abington school district’s practice of saying the Lord’s Prayer and reading the Bible ( See Abington School District v. Schempp) . A Tough Yet Sweet Pill to Swallow The small pill that started a revolution. I’m exaggerating of course. But it’s hard to ignore the contribution of the birth control pill to undoing the power of sexual pu...

Psychology, Memory, and Religious Narratives Pope Francis is in the Americas and will soon be welcomed by the U.S. Congress. What a difference 500 years can make! Attitudes toward Catholics have changed in recent years. Pope Francis offers words of hope to the disenfranchised. I’m focused on the dynamic of human memory and religious struggles--memories that appear so malleable and responsive to revised narratives. To some degree, we each control our own narrative. We tell the story others hear. We explain how religious and secular events fit into our personal history. Together with others, we also tell a collective history of our religious tribe. We share how we related to other religious and irreligious groups. And we forge new narratives when we act in the present. PERSPECTIVES In terms of human history, it wasn’t long ago that Catholics and Protestants were at each other’s throats. The church-state connections in Europe along with the attendant ...

ONE QUESTION ABOUT SAME-SEX MARRIAGE I noticed conservative friends posting 40 Questions challenging Christians about their support for same-sex marriage. It did not take long for a counter response. So there are at least 80 questions available for you. It's no surprise that the authors advance a point of view by asking a question, which assumes a premise that has not been established. I come at the questions from the perspective of a psychological scientist and former university professor--so I love to encourage people to think. And if I were teaching a relevant course, I'd probably ask students to think about the 80-questions. I'll include the links so you can see what the two authors are asking. Christians come at the same-sex issue from many perspectives as I wrote about last week . I think for those Christians who have a spiritual struggle, the key question is about sin. There is only one question for fundamentalist Christians to ...

MARRIAGE EQUALITY AT WORK & SCHOOL Policies, Procedures, and Prejudice As a new week begins , workers in the largest economy on earth will have the right to be married to one person regardless of where they live. More than 1,000 benefits are tied to marriage so more people may have the potential to increase their well-being. Problem policies, procedures, and prejudices are likely to persist for many. 1. Changing forms is no big deal when it comes to the basics unless you use software based forms permitting only restrictive entry parameters. Of course, those problems will soon be overcome.  Businesses and schools that operate in multiple states can simplify their employment forms and all the benefits accorded married employees. 2. Policies that protect employment status can take longer to revise. In the U.S. people will be married or single when it comes to many benefits but there are those in transition. Converting from civil unions to marriage may take...

SAME-SEX MARRIAGE  and   CHRISTIAN DIVERSITY U.S. Supreme Court finds same-sex couples have a constitutional right to marry Friday 26 June 2015 ( Wall Street Journal ). Most people in the U.S. identify as Christian. Most people in the U.S. support same-sex marriage. Christians have been outspoken about same-sex marriage in recent years. Although most Christian churches officially support only marriages between one man and one woman, some churches have come out in support of same-sex marriage. A few Christian leaders  recently made news when they announced support of same-sex marriage. The arguments provided by Christians include explanations of Bible passages and moral arguments. I take a look at the arguments opposing and supporting same-sex marriage in two posts. If you want details, see the links provided in the posts. Click the links below to see several of the main arguments. Arguments SUPPORTING same sex marriage Argument...

GAY MARRIAGE: 9 REASONS WHY CHRISTIANS VOICE SUPPORT? Why? The why question is problematic because Christians give different answers. I’ll not wax too philosophical here. But I think it important to keep in mind that Christians have different beliefs about a lot of things. Here’s a few common answers to the why question. Bible Answers 1. Godly love supports diverse marriage arrangements . The foundation for Christian morality can be found in Jesus’ summary of the law requiring followers to love God and love one’s neighbor. Since the Bible does not condemn loving relationships between same-sex persons, there is no reason to assume any of the small set of oft quoted Bible verses prohibits same-sex marriage. The Genesis verses describe a God blessed union but do not address marriage. Polygamy has a long and accepted position for the people of God. The Hebrew households included many wives and concubines who bore children for the tribal...

GAY MARRIAGE WHY ARE MOST CHRISTIANS SO OPPOSED? Why? The why question is complex because Christians give different answers. I’ll not wax too philosophical here. But I think it important to keep in mind that Christians have different beliefs about a lot of things. Here’s a few common answers to the why question. Bible Answers 1. Genesis marriage answer . Most Christians refer to the creation narratives in the Hebrew Bible. Genesis describes God’s creation of the first couple—Adam and Eve—a male and a female. And Christians point out the blessing on sex to fill the earth—some think the purpose of sex is to have children. And they point out the importance of a male and female to reproduction. ( Example: Catholic teaching on marriage .) Christians also point out there are no scriptures affirming same-sex relationships or marriages. 2. S inful sex answer . Same-sex activity is explicitly banned in the Bible. Most don’t think about same-sex couples li...