Geoffrey W. Sutton PhD, Psychology and Culture

Why Do American Christians Ham it up on Easter? I never had ham on Easter until I was a guest at American homes. As an English immigrant, my parents kept up the tradition of roast lamb, potatoes, veggies and mint sauce. Hot cross buns are traditional but those in the U.S. have a different texture-- I don’t know enough about baking to say more. Hershey’s chocolate eggs were pretty good but not quite the same as Cadbury’s . Fortunately, I’m not too discriminating when it comes to milk chocolate ( BBC link ). But the ham- why ham? It seems so in-your-face wrong. Obviously Jesus was a Jew as were his disciples. Surely they ate lamb at the Last Supper. And celebrating Jesus resurrection with a lamb just seems right. By eating ham, Christians might make it clear that Jews and Muslims aren’t welcome to this Christian meal. If you search the web for Easter foods, you’ll find lots of references to that blend of pagan “Easter” traditions celebrating an old Anglo-Sax...

Hope Shines a Light Hope Wins Have you ever look forward to an event and found it to be even better than expected? Hope is about expectations. High levels of hope represent a combination of plans and motivation directed at reaching a goal. A group of us are looking at the effectiveness of Christian counseling from the perspective of people who have recently attended counseling sessions. As we continue to collect data, one finding stands out­­—those with high levels of hope appear healthier on a variety of measures. What is hope? Hope is a positive motivational action schema. The two components of hope work in tandem to help people achieve goals. According to hope theory developed by C.R. Snyder and his colleagues at the University of Kansas, hope consists of two components: agency and pathways. Pathways are the routes or ways people develop to achieve their goals. For example, a person may enroll in college to obtain a degree on the path to a career in c...

Clinical Psychology and Theology in Mark This is part two of reflections on psychology and the gospel of Mark. I am focused on stories in Mark chapter 3. See my previous post for a social psychology perspective on group formation in Mark 3. Paralyzed hand 3: 1-6 The healing of the man with the paralyzed hand or arm (depends on translation of cheira ) evokes biblical and psychological imagery. Hands and arms are of course critical to work and personal care. Humans who appear different have often been discriminated against and considered as less than whole or normal. People with disabilities have often borne the brunt of callous humor. And in the time of Jesus, many would wonder if the man’s sin was the reason for his impairment. For not so subtle reasons, hands have been linked to potency or in the case of the withered hand, impotency (Derrett, 1984). So the sexual insult is added to other aspects of being a social outcast. Jesus’ com...

Social Psychology and Theology in Mark 3 I am writing this blog as a reflection on concepts drawn from two major fields of psychology that strike me in my study of Mark 3. In this post I look at social psychology concepts related to group leadership and formation. In the next post I will look at lessons from the perspective of Clinical Psychology. Group Identity Mark opens his gospel with a statement about the identity of Jesus as the anointed one and Son of God (1:1). Who is Jesus? That’s a question offered as guidance on one theme to guide people studying Mark’s gospel (e.g., Martindale ). My focus on group identity comes from a consideration that Mark is writing to people after Jesus has left his earthy ministry. In short, Jesus as leader is no longer visible to his followers. I suggest at least one of Mark’s aims is to identify who Christians are, but perhaps more importantly, who they are not. In this chapter he also identifi...

Why is a Christian Professor on Trial? Elizabeth Dias of TIME magazine ( 2016 ) reviewed facts and opinions in a pending trial of Wheaton College professor, Larycia Hawkins. Following the shootings in San Bernardino, Hawkins wrote, “I stand in religious solidarity with Muslims because they, like me, a Christian, are people of the book.” She also observed, “And as Pope Francis stated last week, we worship the same God.” As Dias notes, faculty have expressed different opinions. Dias includes comments pointing to differences among evangelicals in matters of theology. And Dias finds that some faculty support Hawkins. Not surprisingly, there is evidence of fear. At the end of the article we learn that Dias studied theology at Wheaton College. A careful look at the issues from insider, professor Noah Toly, can be found in his January 8, 2016 post . At length, Toly explains his reticence in making a public response and appears to re-assure his administration that his di...

Reflecting on the good things people have done reminds us that some people really do good things to help people they do not know. An act of kindness can be a significant investment in the lives of others. My story is about Rev. Fred Packer, of Vineland, NJ who met us at the dock in New York City, drove us down the NJ Turnpike, and welcomed us into his home for a few weeks until my dad found a job. After a few pay checks we were able to afford a small rental house. And dad bought his first car an 8-year old 1949 Plymouth with a dangling cloth roof. It wasn't just the pastor who helped us but he set the example. People in the church brought important stuff-- a cot for me, a stuffed chair, a green AM Motorola radio. And a man at dad's new job gave him a ride to work until dad could afford to borrow funds for a used car. Things got much better as the years went by. But you don't forget those people that gave you a fresh start. Americans who didn't know us b...

The American St. Nick The Men Who Restored Christmas A great Christmas story combines warmth, kindness, generosity, traditions, and a memorable event—especially one that brings hope against the backdrop of an evil empire. A true story describing how a few soldiers from the 28th Infantry Division restored Christmas for the children of Wiltz, Luxembourg ranks with the best. In late 1944, the allies had the German soldiers on the run. By December, some men were sent to Wiltz, Luxembourg for a much needed break. The townsfolk were grateful for the liberation from five years of Nazi rule including the ban on their Christmas tradition. This year they planned to restore the celebration of Saint Nicolas (Klees’chen) on 6 December but they were at a loss for gifts and treats. Jewish Corporal Harry Stutz meets with the local priest, Father Wolffe, and other town leaders to see what could be done. He then plans a party with help from fellow soldiers who cook...