Page 7 - EMCAPP-Journal No. 1

We are moving together

Comment to

“We are moving together”
Nicolene Joubert

I underscore the message of “moving together” as an ex- reliability and validity. Thus when research is conducted
pression of our willingness to come alongside each other focussing on the subjective experience of faith the same
and move together as brothers and sisters in Christ. Christ process is followed.
is the cornerstone of this movement and He emphasised
on numerous occasions that His disciples should love one Lastly I would like to highlight that the spirit of love and
another and move in unity. The love and unity amongst unity stemming from our relationship with Christ and
us will convince the world that He has sent us. according to His prayer for his disciples, is the driving
force of this movement. Acting in the spirit of John 17
However, I miss a deeper explanation of the understanding would enable us to glorify God and build His Kingdom.
of “Worldview” and I would like it to add some thoughts, John 17:21-23:
according to Koltko-Riviera (2004).
“That they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me,
The worldview concept includes a philosophy of life, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world
hypotheses about the world, value orientations and un- may believe that you have sent me.The glory that you have
conscious systems of meaning (Koltko-Riviera, 2004). given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as
A worldview is an overall perspective that is applied in we are one, I in them, and you in me, that they may become
a description and interpretation of the universe and life perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me
within it. According to Koltko-Riviera (2004) a world and loved them even as you loved me.”
view includes assumptions that may be unproven and
even unprovable. These assumptions are super-ordinate,
which means that they provide the epistemological and Reference
ontological foundation for other beliefs within a belief Koltko-Riviera, M.E. (2004): The psychology of Worldviews.
system. Observations and mystical contemplations form Review of General Psychology, 8 (1).
part of a worldview. Despite the existence of various theo-
logical streams in the Christian faith tradition a Christian
world view rooted in the Bible can be delineated.

A Biblical worldview focuses on God and His relations to
humans and the world. This would imply that assump-
tions about God and His relations to humans provide the
epistemological and ontological foundations for Christi-
an psychological theories. These assumptions might be
based on mystical contemplations or appropriate histori-
cal sources. The core issues underpinning all theories are
ontological, anthropological - and epistemological issues.
All secular psychological theories are based on assump-
tions pertaining to ontological, anthropological and epi-
stemological ideas.

It is also important for a Christian Psychology to do re-
search and to formulate a scientific basis for Christian Psy-
chology. Nicolene Joubert, South Africa,
psychologist, Founder and head of
The scientific basis for Christian Psychology is the same the Institute of Christian Psychology
as for secular psychology that has adopted the requi- (ICP) near by Johannesburg,
rements of the scientific method. These requirements Counselling Psychologist in private
include observation, defining a problem, formulating practice, Ph.D. in Psychology
hypotheses, gathering evidence, interpreting evidence, from Northwest University ZA.
publishing results and theory building. The research me- Specialized in trauma therapy and
thods associated with psychology includes naturalistic the development of dissociative
observation, correlational research, experimental me- identity disorder. Prof Joubert is
thod, clinical method and surveys. Christian psychologi- the founder and chairperson of the
cal research studies apply the same methods and adhere South African Society for the Study
to the requirements of psychological measurement of of Trauma and Dissociation.

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