Page 63 - EMCAPP-Journal No. 15

We would, of course, expect that earlier attach- worldview community (unless of course they
ment experiences would generally impact the want to contribute to contemporary psycholo-
quality of communion with God and his agape gy, in its current form, in which case they will
love that humans are capable of participating in have to do so, but hopefully they will do so in-
and manifesting themselves as personal agents. tentionally, rather than unwittingly).
Indeed, such considerations have led to the va-
luable distinction between God-image (one’s As a result, Christian psychologists understand
feelings and attitudes about God, likely based that the personal, interpersonal, and transcen-
on earlier relational experiences, especially dent dynamics of communion and agape love
one’s early attachment style) and God-concept with humans and with God cannot be com-
(one’s cognitive beliefs about God, which are pletely determined by naturalistic causal influ-
often associated with the religious teachings ences, like one’s early attachment history, becau-
one identifies with) (see Moriarty & Hoffman, se human agents are themselves personal causal
2007). This distinction helps us to explain the agents, according to a Christian scientific para-
common finding of believers with troubled at- digm, as well as the recipients of the grace of the
tachment histories who report that they know divine causal agents of the Trinity for whatever
intellectually that God is loving (their God-con- good they experience and do (Ja 1:17). We are
cept), but they don’t feel that love yet in their referring here, of course, to ethical and spiri-
hearts (their God-image). tual psychological dynamics (Johnson, 2007a),
which require a human science perspective and
One of the most encouraging findings in the human sciences methods to be perceived and
attachment literature has been evidence of “ear- factored into scientific accounts, since the uni-
ned secure attachment” (Hesse, 2016), which que ethicospiritual features of communion and
refers to adults who appear to have a securely agape love transcend what can be described and
attached relational style in the present, in spite explained by natural science methods. Moreo-
of evidence of having had insecure attachment ver, without minimizing the significant ethical
in childhood. Research thus far suggests that value of caregiving, the quality of the relatio-
this apparent change in attachment status is li- nality of reciprocal communion and agape love
kely due to the healing of one’s internal working considerably exceeds that of the attachment
model on account of having significant repa- bond, in terms of their mutuality (interperso-
rative attachment experiences, perhaps with a nal symmetry), in the case of communion, and
spouse or a therapist. It seems likely that God their complexity, overall ethical value, and glo-
could also be a source of such healing. ry for both communion and agape love.

Granqvist (2020) summarizes research that in- But attachment is not unique. Most of the theo-
deed has found evidence of earned secure at- ry and research of modern psychology war-
tachment with God. However, such an outcome rants a similar kind of Christian-worldview
is far from universal, and he suggests that mul- reconstruction (Halder, 2011), if Christians are
tiple factors are likely involved. Natural science to utilize it in ways consistent with a Christian
methods, of course, are not capable of iden- understanding of psychology, as well as aug-
tifying God, to say nothing of relational dyna- ment it, where Christianity has richer and more
mics with uniquely human characteristics, like comprehensive psychological resources. And,
communion and agape. Conventional attach- of course, Christians also need to do original
ment-to-God researchers like Granqvist, there- research on their own unique psychological
fore, do not refer to the involvement of God in constructs. But that discussion will have to be
human experience in their scientific discourse. saved for another day.
When working on a Christian psychology, ho-
wever, Christians need not be constrained by
any assumptions other than those of their own

60