Page 2 - EMCAPP-Journal No. 2

Editorial

Editorial

Well-Timed

“Well-timed”: I found this feedback was one of the most remarkable among the
numerous e-mails which I received from around the world in response to the first Christian Psychology
number of our Journal. around
Now I do not know, of course, what motivated the sender to write this, but I share the world
the view that the time is ripe and right for this periodical.

Why?
I believe this Journal meets three concerns of our time:
1. The spiritualisation of psychology is no longer in any way of interest to Chris-
tians alone or confined to Christian topics. In German specialist psychology pu-
blications, it is possible at any time to profess adherence to Buddhist psychology
without being subjected to a contra from the experts. The idea of a psychology with
a neutral worldview is now only held, at most, by colleagues in empirical research.
A Christian psychology should be taken at least as seriously as other approaches
from eastern philosophy or humanist tradition.
2. Thinking globally, not just for one’s own advantage, but out of interest in the
international dialogue, interest in the synergies which result from this, the aim of
overcoming personal limitations: this gives a strength from which one can hope
that we will not fail in facing the global challenges. Perceiving foreign cultures as Taking each other seriously
enrichment and not as a threat: the time is ripe for that. Certainly, our Journal gives
only a small impulse in this direction, but even a sign is valuable.
3. Friendship across borders can succeed because we, as Christians, have more that
connects us than separates us: the roots of our faith in the Gospel of Jesus Christ
and a life in the presence of the Holy Spirit and of the biblical revelation. Daring From narrowness to openness
to make this interconnection among the different Christian denominations comes
at the right time to prevent our becoming enclosed in our own limitations and
in our own narrowness. We are very happy to welcome Christians from different
traditions: Orthodox, Catholic, Protestant, Pentecostal, Anglican,… brothers and
sisters. It is no longer what separates us that challenges and stimulates us, but the
differences as enrichments, because one can perceive a shared concern of the heart: Widening one‘s horizon
allowing God to be God, giving him the glory also in understanding and caring for invigorates
human life and behaviour, in other words: in psychology.
The focus country of this edition is Germany: in particular, it will give an insight
into work at the IGNIS Insitute for Christian Psychology.
As our artist we present this time a dance theatre specialist who traces, in a dance
project, how our culture is marked by shadows of the past.

I wish much enjoyment in leafing through and reading.

Yours,
Werner May
Germany, www.emcapp.eu

She is one of the few artists in Germany to work with
Christian themes in genre dance theatre:
Iris Mirjam Behnke from Munich.
The Artist Through her works, she wishes the audience to be

brought into contact with God’s presence and to dare
engaging honestly with the sides of life we rather
deny. Her most recent choreography, “Was zum Le-
ben übrig bleibt” [“...what remains for life...”] the-
matises the shadows cast on our society by wars of
„marian songs“ / „mariengesänge“ Iris Mirjam Behnke, www.mirjams-tanz.de Fotos: Paul Yates© the past.

2