Page 119 - EMCAPP-Journal No. 5

The Society for Christian Psychology

What I Hope from the Society for Christian Psychology
Andrew J. Schmutzer

More than ever, I value integrative work. We live in a time where
knowledge is not merely collected; it is “layered.” The global village
poses its own challenges as well. Today we are called to communicate
amid increasing context collapse. Gone is the binary of private versus
public or my discipline versus your discipline. The better conclusi-
ons reverberate among credible options. To a large degree, ambiguity
is the new normal. Integrative work will require renewed listening,
methodological flexibility, and a fresh ecumenical spirit. I believe the
need for quality integration has never been greater, but integration
that is also collaborative sets a new benchmark.
Andrew J. Schmutzer,
When the Society for Christian Psychology intentionally seeks a dia- Ph.D., was born in
logue among various professions within a Christian worldview, I’m Durban, South Africa
excited about the new ground that can be broken. Going forward, (1966) and raised as a
there are several achievements I would like see from the Society for son of missionaries in
Christian Psychology. By definition, these issues are multi-factorial, Zululand and Swazi-
and so require inter-disciplinary collaboration to understand and ap- land.
ply their contributions. Let me describe a few. He is a Professor of

• A deeper understanding of Complex Trauma. What fresh insights Biblical Studies at
could emerge if theology, sociology, and psychology collaborated Moody Bible Institu-
more intentionally? What is unique about human-induced trau- te (Chicago, IL USA),
ma? where he has been tea-
• Reconnecting “rights” to ethics. Self-interest is now unhinged ching since 1998.
from other-oriented ethics. What could a humanitarian address His writing interests
of PTSD look like with a more robust anthropology and sociolo- include Old Testa-
gy? ment theology, the
• A richer understanding of forgiveness. What new insights could suffering of God, and
emerge with greater inter-disciplinary collaboration? How can lament. Part of his
more holistic definitions and ecclesiastical teaching of forgiveness speaking and writing
be achieved? How can neurobiology, psychology, and theology is involved with sexual
take this study to a new level? What could spiritual formation, abuse.
church rituals, and practices of restitution contribute to the he-
aling of sexual abuse, for example? Andrew J. Schmutzer edi-
• Exploration of spiritual abuse. This is a growing concern within ted and contributed to
populist faith. The need for collaborative work (sociologically, The Long Journey Home:
Understanding and Minis-
psychologically, spiritually) is obvious. tering to the Sexually Ab-
• A more holistic understanding of faith and trauma. In an increa- used (Wipf & Stock, 2011).
singly violent world, how can the intersection of faith and trauma Over 25 professionals con-
be explored collaboratively? tributed to its three key
areas: Psychology, Theo-
These are some of the issues that I see that are in serious need of logy, and Pastoral Care.
collaborative investigation. These issues are bigger than any single These twenty three essays
discipline. While I write as theologian, I also sit at the table of dis- are designed to equip pro-
course eager to listen, contribute, and learn. I would like to be part of fessionals and students to
work with the abused in a
a generous dialogue among other disciplines and faith expressions. more holistic manner, in a
I hope the Society for Christian Psychology can help facilitate such very complex issue.
integrative projects, papers, conferences, and blogs. This is what I’d
like to see.

119