Page 2 - EMCAPP-Journal No. 6
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Editorial
             Editorial

             For many years, I was a fan of the Finn Tamminen. Here I do not mean the
             famous ice hockey player Juhani Tamminen (*1950), but the theologian
             Kalevi Tamminen (*1928), the author of “Religious experiences of child-
             ren and young people” (English 1983, German 1993).  The former was
             received into the Finnish Hockey Hall of Fame in 1991, the latter, because
             of his surveys of children and young people, was considered to offer an
             alternative to James Fowler’s theory of the development of faith.

             Ice hockey, yes, that was the Finland of my childhood. Today, I am ama-
             zed in so many ways at this great little country. When I came to Finland
             for the first time in 2005 as a speaker at the Finnish ACC conference, the
             amount of interest in the relationship between psychology and Christian          ... the amount
             faith, to an extent I had never previously encountered in Europe, surprised   of interest in the
             me. The friendly reception, accorded to me on later visits as well, remains   relationship between
             unforgettable.                                                                 psychology and
             The diversity of the contributions to this edition of the e-Journal Christian   Christian faith,
             Psychology Around The World also surprises me, for, with a population of     to an extent I had
             5.4 million (as a comparison: Berlin 3.4 million, New York 18.9 million)      never previously
             and a small selection of universities at which one can study psychology,          encountered
             the resources are hardly comparable with e.g. the Focus Country in the last          in Europe
             issue, the USA.
             My thanks go to Saara Kinnunen, who, as co-editor, coordinated the Fin-
             nish contribution to this issue, and to the management committee of ACC      ... Christians who
             Finland, who welcomed this issue and supported it.                               seek a ‘middle
             Eric Johnson (USA), in the foundational article of this issue, speaks “of                way’...
             Christians who seek a ‘middle way’, in which they learn from and prac-
             tice critical engagement with modern psychology and want to develop di-
             stinctly Christian versions of psychology within the Christian community,   Christian worldview
             university, and local church, but are also willing to work within the secular   should be taken
             rules of discourse and practice that are currently mandated within the pu-     seriously as part
             blic square”.                                                              of one’s professional
             This is precisely the desire one can detect in the authors in this issue.              identity
             Together with Saara, I join in wishing our readers that the Christian world-
             view should be taken seriously as part of one’s professional identity.


             Werner May, Germany, werner.may@ignis.de


                                             This edition is accompanied by
                                             the artwork of Ritva Kosonen.
                                             “Writing  has always been diffi-
                                             cult for me. When I was studying
                                             therapeutic counselling I was al-
                                             lowed to substitute some of the
                                             written assignments for pictures
                                             and for doing different kinds of
                                             altars as well as installations for
                                             silent prayer. These works func-
                                             tioned as tools also in my own
                                             healing  process.  I was encou-
                                             raged to walk my own path.“


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