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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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