Christian Seminary Students' Attitudes Toward Psychology: Effects of an Introductory Course on the Integration of Psychology and Theology

Historic tensions exist between psychologists and Christian theologians, yet some rapprochement has occurred in recent years. Increasing efforts have been made to integrate psychology and Christian theology, including the addition of new doctoral programs in psychology and counseling at Christian universities and seminaries. Many seminaries now offer counseling and psychology courses as well as degree programs that are built largely on psychological theory. Seminary students desiring to become pastors often are required to take at least an introductory course in counseling that has an integrative focus. Much of the curriculum in these courses is designed by professional counselors or psychologists and is intended to encourage integrative thinking on the part of those entering into ministry roles.;The purpose of the present study was to examine the effectiveness of an introductory counseling course in altering students' attitudes about psychology and particularly the integration of psychology and Christianity. Pre- and post-tests were administered to 45 students in an introductory counseling class and 9 students in an unrelated theology class. Attitudes did not change over time for those in the counseling and theology classes; however, a main effect was observed between groups, F(1, 52) = 10.2, p < .005. Religious coping and religious commitment did not change over time for either group, and attitudes about integration did not change. However, a between-groups difference was noted in students' willingness to engage in a collaborative relationship between a psychologist and a Christian minister, F(1, 50) = 6.6, p < .05. A profile analysis of learning factors contributing to positive attitude change indicated that the example of the professor was most influential.