Forum 1: Discussion Board Questions and Feedback
Topic: Respond to the following:
As we consider the broad topic of integration of science (psychology, in our case) and theology,
consider this conversation that a student had with his pastor:
Pastor: I know you are studying counseling at Liberty University. As you know, I received
training in theology, and I well remember Jay Adams’ famous statement: “Psychology is just
sinful human beings sinfully thinking about sinful human beings." I am deeply concerned about
the wisdom of pursuing this degree at Liberty. Personally, I think psychology is secular “mumbo
jumbo."
The Pastor continues: In my opinion, all psychological problems are simply problems of faith,
and should be addressed through prayer, repentance, and seeking counsel from the Holy Spirit.
After all, you, as a sinner, cannot be expected to help other sinful people--can you? Can
psychology really be integrated with theology? What’s your opinion?"
How would you respond to your pastor? In your dialogue with your pastor (“Pastor, thanks for
allowing me to answer your concerns. Personally, I agree/disagree. . . “) include the following:
1. Explain why you agree or disagree with Adams’ quote, based on your understanding of the
course materials. Adequately justify your position considering both Adams’ presuppositions and
implications for Christian counseling. How does your own worldview largely determine your
answer? What does the quote say about sources of knowledge, per Entwistle’s discussion? Your
answer will indicate which of the models of integration you support.
2. Review the reasons supporting the integration of psychology and theology. Based on your
thoughtful analysis, what is the one best argument for attempting to integrate the two disciplines?
Make sure to justify and support your answer. Where appropriate, use in-text citations to support
your assertions. Feel free to actually create a dialogue with your pastor, or provide your answer
in a narrative. For all your discussion board work for this module/week, make sure you draw
upon the textbook and presentations to support your arguments. Use citations to "back up" your
statements.
In your replies, challenge your classmates on the clarity and logic of their answers to the pastor.
Submit your thread by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on Thursday and your replies by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on
Sunday.
GROUP DISCUSSION BOARD RUBRIC (FORUM 1)
Augmented by. Dr. Brian Campbell
Points
Earned
Criteria
☐ Good effort!
☐ Very good post!
☐ More effort needed
☐ Excellent post!
☐ Good insights
Thread Content & Organization (25 Points)
A
100(25) 96(24)
B
92(23) 88(22) 84(21)
C
80(20) 76(19)
Comments
D
72(18) 68(17)
64(16) 60(15) 56(14) 52(13) 48(12) 44(11) 40(10) 36(9) 32(8) 28(7) 24(6) 20(5)
☐ All, or most key components of the DB question are addressed
in the thread. ☐ Some components missing or need more attention.
Post should include the following key
components:
☐ Overall, the thread has a clear, logical flow. ☐ More work
needed on organizing your thread and the logical flow of ideas.
☐ 1. Why you agree or disagree with
Adams’ quote? ☐ Missing/Insufficient
☐ Major points are supported by good examples (pertinent
personal or conceptual examples are acceptable) or thoughtful
analysis (considering assumptions, analyzing implications,
presenting clear rationales). ☐ More work needed is this area.
☐ 2. How does your worldview
influence your answer? ☐
Missing/Insufficient
☐ The thread contains a Christian worldview. ☐ Lacks sufficient
Christian worldview.
☐ See “Core Concepts” below to review the best arguments for
integration that were discussed by Entwistle.

Based on Entwistle’s textbook, the one best argument for
integration is: “All Truth is God’s Truth.” See “Core
Concepts” below for additional arguments for integration.
0
☐ 3. What does your response say
about sources of knowledge, per
Entwistle’s discussion? ☐ Missing, or
Insufficient
☐ 4. What is the one best argument for
the integration of psychology and
theology?
☐ Missing/Insufficient ☐ See
“Core Concepts” below.
5. ☐ APA Citations & References
utilized & formatted correctly. ☐
Problems with formatting.
☐ Thoughtful and insightful.
☐ Expands on other students’ ideas.
☐ Lacks appropriate citations and
references
Replies (15 Points)
☐ Focuses on a meaningful point made in another student’s thread.
☐ Lacks clear focus on points made by other student.
☐ Provides substantive additional thoughts regarding the student’s
thread. ☐ More work needed on substantive additional thoughts.
☐ Student explains why s/he likes or dislikes the idea.
☐ Explanation of “why” is missing or inadequate.
☐ Contains a logical, clear flow. ☐ More work needed.
A
100(15) 93(14)
B
87(13)
C
80(12)
D
73(11)
0
F
67(10) 60(9) 53(8) 47(7) 40(6) 33(5)
☐ Thread and/or replies not submitted
by deadline
Logistics of DB (5 Points)
☐ At least three posts (one thread and two replies). ☐ No
☐ Word count is sufficient (250–400 for thread; 100–200 for each
reply). ☐ Not always sufficient length.
☐ Thread and replies are submitted by the deadline. ☐ Late posts.
☐ Appropriate “netiquette” manners are evident. ☐ Problem.
☐ No response to professor’s question
☐ Your replies challenge the logic of
your fellow students’ responses to the
Pastor. ☐ Not present, and/or
sufficient.
0
Readability and APA Style (5 Points)
☐ Please study Meet the Paragraph for
help on writing paragraphs.
☐Spelling and grammar are generally correct. ☐ Needs more
work
☐ Sentences are complete, clear, and concise. ☐ More work
needed.
☐ Paragraph s contain only one main topic. ☐ Not always.
☐ Citations and references are in APA format. ☐ Errors
Areas of concern: (CTRL-Left Click for help)
☐ Apostrophes
☐ Antecedent-Pronoun Agreement Tutorial
☐ Commas
☐ Sentence Fragments
☐ Semicolons
☐ Spelling Errors.
☐ Subject-Verb Agreement
☐ Syntax
☐ Quotation Marks and Punctuation
☐ It was difficult at times to follow the
points you were making because of
errors in writing mechanics.
0
☐ Go over, “How to Be Successful on
Discussion Board Posts.”
☐ Please utilize the Final Checklist for
Group Discussion Board Posts
☐ Please contact the graduate Online
Writing Center for help with writing.
Also, utilize Tutor.com. ; this service
(available to LU students) is open 24
hours, 7 days a week.
Total:
0
Points(Percent)
Points(Percent)
50(100) 49(98) 48(96) 47(94) 46(92)
A = 92-100
33(66) 32(64) 31(62) 30(60)
45(90) 44(88) 43(86) 42(84)
B = 84-92
29(58) 28(56) 27(54) 26(52)
41 (82) 40(80) 39(78) 38(76)
C = 76-82
25(50) 24(48) 23(46) 22(44)
37 (74) 36(72) 35(70) 34(68)
D = 68 -74
21(42) 20(40) 19(38) 18(36)
17(34) 16(32) 15(30) 14(28)
13(26) 12(24) 11(22) 10(20)
Core Concepts in Entwistle’s Textbook
Dr. Brian Campbell
☐ Truth: All truth is God’s truth.
☐ Both Seek Truth: Science/psychology & theologian both seek truth.
☐ Sources of Truth: Science/psychology studies  physical world/nature.
☐ Sources of Truth: Theology studies  Bible (and is inspired by the Holy Spirit).
☐ Two Books to Study: Francis Bacon, four hundred years ago…God has given us two
books to study—His Word, and His Works.
☐ Hostility: Historically, religion/church has at times been hostile to science/psychology.
☐ Hostility: Science/psychology has belittled theology as being less “intellectual.”
☐ Enemies and Allies: Historically, science (reason) and religion (faith/belief) have been
both enemies and allies.
☐ Equal Validity: Both sources of truth (“Books of Truth”) are valid and reflect/come
from God.
☐ Equal Validity: God can be seen in the “genome or the cathedral.”
F – Below 68
☐ Methods: Science/psychology seeks truth through scientific/experimental method.
☐ Methods: Theology seeks truth through Hermeneutics (the systematic study of the Bible).
☐ General Influence: “Worldviews” (set of assumptions), influence our search for the
truth and our efforts at integration.
☐ Personal Influence: Our own “Worldview” influences our search for truth and
willingness to consider integration. Important for people to examine presuppositions.
☐ Potential Bias: Our search for truth is biased/influenced/filtered, by how we view the
world (our presuppositions).
☐ Secular World View: Belief that science is the only source of truth.
☐ Naturalist: Believes that nothing other than the material world exists. Two propositions:
1) There is no God; 2) Matter is all that there is.
☐ Supernaturalist: Believes material world exists, but it came into existence because God
created it. The material world does not exist on its own.
☐ Metaphysical Questions: Considerations of the nature and existence of God, the
relationship of God to His creation, and the nature of ethics and aesthetics. These
considerations have implications for integration.
☐ Determinism: Science believes that everything is determined.
☐ Free Will: Christianity, believes that man has free will, and thinking/behavior are not
strictly determined—not explicable by nature alone (Lewis).
☐ Theocentric Worldview: God is the central aspect of our existence.
☐ Main Premise for Integration: Science is descriptive, not prescriptive.
☐ Metaphysical Underpinnings: Scientific understandings and Christian understandings
are compatible (Entwistle, 2013, p. 110).
☐ Five Models of Integration: Enemies; Spies; Colonists; Neutral Parties; & Allies.
☐ 1. Enemies: Like Tertullian, some believe that faith and reason cannot be in agreement.
☐ 2. Spies: People with a psychology background/training, who do not believe in God, but
see some Christian concepts (like forgiveness) as useful or potentially effective for
helping psychological problems.
☐ 3. Colonialists: “Religious spies in the psychological world” (p. 187). They plunder
psychology and remove what may be of use to “religiously committed” people. Try to
align psychological findings to a Christian worldview.
☐ 4. Neutral Parties: Encourages the contribution of both disciplines. However, keeps the
two disciplines distinct—separated. “Parallel” models (Carter and Narramore).
☐ Psychological Neutrality: People committed to psychology, who hold religious beliefs,
but not necessarily Christian beliefs.
☐ Christian Neutrality: People who are committed to psychology, but simultaneously
hold Christian Beliefs. They do not rule out overlap of the two disciplines.
☐ 5. Allies: See Christianity and Psychology as two complimentary methods of
discovering truth.