Community members, friends, and guests attended the Spring Colloquy along with Carroll’s Ph.D. students, faculty and staff.
Carroll welcomed Dr. Eric Johnson, leading Christian psychology professor and author of God and Soul Care, a groundbreaking achievement in the synthesis of theology and psychology. According to Johnson, Christianity at its heart is a therapeutic faith – a theocentric form of soul care. God’s therapeutic agenda begins in the perfect triune communion of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, who created human beings to flourish by participating in his glory.
“The Spring Colloquy was a wonderful time of fellowship, learning, and listening to each other,” PhD Program Director Dr. Karen Bullock said. “The doctoral students are such a close group, and they enjoy being together. Our speaker this year challenged all of us, as we focus upon how to do our work as academicians from our Christian worldview. The Psychology and Counseling students, and our many guests in that field were grateful for the special emphasis and blended model he presented for counseling ministry. Those who were not in that field of study equally benefited to hear how this field interacts with those of other disciples. This is what a colloquy is supposed to accomplish.”
Dr. Bullock added, “I am grateful to Dr. Eric Johnson for his careful approach and respect for God’s Word. It was a time of refreshment for all of us.”
Dr. Johnson’s model of caring for souls is appropriate for multiple disciplines, where everything we do in ministry can be cradled in a biblical theological framework. Dr. Johnson shared that because human beings are now alienated from God and subject to different forms of psychopathology–sin, suffering, and biopsychosocial damage. So God intervened in Jesus Christ to manifest even greater glory. Jesus has overcome the soul-disordering consequences of sin and now is bringing about a new creation by the Holy Spirit and faith.
Carroll’s PhD students agreed Dr. Johnson’s presentation was powerful and insightful towards helping them prepare for ministry and better understand perspectives on human psychology. They heard first-hand from him how the church as the body of Christ is where God’s therapy is put into action– where people can learn to flourish in communion with God and each other as God originally intended.
“Dr. Johnson has a deep, biblically-based understanding of the human personality,” PhD student James Wunderle said. “I had previously read several of his works including God and Soul Care. However, his presentation at the recent colloquy gave me further insight into psychopathology, as well as increased preparation for ministry.”
“Dr. Johnson’s presentations regarding the importance of soul care from a distinctly Christian psychology perspective was timely,” PhD in Counseling student Lydia Brown said. “His scholarship in this area is helping to define the “convergence of therapeutic goals” of sound biblical theology and models of psychotherapy. As a counselor, and student, it has encouraged me to continue learning so the practice of counseling can increasingly lead to healing the soul.”
Dr. Scott Floyd, director of the Master of Arts in Counseling program, said he appreciated very much that Dr. Eric Johnson helped the colloquy participants become aware of what Christian Psychology is all about, and for sharing his perspective on psychology that is both biblically rooted and clinically informed
“Dr. Johnson has a genuine spirit and desire to help people in the body of Christ,” Dr. Floyd said. “His perspective is compatible with what we have here at B.H. Carroll to develop Christian Counselors within a strong theological and biblical framework.”
Learn how you can help Carroll effectively train tomorrow’s ministry leaders, like James and Lydia, by donating to provide scholarships for doctoral students as well as for domestic master’s level students and Carroll’s global students in Cuba, Russia, China and Vietnam.