Psychology & Faith

David’s contribution to dialogue between psychology and religion reflects his perspective as a psychological scientist and as a person of faith. He has danced on the science-faith boundary by:

• explaining to people of faith the value and insights of psychological science
• documenting for social scientists some interesting links between faith and personal and social well-being
• comparing big ideas about human nature found in both psychological research and biblical and theological literatures.

For an overview, see Psychology Through the Eyes of Faith, revised edition (HarperSanFrancisco, 2002, co-authored by British cognitive neuroscientist Malcolm Jeeves). This paperback offers 32 short essays that offer introductory level faith-informed reflections on all the major areas of psychological science.

For a much briefer overview, see David’s 2005 essay in the APS Observer or 2006 interview in Science & Spirit.

David’s little book, A Friendly Letter to Skeptics and Atheists, Musings on Why God is Good, and Faith Isn’t Evil, published by Jossey-Bass/Wiley, responds to the “new atheist” books with science-and-faith-supportive reflections on religion and the good life.

See David’s predictions and reflections on prayer experiments and on sexual orientation and same-sex marriage.

See some intriguing religious engagement paradox data (PDF) (a supplement to David’s “Reflections on ‘Religion and Prosociality,’” Psychological Bulletin, September, 2012).

For more information, there are

• other books on psychology and faith
• book chapters on psychology and faith
• journal articles on psychology and faith
• magazine articles on psychology and faith
• a 9.5 minute video interview that explores David’s perspective on psychological science and faith.
• David’s 2011 Gregory Lecture, University of St. Andrews (Scotland), on “Psychological Science Meets the World of Faith,” with links to slides, audio, and video (very large file).