FREE PUBLIC EVENT: TWU Science, Faith, and Human Flourishing, TWU Psychology Department, TWU MA Counselling Psychology, ACTS Marriage and Family Counselling, and the CSCA present a lecture by Mark McMinn (Professor of Psychology, George Fox University).
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The Science of Virtue: Why Positive Psychology Matters to the Church
Virtues that Christians have considered for centuries are now being explored in social science laboratories all over the world. The contemporary science of virtue, also known as positive psychology, opens new possibilities for the church, psychology, and pastoral counseling. The problem is that we aren’t talking much to one another. The science isn’t showing up in most churches and faith isn’t showing up in most laboratories. Dialogue between psychology and theology can build bridges that help both the church and the science. To illustrate this, we will consider topics such as forgiveness, wisdom, gratitude, and humility. The Science of Virtue: Why Positive Psychology Matters to the Church (Brazos, 2017) was recently named the 2018 book award winner by the Martin Institute and Dallas Willard Center of Westmont College. The book also received an Award of Merit in the 2018 Christianity Today book awards.
Mark McMinn received his undergraduate degree from Lewis and Clark College and a PhD in clinical psychology from Vanderbilt University. He taught at George Fox from 1984 to 1993 before joining the PsyD faculty at Wheaton College for 13 years. While at Wheaton, Mark established and directed the Center for Church-Psychology Collaboration. He returned to George Fox in 2006 and now serves as Professor of Psychology and Director of Faith Integration in the Graduate Department of Clinical Psychology. His enduring interest throughout his career has been finding creative ways for the church and psychology to partner together in meaningful and helpful ways.
Dr. McMinn is a licensed psychologist in Oregon, a fellow and former president of APA’s Division 36, Society for the Psychology of Religion and Spirituality, and board certified in clinical psychology through the American Board of Professional Psychology. He has authored or co-authored 13 books, co-edited 4 books, and published over 130 book chapters and peer-reviewed journal articles. He also writes software and has various apps available on the Apple Mac Store and the Apple iTunes Store. His most recent software project is part of a grant from the John Templeton Foundation exploring spiritual formation in seminaries.
McMinn’s 2017 book, The Science of Virtue: Why Positive Psychology Matters to the Church (Brazos Press, 2017) is the culmination of a grant from the Templeton Foundation to study positive psychology in Christian faith communities. The book was named the 2018 book award winner by the Martin Institute and Dallas Willard Center of Westmont College, received an award of merit in the 2018 Christianity Today book awards and was named as an Also Recommended book by Outreach Magazine. The Science of Virtue has also been the basis of two Christianity Today articles – one on humility, and one on generosity.
Mark is married to Lisa Graham McMinn, a sociologist, speaker, writer, and former professor (at Wheaton College and George Fox University). Mark and Lisa have three grown daughters and six grandchildren. The McMinns maintain a small farm where they use sustainable farming practices to grow fruit and vegetables, tend chickens, and keep honeybees.