Why and How We Should Study Culture and Psychology in a Christian Faith Perspective
How Should We Approach Culture, Psychology, and Christian Faith?
With the love of all neighbors as the basis, I will propose how we might implement studying psychology in a Christian perspective. If the overarching goal is the love of all neighbors, I propose that the how of the implementation should be a balancing act. It is, admittedly, a difficult balancing act, but one that faithful Christians looking to improve in loving their neighbors through psychology must be able to do. In this space, I would like to propose a few guidelines to keep in mind. When we study how culture, faith, and psychology are intertwined, we must do so with hope, knowledge, humility, and confidence.
With Hope, but Also with Lament
As followers of Jesus, we have genuine hope that all things will be made right. But this hope is not disconnected from the reality of our imperfect world; there is an understanding that we are called to lament the individual and collective suffering that is all around us. It’s the paradoxical perspective that gives Christian communities real, unshakable hope and, at the same time, empathy for the cries of individuals and communities near and far. Indeed, the study of culture and psychology tends to be filled with themes that should trouble us (e.g., social injustices, health and mental health disparities, misuse of psychological research). When you encounter these themes, sit with the troubled emotion(s). Lament the consequences of our sinful world on people and the communities that they are a part of, especially the communities that are marginalized and oppressed. And through it all, reflect on how your hope and lament are intertwined and necessary for a proper engagement in the field of psychology.
Every two years, I lead a short-term study abroad in South Korea. In this program, ten or so students from my American institution travel with me to Seoul to take Cross-Cultural Psychology against the backdrop of Korean culture. One of the most powerful activities during this study abroad is when they learn about the girls and women who were forcibly taken as sexual slaves during the Japanese colonial period. Every time my students learn about this collective trauma of Korea, I observe them lament, whether through tears that freely flow or other expressions of sadness and anger. But during their grief, I paradoxically feel hope.
Here is what Emi Ichimura (my TA on the program) and I wrote in a Christian Scholar’s Review blog: “Hope for validation of other experiences that have yet to be shared. Hope for the recognition of pain held inside. Hope for a better world for young girls and women all over the world. Hope for a world where every tear will be wiped away, and that death and crying and sorrow will be gone (Revelation 21:4).”1 As you read this book, and as you study how culture, psychology, and Christian faith are related, hold on to the hope we have in Jesus. But also, part of that hope is to grieve and to lament the atrocities and injustices that we see in our world and to work to make them right.
With Humility, but Also with Conviction
Related to the attitudinal aspects of competence from earlier, a posture of humility is needed when studying culture, psychology, and Christian faith. A bidimensional conceptualization of cultural humility is helpful for our purposes: There is an intrapersonal dimension, which is a person’s recognition that they have limitations in their capability to understand the worldviews of other people, and there is an interpersonal dimension, which is a way of relating to other people with an intentional focus on them and without a sense of being better than them.2 As you study culture and its relation to psychology, monitor your intrapersonal and interpersonal aspects of humility. Are you keeping in mind the possibility that you might be wrong in your perspective? Are you checking for any sense of superiority that may creep into your interaction with someone who is from a different cultural background?
Even as I type this next example, I am aware of how my spirit is resistant to the sharing of the story. As a sinful being, my pride gets in the way of disclosing my own shortcomings. But in the spirit of demonstrating vulnerability, here it is.
In a PowerPoint slide describing racial microaggressions, I listed the phrase “alien in one’s own land” as a common microaggression, citing a published article.3 I had used this slide multiple times with my Cross-Cultural Psychology students over the years. But one particular day, a student pointed out that this was dehumanizing terminology and that I should not even make it visible on a PowerPoint slide. She proceeded to share about her family’s experience of immigration to the US and how the term “alien” had been weaponized against her and her family members.
Do you know what my initial internal response was? It was one of defensiveness instead of humility. I found myself thinking things like, “But the published literature uses this term.” Or, “I have been using this terminology for so long, and no one has pointed this out until now.” Or, “I am using it as a negative example, not endorsing it, so it is not on me.” While these thoughts were jumping around in my head, I also had a counternarrative that nudged me toward a posture of cultural humility. Specifically, I had to remind myself that my understanding of the student’s experiences and worldview was limited by my own biases and assumptions. And in my verbal response to the student’s comment, I had to practice interpersonal cultural humility so that I did not come across as superior or as having all the answers but instead as deeply honoring her concerns.
But cultural humility does not negate the need for a sense of conviction.4 At some parts of this book, you might encounter things that you disagree with or at least are uncertain about. In your conversations with other people, you might not see eye to eye. Cultural humility does not mean that personal convictions must be set aside. Instead, articulate your convictions, but always keep in mind the possibility that you might have missed something and that the person in front of you or the contents of this book could help you learn something new about culture, psychology, and Christian faith.
The term “critical lens” might be another way to refer to having a conviction. In a real sense, social scientists like me are trained to critique personal, interpersonal, and cultural dynamics. Professor Alexander Jun recently said on my podcast that “learning to have a critical lens but not a critical spirit” is a delicate balance for Christian scholars, especially those who are in the business of naming and calling out social problems.5 As you engage in the topics of this book, monitor your spirit and ask yourself this question: Am I utilizing a critical lens right now, or am I feeding into a critical spirit?
Content taken from Cultural Diversity and Psychology by Paul Youngbin Kim, ©2026. Used by permission of Baker Academic. For the full Introduction chapter made available through Baker Academic, see here.
Cited:
- Emi Ichimura and Paul Youngbin Kim, “‘Hope, but It’s a Complex Kind’: Reflections Following the War and Women’s Human Rights Museum Visit; Part 1,” Christian Scholar’s Review, October 29, 2024. ↩︎
- Joshua N. Hook and Don E. Davis, “Cultural Humility: Introduction to the Special Issue,” Journal of Psychology and Theology 47, no. 2 (2019): 72. https://doi.org/10.1177/0091647119842410. ↩︎
- Derald Wing Sue Christina M. Capodilupo, Gina C. Torino et al, “Racial Microaggressions in Everyday Life: Implications for Clinical Practice,” American Psychologist 62, no. 4 (2007): 276. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066x.62.4.271. ↩︎
- John M. McConnell Vincent Bacote, Edward B. Davis et al, “Including Multiculturalism, Social Justice, and Peace Within the Integration of Psychology and Theology: Barriers and a Call to Action,” Journal of Psychology and Theology 49, no. 1 (2020): 10. https://doi.org/10.1177/0091647120974989. ↩︎
- Kim, Paul Youngbin, host, “Racism and Total (with a Big T) Depravity: A Conversation with Dr. Alexander Jun,” Teaching Cross-Cultural Psychology, podcast, April 12, 2024. ↩︎
