For over a century, psychologists who were fascinated by religion began to study and write about it. Religious theologians and practitioners responded to this literature, leading to a wonderful dialogue that deals with our fundamental attitudes about man and our place in the world.

This book provides an introduction to the important conversations that developed from these intersections. It is difficult to study the dialogue between psychology and religion for a number of reasons.

First, knowledge requires both psychology and religion. People with a background in psychology often lack a solid understanding of the religious traditions they wish to study, and theologians may not be familiar with the latest developments in psychology. Second, it requires conceptual tools to organize the material and understand the fundamental problems involved in any attempt to link religion to religion. These concepts can be found in many places, for example in the writings of philosophers of science, but they are complex and often difficult to follow to those who do not have a proper theological and philosophical ground. Finally, authors who write about this subject come to study psychology and religion from a variety of academic and personal backgrounds.

This makes diversity great in conversations, but makes understanding and mastering materials difficult.