Dr. Julie Reese, Professor of Psychology

Professor of Psychology

“How do I bring faith and learning together? Each morning, I read the Bible, pray, and ask God to prepare me to share His truth and love. My discipline, psychology, naturally involves values, behaviors and relationships, fruitful areas to discuss how humans have inherent value and responsibility as image-bearers of God. I try to point out the “what is” in the world as opposed to the “what ought” in the Word. I seek to highlight how psychological findings often align with the message of the Bible.

Since the beginning of the psychology major, Senior Seminar has been a required course where we discuss explicit issues of faith and psychology. Students select topics ranging from forgiveness to prayer in therapy to religious abuse and beyond. They lead the discussion, where all do readings in preparation for class, and I join in as a participant.

Students have expressed deep appreciation for the space to discuss and wrestle with such issues in an academic context, beyond just sharing personal opinions. As I enter my third decade of teaching, I am more intentional in bringing faith into the classroom. I begin each Friday with part of a Psalm and a prayer, emphasizing the invitation to have faith conversations with me outside of class.”