Final answer:
Liberal/neo-orthodox Christians had a complex relationship with psychology, initially critical of overlapping philosophies like Platonism but evolving to include rational defenses of theistic belief. Mid-20th century psychology, with its labeling of certain behaviors as disorders, conflicted with Christian views, even as psychology and Christianity found ways to integrate. The struggle to accept religious experiences as empirically verifiable was a point of contention between the fields.
Step-by-step explanation:
The reactions of Liberal/neo-orthodox Christians to psychology have been complex and varied over time. Initially, Christians were critical of disciplines like philosophy, which included early psychological thinking, as they often had conflicting views on spirituality. This critical view can be traced back to the early Christians' reactions to Platonism, which they found at odds with Christian teachings, despite sometimes engaging in philosophical discourse themselves. However, the mid-20th century saw changes in philosophers' attitudes towards religion, including increasingly rational defenses of theistic beliefs.
At two different points in history, Christian thought intersected with psychological perspectives in tense ways. In the mid-20th century, psychology often labeled certain behaviors, such as homosexuality, as mental disorders, posing a conflict with Christian views regarding sexuality. Additionally, neo-Freudian psychologists, who followed the work of Freud but focused less on sexuality in their analyses, provided theories that sometimes contradicted or reduced the importance of traditional Christian moral frameworks.
Psychology's refusal to accept religious experiences as empirically verifiable also posed challenges for Liberal/neo-orthodox Christians, who might see religious experiences as central to their faith. Despite these tensions, the contributions of Christian apologists like Justin Martyr and the theological influence of ancient philosophy illustrated the potential for integrating psychological concepts within a Christian worldview. The eventual relationship between psychology and Christianity thus evolved into one where both critical engagement and selective integration occurred.