Michael Bräutigam
17 August 2025
Through all facets of life, even in our studying, learning, and training, God lovingly guides. Associate of ISCAST – Christianity and Science in Conversation – Michael Bräutigam, shares about how God has taken all his training into a plan where nothing is wasted.
During my final years of high school, I aspired to become a Christian counsellor. Friends and family said they enjoyed talking with me and appreciated my listening ear. So, putting two and two together, I figured counselling would be a natural fit. Spoiler alert: that never happened!
Back then, though, I took this counselling idea seriously, thinking that was the path ahead for me. After consulting with Christian psychiatrists and psychologists, I enrolled in the psychology program at my hometown University of Trier, which at the time boasted one of the leading psychology departments in Germany.
However, from the moment of the earliest lectures, I was completely thrown off guard. The professors talked about empirical design of experiments and statistics, and there were so many numbers and equations that my head was spinning—and maths has never been my forte. This was not what I signed up for! Nevertheless, I persevered and eventually fell in love with my field and somehow, even ended up tutoring statistics—though to this day, I have no idea how that happened given my allergy to maths. My main focus, though, turned out to be cognitive psychology: conducting memory experiments and gluing sticky electrodes to poor subjects’ heads.
Midway through my degree, my original plan to become a Christian counsellor was derailed by new legislation. To qualify as a counsellor eligible for Germany’s version of Medicare, I would have needed several additional years of costly, full-time training in psychotherapy after completing my already intensive six-year program in psychology.
But practical barriers weren’t the only issue. Throughout lectures, I was increasingly struck by how strongly psychology’s view of humanity contrasted with my Christian faith. My professors introduced concepts like Abraham Maslow’s “self-actualisation,” Albert Bandura’s “self-efficacy,” and Roy Baumeister’s “self-esteem” for instance. I found myself thinking that it all sounded a bit self-centred, and wondering where God was in all of this.
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These theories also reflected an optimistic view of the self that emphasised our human potential. Yet, reading my Bible and listening to preaching in church, I encountered a very different vision: humanity as fallen, sinful, and deeply in need of redemption. I also wondered how the “positive” psychologists’ (a movement growing in the early 2000s) emphasis on promoting self-fulfilment and personal flourishing, through a focus on positive emotions and achievements, aligned with Jesus’ call to self-denial and cross-bearing. And how could one really arrive at a fulfilling life without the One who claimed to be “the way and the truth and the life”?
I realised to become an effective therapist, I needed to know more about God, us, and salvation: how God’s grace touched and transformed our poor human condition. And so, after completing my psychology studies, I transitioned to theology—an adventure that took me to Scotland. Of course, this raised some eyebrows among family and friends: “Will he ever stop studying?” “When will he finally start earning some money?” But thanks to wonderful teachers in Edinburgh,especially the late Donald Macleod, I became thoroughly captivated by theology and ministry and soon found myself serving as a pastor in a small church back in Germany. My psychology training certainly proved helpful in pastoral care or church meetings but it gradually receded into the background.
Eventually, psychology faded further from my daily thoughts as theology took centre stage. I pursued a PhD in systematic theology , and since 2015 have been teaching theology at Melbourne School of Theology. However, things changed around 2018 when MST integrated with Eastern College Australia, a Christian liberal arts institute, equipping teachers, chaplains, and Christian counsellors.
When asked to support teaching foundational psychology courses for Eastern, I eagerly reconnected with my first academic love, catching up on nearly two decades of developments since graduating. Given my theological training, though, I could now engage psychology more critically—yet also with a deeper sense of appreciation for its insights, realising how the discipline could illuminate theology.
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I wondered if there were other Christians equally passionate about exploring the intersection of theology and psychology. Soon, like-minded professionals joined me (many of them Christian counsellors ), becoming friends—indeed, family—bound together by a shared vision to serve God and bless our communities as brothers and sisters in Christ. This led to the founding of the Centre for Theology and Psychology) at MST/Eastern. CTP now offers regular workshops, webinars, seminars, and fellowship for mental health practitioners, psychologists, pastors, and interested lay people. Last year we hosted our first conference in partnership with ISCAST. It’s exciting to see our initiatives grow and, as we hope, benefit the church in Melbourne and beyond.
Wellbeing, or “human flourishing,” is a current passion-project. Using psychology and theology, I’m exploring how we might still thrive even when life gets tough. How do psychology’s optimistic portrayals of humanity align with Scripture’s vision? What can the two disciplines learn from each other regarding questions of human thriving?
I’m quite relieved I never became a Christian counsellor, because—with deep admiration for my counsellor colleagues—I doubt I could handle the daily emotional demands. Yet, I remain grateful. Those six challenging years studying psychology were not wasted. They became part of God’s larger plan which I didn’t see at the time. Now and then, we may question the purpose behind our struggles. But based on my own journey, I can affirm: The LORD knows precisely what He’s doing. As David put it, “all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be” (Psalm 139:16). I can testify this is true. In God’s hands, no time is ever wasted.
If you, too, are curious about how faith and psychology can speak meaningfully to one another, I’d love to hear from you. Feel free to contact me via ctp.mst.edu.au/.
Michael Bräutigam is Senior Lecturer in Theology at Melbourne School of Theology, where he also serves as Vice-Principal (Academic) and Director of the Centre for Theology & Psychology. He is also an ordained minister with the Free Church of Scotland and is actively involved in the multi-cultural church environment in Melbourne, mainly through regular preaching.
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