To be suitable for the purposes of orthodox Christianity, a conception of man must provide for the possibility of meaningful interaction with God, personal responsibility, and life after death. If it is to be of potential use to the Christian psychologist, any proposed conception of man must also be compatible with the findings of science. At present, two views of man are attractive though neither completely meets all four minimal requirements for an adequate Christian picture of man. Because it introduces nonphysical entities for the purpose of allowing meaningful interaction with God, personal responsibility, and life after death, a composite conception of man can chafe painfully against scientific models. A unitary picture of man as no more than a functioning physical organism is pleasing to science but leaves Christian concerns incompletely satisfied. Progress toward a successful Christian conception of man will require contributions from theology, philosophy, and the sciences.
