The Physical Nature of Christian Life :Neuroscience, Psychology, and the Church

Publication subTitle :Neuroscience, Psychology, and the Church

Author: Warren S. Brown; Brad D. Strawn  

Publisher: Cambridge University Press‎

Publication year: 2012

E-ISBN: 9781139511988

P-ISBN(Paperback): 9780521515931

Subject: B9 Religion

Keyword: 宗教

Language: ENG

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The Physical Nature of Christian Life

Description

This book explores the implications of recent insights in modern neuroscience for the church's view of spiritual formation. Science suggests that functions of the brain and body in collaboration with social experience, rather than a disembodied soul, provide physical basis for the mental capacities, interpersonal relations, and religious experiences of human beings. The realization that human beings are wholly physical, but with unique mental, relational and spiritual capacities, challenges traditional views of Christian life as defined by the care of souls, a view that leads to inwardness and individuality. Psychology and neuroscience suggest the importance of developmental openness, attachment, imitation and stories as tools in spiritual formation. Accordingly, the idea that care of embodied persons should be fundamentally social and communal sets new priorities for encouraging spiritual growth and building congregations.

Chapter

WHAT IF WE ARE BODIES?

A SUMMARY OF WHAT IS TO COME

PART I: HUMAN NATURE AS PHYSICAL

2: Christian History and the Two-Part Person

MINI VIEWS

VIEWS OF OURSELVES

HOW CHRISTIANS CAME TO BE DUALISTS

WHAT THE BIBLE TEACHES ABOUT HUMAN NATURE

DUALISM IN THE EARLY CHURCH

THE GNOSTICISM OF CONTEMPORARY CHRISTIANITY

3: Embodied Soulishness

THE VISIONS OF SISTER JOHN

VISIONS AND THE BRAIN

RATIONALITY

RELATIONALITY

MORALITY

RELIGIOUSNESS

BRAIN, BODY, AND HUMAN DISTINCTIVENESS

PROSPECT

PART II: THE FORMATION OF PERSONS: ENSPRETROSPECT AND PROSPECT

4: How Bodies Become Persons

GENIE

THE SOCIAL BASIS OF CHILD DEVELOPMENT

THE OPEN AND SELF-ORGANIZING NATURE OF HUMANKIND

IMITATION AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT

SHARED ATTENTION

INTERPERSONAL ATTACHMENT

EMPATHY

LANGUAGE AND STORIES

WHEN DEVELOPMENT GOES AWRY

FORMATION OF PERSONS

5: How Relationships Shape Us

TRANSFORMATION OF SAUL

RE-FORMING PERSONS

THE MATURATION OF SELF-ORGANIZING SYSTEMS

ATTACHMENT AND OPENNESS TO CHANGE

UNCONSCIOUSNESS IMITATION

STORIES WE LIVE BY

WISDOM AND VIRTUE

6: How We Are Changed and Transformed

THE MALFORMATION OF JANE

THE GOOD AND BAD OF UNCONSCIOUS HABITS

HOPE FOR CHANGE

PROCESSES OF TRANSFORMATION IN SMALL GROUPS

HOW JANE UNDERGOES CHANGE

MODELS OF CHANGE

REVIEW

PREVIEW

PART III: EMODIED CHRISTIAN LIFE AND THE CHURCH: RETROSPECT AND PROSPECT

7: Why Bodies Need Churches

TO GO OR NOT TO GO?

WHY GO TO CHURCH?

THE PURPOSE OF CHURCH

THE SOCIAL FORMATION OF PERSONS

THE DYNAMIC OPENNESS OF PERSONS

THE ROLE OF SECURE ATTACHMENTS IN FORMATION

IMITATION OF CHRIST THROUGH IMITATION WITHIN THE BODY

FORMATION THROUGH STORY

CHURCH AND THE FORMATION OF PERSONS

8: Church Bodies

IT’S NOT ABOUT ME

CHURCH AND CHRISTIAN LIFE

THE CHURCH AS A DYNAMIC NETWORK

BODIES FORMED BY COMMUNICATION

RECIPROCAL NATURE OF FORMATION

LEADERSHIP AND SELF-ORGANIZATION

CHAOS, CATASTROPHE, AND GROWTH

SOURCES OF CATASTROPHE

GROUP SIZE, GROUP TIME, AND CHRISTIAN FORMATION

9: The Embodied Church

REINCARNATION OF THE BETHLEHEM MANGER

CHURCH AS AN ALTERNATIVE NARRATIVE

EMBODIED WORSHIP

DISABILITY, DEPENDENCE, CHRISTIAN FORMATION, AND FLOURISHING

THE PHYSICAL LIFE OF THE CHURCH

10: Concluding Thoughts: The Church After Dualism

EMBODIED FOREGIVENESS

REVIEW OF PART III

WHAT WE ARE NOT SAYING

RETROSPECTIVE ON DUALISM

EMERGENCE AND THE CHURCH

POSTSCRIPT

REVIEW

PREVIEW

Selected Resources

Index

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