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BCSFN
Board of Reference
Dr. Ruth Haley Barton
The Transforming Center
Sabrina Black
Multicultural Division
Rev. Dwayne Bond
Wellspring Community Church
Professor Lynelle Buchanan
Baptist Bible College, PA
Dr. Mara Crabtree
Regent University
Dr. Howard Eyrich
BirminghamTheological Seminary
Dr. Penny Freeman
Philadelphia Biblical University
Dr. Bill Gaultiere
Christian Soul Care
Dr. Chuck Hannaford
Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
Dr. Joe Henriques
Moody Graduate School
Dr. Phil Henry
Palm Beach Atlantic University
Dr. Kevin Huggins
Fellowship Church
Bill Hull
Choose the Life Ministries
Dr. Eric Johnson
Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
Dr. Gary Oliver
The Center for Relationship Enrichment
Dr. Miriam Parent
Trinity Evangelical Divinity School
Dr. John Pugh
Lancaster Bible College Graduate School
Dr. Dow Pursley
Baptist Bible College Graduate School, PA
Dr. Gene Sale
Palm Beach Atlantic University
Dr. Eric Scalise
American Association of Christian Counselors
Dr. Tammy Schultz
Grace College Graduate School
Dr. Siang-Yang Tan
Fuller Theological Seminary
Dr. Bill Thrasher
Moody Graduate School
Dr. Luke Tse
Cedarville University
Dr. SamWilliams
Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary
Dr. Everett Worthington, Jr.
Virginia Commonwealth University
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TRANS FORMAT ION
N
eurotheology (
neuro
—brain;
theology
—study of the concepts of God) is
an interdisciplinary field that is currently exploding. The Lord created
our brains, and neuroscience is helping us understand more about how
complex and delicate His creation really is. Composed of billions of
neurons and serving as the body’s command center, the brain is the most
complex living structure in the world. The brain is not only the seat of our intellect, but
it also controls everything from heart beats to motor skills, including values, memory,
learning, senses, sexual activity, and our emotions. While much of the brain’s develop-
ment takes place in the womb, some parts of the brain do not fully develop until the
early to mid-twenties.
Tim Jennings is a Christian psychiatrist who has a special interest in neurotheology. He,
along with several other leading researchers, is discovering how our brains are affected
by our beliefs about God. According to Jennings, not only is the brain structure itself
heavily influenced or affected by our beliefs, but also our physical, mental, and spiri-
tual health as shaped as a result of faith in God. Jennings writes extensively on how our
brains and bodies thrive when we have a healthy understanding of who God is (Jen-
nings, 2013).
As humans, we tend to think about things in black and white. Something “is” or it
“isn’t.” It’s either good or bad. It either works or it doesn’t. This all-or-nothing kind of
thinking often gets us into trouble. Generally speaking, many people carry this cogni-
tive distortion into their beliefs about God. Many people view God as either “the wrath-
ful, vengeful God of the Old Testament whose goal is to
punish us for sins,” or the “gracious, merciful Savior of
the New Testament who doesn’t care about our sin.” If
pressed, many people would say that their view of God
is basically a policeman following behind them on the
interstate just waiting for them to make a mistake so
He can write them a big ticket. The feeling is that this
“god,” seems to be waiting for us to mess up and send
us to hell. Even if your beliefs are not that extreme, I
wonder if your thoughts about God are, or have ever been, something along those lines.
Do you believe in your heart that God delights in punishing you for the mistakes you
make (Jennings, 2013)?
This type of misunderstanding about God, neurologically speaking, actually rewires
the brain and causes all kinds of problems. Jennings goes into great detail explaining
how the brain works in overtime, driven by unhealthy fear, when someone holds these
types of theological beliefs. Not only does this kind of theology hurt our spiritual lives,
it actually causes problems emotionally, relationally, cognitively, and physically. When
our brain is consistently firing off stress hormones and other neurotransmitters that keep
the brain running in fear, our judgment is impaired, our reasoning is paralyzed and
we are led down a frightening path of selfishness. The circle of love and trust that God
created is destroyed. This fear causes and maintains unhealthy amounts of stress and
chronic pain, it blocks mental functioning, and it negatively influences our relationship
with others and with God (Jennings, 2013). Sounds pretty serious, right?
As you reflect on your own life, perhaps you can find areas where you are not expe-
riencing the “abundant life” (John 10:10) that Jesus promised. Scripture speaks repeat-
edly about fear. God never intended our brains to be run by this infectious sin that leads
us away from Him. Unhealthy fear is traced back physiologically to the limbic system of
the brain. The limbic system’s counterpart, the prefrontal cortex, can play a large role in
balancing fear with truth (Jennings, 2013).
While this article focuses on the harmful effects of the crippling fear, it is also important
to note that if we view God as a whimsical, free-for-all God who doesn’t care what we do
because He has already given us grace, we also do harm. We cannot experience the full-
ness of God’s love and grace if we do not first appreciate His justice. The Gospel is this:
That we deserve hell because of our sins, but Jesus sacrificed His life to cover our sins. If
we respond to this gracious gift that God has given us, we are given the gift of salva-
“This type of
misunderstanding about
God, neurologically
speaking, actually rewires
the brain and causes all
kinds of problems.”