Date

7-15-2024

Department

Rawlings School of Divinity

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy

Chair

Mary E. Lowe

Keywords

Spiritual Formation, Psychology, Neuroscience, Pauline Theology

Disciplines

Practical Theology

Abstract

The field of spiritual formation is replete with models, ways, and processes, including many that propose the integration of psychology and Christianity and have further examined the psychology of Paul. Yet, none emphasize the impact of neuroscience, our brain function, neurochemistry, and neurobiology integrated with the tools and techniques of psychological science facilitated by the Holy Spirit and scripture-based truths derived primarily from Pauline theology in the Christ-follower for growth in spiritual maturity. A model formulated from Pauline theology, psychology, and neuroscience, as such, is novel within the field of spiritual formation. Therefore, the claim stems from the need for an integrated spiritual formation model, as spiritual formation inherently emphasizes praxis, practice distinguished from theory integrating a symbiotic relationship between action with thinking, what the model refers to as connecting cognitions with actions resulting in spiritual growth which is intrinsically linked to our psychological and neurobiological selves. This dissertation presents a model that aims to facilitate Christ-followers' development by equipping them with a spiritual toolbox designed to provide a lifestyle for living Christ in but not of the world in the here and now. The model emphasizes the process of sanctification, theologically described as the continual process of the Holy Spirit refining us into the image of God—progressive sanctification as evidenced, for example, in 2 Corinthians 3:18.

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