Category
Textual or Investigative
Description
How does neuroplasticity affect the life of a Christian? This thesis will seek to address the concepts of habit formation, neuroplasticity, and top-down control through a neurobiological perspective, and how they relate to the Biblical concept of habitual sin. Discoveries in neuroplasticity have revealed the brain to be a malleable organ, capable of rewiring neural connections and, in the hippocampus region, neurogenesis, or the creation of new neurons (Fuchs & Flügge, 2014). This thesis will compile research in neuroplasticity, explore the biological reasons behind the difficulty in escaping patterns of sin, and connect Biblical-based strategies for sin prevention with neurobiology. Becoming trapped in a specific sin is a real, serious consequence of maladaptive neuroplasticity. Biblical disciplines work effectively because they retrain neural circuits to eliminate unwanted behaviors and they improve top-down control.
“Slaves to Sin:” Harnessing Neuroplasticity to Defeat Habitual Behaviors
Textual or Investigative
How does neuroplasticity affect the life of a Christian? This thesis will seek to address the concepts of habit formation, neuroplasticity, and top-down control through a neurobiological perspective, and how they relate to the Biblical concept of habitual sin. Discoveries in neuroplasticity have revealed the brain to be a malleable organ, capable of rewiring neural connections and, in the hippocampus region, neurogenesis, or the creation of new neurons (Fuchs & Flügge, 2014). This thesis will compile research in neuroplasticity, explore the biological reasons behind the difficulty in escaping patterns of sin, and connect Biblical-based strategies for sin prevention with neurobiology. Becoming trapped in a specific sin is a real, serious consequence of maladaptive neuroplasticity. Biblical disciplines work effectively because they retrain neural circuits to eliminate unwanted behaviors and they improve top-down control.
