Warren S. Brown, Fuller Integration Lectures Lecture 3: " Did My Neurons Make Me Do It? " I. Retrospect and Prospect

Let us begin by summarizing what we have covered in the first 2 lectures, and then set the task for today's lecture. We have covered the following 4 issues: 1. Is dualism a necessary part of a Christian view of humankind? In Lecture 1, I suggested (without going deep enough to prove the point) that body/soul dualism has extra-Christian roots and is not a necessary presupposition for understanding persons in a way that is consistent with Biblical revelation. This was done to give us theological " elbow room. " 2. What are the practical consequences of dualism for Christian praxis and for psychological theories and interventions? In Lecture 1 I also critiqued both practical Christian theology and psychological formulations of the person with respect to the impact of a dualist understanding of persons. Absence of a wholistic and physicalist view of persons makes spirituality inward and individualistic, distances persons from their behavior, and weakens community. 3. Is dualism tenable within the context of modern neuroscience and neuropsychology? Out of data from recent research in neuroscience, neurology, and neuropsychology, I attempted in Lecture 2 to show why it is increasingly difficult to maintain the dualist idea that the most spiritual and soulish aspects of personhood are outside of the purview of the functioning of our brains. 4. What might a monist (or physicalist) Christian theological anthropology be like? In Lecture 2, I also ventured my suggestions regarding an evangelical theological