Wordview Check

The human nervous system is an incredibly complex and highly coordinated network. It is the most complex structure in the known universe and a wonder of God’s creation. With almost one trillion neurons, each connected to as many as thousands of neighboring neurons, the complexity and precision of the connections in the human brain is truly staggering. Advances in technology allow psychologists today to observe individual neurons and to “see” inside the brain when we sense things, when we think and feel, when we learn and remember, and even when we meditate and pray. The connection between our physical brain and our God-like consciousness is deep. 

A Christian worldview is consistent with careful scientific research into the structure and function of the brain and its relationship to the mind. All activities of the mind, including our experience of God, involve the brain. Many psychologists, however, believe that all activities of the mind, especially our experience of God, are nothing more than brain activity. A naturalistic worldview leads to the conclusion that if the mind exists, it evolved within the structures of the brain and it is in no way “special.” Naturalism, the worldview, means that all mental activity (including love, hope, prayer, worship, etc.) MUST ultimately be nothing more than biochemical processes. 

What does that mean for our study of psychology? It requires us to be humble. We must humbly accept that the complexities of the human brain are such that we will likely never fully understand them. It allows us to be bold. The near-infinite complexity of the brain represents the single biggest “leap of faith” necessary to hold an evolutionary worldview. It requires us to be skeptical of the psychologist and the theologian who speak with certainty about the mind or the brain. We should marvel at the wonder of the brain. We should praise God for the gift inside our skulls. We must accept that God appears to have chosen to use the brain as a conduit through which our material nature and God-likeness relate. While seeking greater understanding, we must accept that God’s ways are greater than our understanding. We must be confident that if God chooses to operate through brain processes, it does not diminish Him or us.