Description: Drawing upon the leading edge of psychological science, this course aims to introduce students to the most helpful psychological paradigms for understanding what it means to be and become more fully human, not merely as individuals, but as embodied persons-in-relation. By translating the findings of the psychological sciences into practical tools and strategies for anyone called to pursue psychological well-being in their own lives and the lives of those entrusted to their care, it is eminently practical. Its central focus is on the person of the minister/theologian/Christian as the primary site for engaging in theological reflection and the primary tool for effective Christian leadership. The common thread running throughout the class is an exploration of anthropology from the standpoint of the human as fundamentally embodied, embedded, extended, enacted, and emergent. And while the course addresses the psychological aspects of the many and varied ways in which human life and relationality so often break down, it is ultimately orientated toward thriving. That is, it operates with the assumption that, as image-bearers of an abundantly creative God, the ultimate end of the human being is not merely to survive, but to thrive. Or, in the words of Irenaeus, “The glory of God is the human person fully alive.”

Seminary: Fuller Theological Seminary

Science areas: Psychology and neuroscience