God on the Brain: What Cognitive Science Does (and Does Not) Tell Us about Faith, Human Nature, and the Divine

by Bradley L. Sickler

The human brain is incredibly complex. Both Christian and secular scholars alike affirm this fact, yet the traditional view of humanity as spiritual beings made in the image of God has come under increased pressure from humanistic and materialistic thinkers who deny that humans are anything more than their physical bodies. Christians have long affirmed that humans are spiritual beings made by God to know and fellowship with him, while the humanist position views humans as merely evolved animals. 

Bradley Sickler provides a timely theological, scientific, and philosophical assessment of the human brain, highlighting the many ways in which the gospel informs the Christian understanding of cognitive science. Here is a book that provides a much-needed summary of the Bible’s teaching as it sheds light on the brain, with careful interaction with the claims of modern science, arguing that the Christian worldview offers the most compelling vision of the true nature of humanity.

Genres: Science, Christian, Psychology, Nonfiction, Philosophy, Theology, Faith

211 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 7, 2020

About the author

Bradley L. Sickler (PhD, Purdue University) is associate professor of philosophy and the program director for the master of arts in theological studies program at the University of Northwestern, St. Paul, Minnesota.

Reviews

[Jeremy Fritz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed Sickler’s book, it was essentially an overview of some areas where advances in modern cognitive science would seem at odds with Christian theological anthropology. His goal was to explain how the findings of cognitive science do not pose a threat to Christian beliefs, and he does a rather good job of that in my opinion.

However, this book probably should have been longer, there are many areas where I wish he would have explored more in depth. It seems like he was trying to cover too much ground for 200 pages.

Overall, really enjoyable and edifying!

[Joan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book turned out to be a little different than what I was expecting. Based on the subtitle, I was expecting a report on the latest findings of cognitive science as they relate to my Christian faith. When I came to this quote, I knew the book would be something different. “At present only a small number of studies exist on the relation between neural activity and religious behavior,” Sickler says. (Loc 996/2505) The studies mostly revolve around meditating, not the accounts we read about in the Bible where people encounter God. There seem to be no definitive results, Sickler says, as there are a variety of ways spiritual practices can affect various processes in the brain. (Loc 1026/2505)

The book really isn't about cognitive science as much as it is about science in general and how it philosophically relates to faith. Sickler explores what scientists says about the existence of the soul, the non-material aspect of humans, and argues for its existence. He explores truth and whether science is the only way to know truth. He explores the nature of materialism, the arguments from evolution, and the nature of knowledge. He also has a good exploration of free will.

Sickler argues that humans are meant to know God and be in a relationship with Him. He explores morality and concludes moral action is meaningless in the naturalistic sphere and only makes sense when we recognize God has wired us for morality.

One argument of his was new to me. Some might argue that the whole concept of God arises in the human brain and therefore God does not exist objectively. Sickler suggests that, just because the concept of God passes through the brain, it does not mean the concept originates in the brain. It is the same as an awareness of seeing a giraffe. That the awareness of the giraffe's existence is in the brain and that the awareness can even be replicated by stimulation does not mean the giraffe does not exist objectively. (Loc 1157/2505)

This is a philosophical look at what science (in general) says about the brain and belief in God. If you are looking for the findings of recent cognitive science studies in relation to faith, you may be disappointed. If you want a philosophical argument that science in no way precludes faith in God, then this is your book.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.

[Dr. David Steele]

I have always been fascinated with the brain. Weighing in at an average of three pounds, the brain is the subject of much study and speculation. Bradley L. Sickler makes his contribution to this growing field of study in God on the Brain.

Sickler’s work is distinct in that he addresses the topic at hand from a distinctly Christian perspective. Specifically, the author is committed to the Christian worldview. As such, his treatment is view through the lens of Scripture. Yet, he is also committed to a scientific approach that results in a fascinating array of insight.

God on the Brain specifically addresses cognitive science and sets out on a voyage to learn what it can tell us about faith, human nature, and the divine. As a trained theologian, not a scientist, much of the material was “above my paid grade,” personally. One lesson that comes through, however, is that humans were made to know God and commune with him. Much to the chagrin of the humanisms (or the dialectical materialist) who asserts that matter is all that exists in the universe, God on the Brain argues strenuously for a worldview that embraces the grand story of a Creator who made people in his image; creatures who are made to glorify him.

One section of special interest to me concerns the matter of free will. Sickler sets forth the debate between the libertarian and the compabatibalist and teases out the implications of these views.

All in all, a fascinating book that will answer some questions and invite readers to a lifetime of continuing study.

[Cameron M · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first review in the series "Beige Books About the Brain"

While the sections of this book that approach cognitive psychology are informative, most of the content of this book is probably different to what many readers (including myself) would expect. Most of the book does not directly deal with brain science, but in dealing with the ways that atheists, philosophers and academics interpret findings of cognitive science. In short, what do we make of findings which suggest that religion is just a product of the mind, according to many academics?
The material is quite dense and like other reviewers, I think it would be worth it for the author to stick to one subject and go deeper rather than trying to conquer everything at once. I do agree with many conclusions the author makes - for example, the necessity of presuppositions, the need for belief in the immaterial to make sense of the world and how Christianity leaves room for God's sovereignty as well as legitimate human choice. I'm going to read a few more of these clinically-coloured tomes on brain science and theology (it's amusing to have them all lined up on my shelf-apparently beige is the colour of science) so stay tuned.

[Eli Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5 - Much of the language surrounding philosophy and cognitive brain science required multiple readings to get to a hazy understanding, which makes for a tiring read, and when I got to that hazy understanding, it seemed like there was a bit of repetition throughout chapters. Some good takeaways on philosophy and religious beliefs, but probably more for those ready to dig in deeper than I expected.

[Daniel Pandolph · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid intro to CSR and why it isn’t the Christianity killer some assume it is. Ultimately this is a book about epistemology and a philosophy of science. Good as an intro and would be valuable for undergraduate studies in psychology, philosophy or apologetics.

[J. Rutherford · Rating 4 out of 5]

For the past ten years, I have had a particular interest in the brain sciences. As someone who studies both theology and philosophy, I am keenly aware of the theological, philosophical, and so ethical/practical implications of contemporary cognitive sciences—I also happen to be missing an amygdala and hippocampus, along with other grey matter, so I have a somewhat personal investment in the matter. Some of the strongest attacks on Christianity in the 21st century have emerged from cognitive sciences, so having a Christian perspective is particularly valuable for helping Christians confronted with these challenges to think more Biblically about them. For these reasons, I was delighted to receive a copy of Bradley Sickler’s God on the Brain as part of the Crossway blog review program. Sickler has delivered a clear and helpful discussion of the cognitive sciences within a Christian worldview, looking “at recent scholarship on brains to see how it provides orthodox Christian anthropology with some serious food for thought and, hopefully, develop a framework to think through what it all means” (14). Sickler is a clear writer, but the matters addressed and the philosophical issues involved put the register a bit higher than is accessible for the average Christian. It is well written and suitable for the student or pastor.
Across the book’s ten chapters, Sickler unpacks the broader debate over science and faith and then zooms in on the questions raised by the cognitive sciences. After outlining a bit of the biblical anthropology in chapter 1—adopting a dualist approach to body and soul—chapters 2 and 3 consider the relationship between science and Christianity. Sickler rejects the view that they are in conflict and the idea that they address entirely different spheres. He adopts a general picture of science as a reflection on the data of experience and analysis within a Christian worldview, seeing God as the one who orchestrates and governs the world observed by the sciences (63): “It is by and through a biblical lens that we will look at the enthralling world of the brain” (63). In Chapter 4, he considers two ways evolution explains the development of religiosity, arguing that the Biblical account is a far more compelling explanation of the data. Chapter 5 discusses the phenomenon of consciousness and how it is not reducible to brain states. Chapter 6 addresses challenges to the belief in the soul, addressing the underlying assumption that a naturalistic interpretation is always to be preferred. Moving in a more philosophical direction, Chapter 7 considers the mind-body problem, Chapter 8 the nature of free will, Chapter 9 the relationship between evolutionary naturalism and science itself. In these chapters, Sickler argues that none of the data of the cognitive sciences presents a challenge to Christianity; indeed, in many cases, the Christian worldview does more justice to the data. Finally, in Chapter 10, he unpacks the contemporary philosophical view known as “Reformed Epistemology,” arguing that this is a strongly supported epistemological model that upholds the rationality of belief in God.
As a whole, I think Sickler offers a compelling demonstration that given its own assumptions, the naturalistic interpretation of cognitive sciences pales in comparison to Christianity. There are several areas where I think the argument could be improved, but they do not detract from the overall value of the book for dealing with the challenges of cognitive sciences. For one, I think that as Christians we should move beyond the fact that Christianity explains the data well (the inductive argument) to show how we have a sure reason to believe in the validity of belief in Christ, the existence of more than matter, etc. because of God’s authoritative revelation. Additionally, I think that it is unhelpful to identify naturalistic determinism and theological compatibilism as the same position. In the former case, naturalistic determinism believes that all human decisions are explainable by purely physical causes; on this position, any claim to freedom or moral responsibility is illusory. It has no ground. On the other hand, compatibilism believes there is a subjective cause but no physical cause for every human decision; freedom is grounded not in the absence of causation but the grounding of causation in the self. The resulting metaphysic is quite complicated and is certainly deterministic. However, it corresponds to our experience, and we can affirm responsibility because it is within such a model that the Bible affirms human responsibility. For this reason, when it comes to ethics, I think theological determinism provides more of an advantage over against naturalistic determinism than libertarianism. (See my book, Prevenient Grace 2nd Ed (2020, Teleioteti).) I also think that Reformed Epistemology is insufficient for a Christian account of knowledge; it serves its purpose of warranting the rationality of Christian faith within a secular philosophical framework, but I have never understood why we ought to seek such warrant. I find Van Til’s account of presuppositionalism, where right knowledge is grounded in the authority of God over against the independent authority of man, far more cogent and persuasive. However, despite these minor quibbles, I recommend the book as a helpful book for strengthening one’s own faith and being equipped to answer the challenges encountered by those to whom we minister.

[Josh Olds · Rating 4 out of 5]

God on the Brain is a heavy read. Of course, the subtitle: What Cognitive Science Does (and Does Not) Tell Us about Faith, Human Nature, and the Divine could have told you that. As humans have learned more about themselves, we have often mistaken the knowledge of how something works with the knowledge of why it works or how it began. If we understand it, then it can’t be of God. Dr. Bradley Sickler debunks that theory, showing us how these advances in brain science actually go a long way to connecting us to our Creator.

I want to be clear from the outset that I would consider this an academic book. It’s chock full of references and scientific quotes. I’m a theologian, not a scientist, and there were a few times I had to pause my reading and open Wikipedia or some other resource to more fully understand what was being said. The early chapters focus on the connection between science and Christianity. These are important chapters because many Christians often downplay the validity of science and science sometimes downplays the validity of Christianity. Sickler shows how the two work together to reveal God and his world to us.

The next set of chapters tells with mind-body integration and arguments for the existence of the soul. This is important because, without a soul there is little to nothing that separates man from the rest of creation. Sickler deftly moves through a few different arguments against the soulishness of man, showing their insufficiencies and highlighting how the spiritual and material could work together.

Overall, God on the Brain cogently and thoroughly examines cognitive sciences in light of the Gospel and concludes that the Christian worldview is actually the one that makes the most sense of our current scientific knowledge. While this book is difficult to read at times—it’s probably best suited for a philosophy class—I would encourage lay readers who are dismissive of modern science as anti-God to read this and see how science can uphold the Scriptural view of humans as both spiritual and physical.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book to be a very interesting read regarding cognitive science and Christianity. The author defends a dualistic view regarding the body and soul. I would note, however, that it appears that he uses soul and mind interchangeably without a clear definition of either. When he discussed the Hebrew word nephish in Genesis 2: 7, 19 he does mention that the word is used of humans and animals, but I believe he misses the The translation that says, "Then the Lord God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being (nephish). Genesis 2:7 (NASB95). Genesis 2:19 states: "Out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the sky, and brought them to the man to see what he would call them; and whatever the man called a living (nephish) creature, that was its name." Genesis 2:19 (NASB95). It is important to note that the text does not say that God bestowed upon humankind an "immaterial soul.

Those two points aside the book is very informative the places where cognitive science and Christianiy intersect (in agreement) and where they collide (in disagreement). He rightfully points out that a naturalistic viewpoint does not give our cognitive faculties any reliability. He writes, "No rational process or way of knowing will be safe if we are cut off in principle from knowing things that cannot be proved through sensory perception." He goes on to write, "It assumes that what we judge as solid reasoning really is solid, but it leaves us no resources for judging the weak from the strong."

He also includes C.S. Lewis's argument,

"Supposing there was no intelligence behind the universe, no creative mind. In that case, nobody designed my brain for the purpose of thinking. It is merely that when the atoms inside my skull happen, for physical or chemical reasons, to arrange themselves in a certain way, this gives me, as a by-product, the sensation I call thought . But, if so, how can I trust my own thinking to be true? It’s like upsetting a milk jug and hoping that the way it splashes itself will give you a map of London. But if I can’t trust my own thinking, of course I can’t trust the arguments leading to Atheism, and therefore have no reason to be an Atheist, or anything else. Unless I believe in God, I cannot believe in thought: so I can never use thought to disbelieve in God."

He also points out that the naturalistic worldview cannot ground morality, or provide any framework for making moral truth objective.

In the end he concludes that the "neuroscientific findings can be integrated in both a theistic as well as an atheistic worldview but these views are not entailed by the empirical evidence itself.

This book has been provided courtesy of InterVarsity Press and NetGalley without requiring a positive review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.

[Nicholas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Advances are being made regularly in the field of cognitive science and our understanding of the human brain. While some theorists and atheistic philosophers try to hang on to the idea that humans are no more than our brains, others are seeing how extraordinary and complex the brain really is. And this complexity, which includes the apparent hardwiring for belief in God and for a desire to behave in positively moral ways, speaks loudly of our Creator and His relationship with the people He created.

Written by a Christian professor pf philosophy and theologician, this book demonstrates how new discoveries about the human brain are reinforcing the biblical view of how humans relate to God, and the inherent worth of humanity because of God's apparent intention to create our brains so that we can communicate with Him directly - and He with us.

A very informative and thought-provoking book, and highly recommended for Christians and others with an interest in the implications of the cutting-edge discoveries of the neurosciences.

[Reyna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like to read everything about the brain. I like to read about neuroscience and new discoveries in this mysterious part of our body. When I saw this title in Crossway it captured my attention because it is not common for this publisher this kind of content, but am all in. I am always nervous about authors I don´t know but I like to get to know them. I think every Christian counselor must keep reading about this kind of topics when they are available. It is interesting to read about a lot of philosopher ideas, and also many views of the mind and other concerns about mind and body. Human nature is amazing.

[Amber Thiessen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Addressing questions about the relationship between science and Christianity, this books seeks to provide a biblical understanding of human nature in the context of cognitive science. It was an interesting, challenging read.

[Kieran Grubb · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a good stab at the "has science disproved God question." The reasoning for a lot of it was sound. He potentially tried to tackle too much in such a short book.

Helpful to dig into surface level arguements surrounding Science and Religion. A great read!!

[Robert Stanton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think he makes a good defense of a dualistic view of the world .

[Ben · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was good.

Very scientific and actually quite surprisingly esoteric. Learned quite a lot from it, but just didn't love the writing style as much.

🧠✝️

3.0/5

[Skylar · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the middle chapters, particularly chapter 7 on Freedom.

[Nathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good.