The Table Video
The Gospel According to Neuroscience - Curt Thompson Part 2
Transcript
[air whooshing] [ethereal choral music]
Narrator: What does it mean to preach the gospel in the language of neuroscience? We asked psychiatrist Kurt Thompson to explain that idea. And he pointed out that it’s more than standing behind a pulpit or preaching a Sunday sermon. It actually has more to do with–
A broad spectrum of life interaction. That’s not just about how I preach a sermon. It’s also, how do I have a conversation with my parishioner in my office? It’s about, how are we gonna do small group work? It’s about, how are we going to be confessional? And by this I don’t just mean the creeds. I mean, how do we practice confession? How do we practice life in the body?
Narrator: That said, how much neuroscience [bubbles popping] do pastors need to know to care for their community? [bell rings] And how should they apply it?
Jesus used a number of different metaphors in his stories to tell the truth about the kingdom of God. I don’t know that Jesus necessarily was an expert at farming, but he knew some things about planting seeds. He knew the basics well enough to be able to use that material in a way that was helpful for the people to whom he was speaking. There’s no, I think, set of absolutes regarding, “Well, what are the things “that the pastor has to know? “If i can check those things off.” But it probably would be helpful for them to know that memory is playing a major role in their experience with their congregation. It would be helpful for them to know, for instance, that when they preach a sermon, within 24 hours, their congregation is only gonna remember about 3% of it. And that is largely not gonna come in terms of language. It’s gonna come in terms of the pictures that they take home, the images, the sensations, the feelings and so forth, which I would guess is gonna be important for a pastor then to know, “What does that mean? “How am I gonna preach a sermon? “How are we gonna do liturgy? “How are we gonna do a lot of different things “if we’re learning about the way God uses the mind, “in order to change our minds?”
Narrator: Make sure to check out each of the clips [bubbles popping] from our interview with Kurt Thompson. And for more resources related to neuroscience in the soul, go to the Center for Christian Thoughts website at cct.biola.edu.
