Bodies, Souls, and Human Flourishing
“Without knowledge of the self there is no knowledge of God.”
–John Calvin, The Knowledge of God and of Ourselves.
This mini-course will explore what the Bible says about our soul, what philosophy can add to this understanding, and how this all relates to the findings of neuroscience. With a clear understanding of the soul, body, and their relationship, we will discuss how we can use this in apologetic conversations and engage some contemporary cultural challenges, including gender ideology and biomedical ethics. The lectures will outline some of the high points of the author’s recent book on this topic: Have We Lost Our Minds? Neuroscience, Neurotheology, the Soul, and Human Flourishing.
One of the strongest arguments for the existence of God is the reality of the soul. This dispels the myth that we, along with everything else, are merely physical beings. And if we have an immaterial dimension, the only way to account for this fact is a cause that is also immaterial–God. We must be able to make this case to an unbelieving world.
Furthermore, with advances in neuroscience, many Christians are confused about whether we actually have a soul, and if so, what the soul is, how it is related to the body (and especially the brain), and how this relates to the cultural issues of our day and ultimately human flourishing. Therefore, we must be able to help fellow believers understand and defend the reality of the soul as well.
Explain key terms and ideas in biblical and philosophical anthropology
Course Objectives
By the end of this course, students will be able to:
Defend a sound biblical/ philosophical anthropology
Critique anthropologies inconsistent with the biblical worldview
Apply this understanding to apologetic and cultural issues.
The course will follow a “flipped-classroom” model. Students will watch lectures before class and submit questions for discussion. The Instructor will choose the top five questions to discuss during the class sessions.
Lecture 1: The True Nature of Our Souls and Bodies, will explore what the Bible teaches about the soul and body, and bring more nuance from the findings of philosophy.
Lecture 2: A Very Popular–But Very Wrong–Alternative Anthropologywill discuss the alternative view of what we are: merely physical beings, both among non-believers (secular physicalism) and among some believers (Christian physicalism). Five arguments proving the soul exists will be discussed.
Lecture 3: Responding to Four Objections to Holistic Dualismlooks at four ways physicalists often respond to arguments for the soul, and responses.
Lecture 4: How the Holistic Dualism Helps Us Better Love Othersapplies what we have learned to issues such as the reality of the immaterial realm and God’s existence, gender ideologies, and biomedical ethics.
(*links to all four lectures will be sent upon registration)
The class will meet on Zoom three times*:
Saturday, May 23, 2026 - 15:00-16:00 UTC (here’s a simple UTC time converter)
Saturday, June 6, 2026 - 15:00-16:30 UTC
Saturday, June 20, 2026 - 15:00-16:30 UTC
*If your time zone does not allow you to attend these sessions, please consider taking the class asynchronously here.
Required Materials
Computer with a camera, microphone, and Zoom
Internet Access
Administrator
Dr. Stan Wallace
WhatsApp: +1 913-747-5774
Requirements (all six must be satisfactorily completed to receive a Certificate)
1. Attend Session 1 (May 23) and register attendance*.
*Note: For this and the other two sessions, as we draw to a close a link will be provided in the Zoom Chat for you to register your attendance. So be sure to attend the entire class!
2. Watch the first and second lectures and submit one discussion question per lecture.
Questions about lectures one and two must be submitted by May 30 to receive credit, and you must submit the questions under the same name you used to register.
Submit lecture one questions here
Submit lecture two questions here
3. Attend Session 2 (June 6) and register attendance
4. Watch the third and fourth lectures and submit one discussion question per lecture.
Questions about lectures three and four must be submitted by June 13 to receive credit.
5. Attend Session 3 (June 20) and register attendance
6. Submit final paper
Topic: A question you have had, or a skeptic has raised, about any issue discussed in this mini-course. Include a clear statement of the question, how you are now prepared to respond, objections that may be raised to your response(s), and your replies to these objections.
Length: Three pages (Times New Roman 12 point font, 2.5 cm/1 inch margins).
Format: PDF
Submit to: Administrator
Due by: July 4, 2026
Evaluation Criterion: Does the paper indicate you are able to answer this question adequately the next time it arises?
Award: The author and best paper (as determined by the instructor) will be featured on the Apologetics on Mission website and as a guest author/article in AoM’s “Apologetics Notes” email (sent to over 700 recipients). (all six must be satisfactorily completed to receive a Certificate)
Assignment Make-up Policy
Given the brevity of this mini-course, late/makeup work will not be accepted.
Communication
If you have any questions, technical difficulties, or other concerns, please contact the Administrator.