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.
What follows is for those who are in time zones that allow you to join the three Saturday Zoom meetings at 15:00 UTC (here’s a simple UTC time converter). If not, you may take the course online using the Canvas Learning Management System (LMS). If you prefer this option, click here.
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.
You may register for this course at the bottom of this page.
Course Objectives
By the end of this course, students will be able to:
Explain key terms and ideas in biblical and philosophical anthropology
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 (59 minutes) 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 Anthropology (35 minutes) will 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 Dualism (43 minutes) looks at four ways physicalists often respond to arguments for the soul, and responses.
Lecture 4: How the Holistic Dualism Helps Us Better Love Others (39 minutes) applies 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 after registration)
The class will meet on Zoom three times:
Course Introduction: Saturday, May 23, 2026 - 15:00-16:00 UTC (here’s a simple UTC time converter)
Discussion of lectures 1 and 2: Saturday, June 6, 2026 - 15:00-16:30 UTC
Discussion of lectures 3 and 4: Saturday, June 20, 2026 - 15:00-16:30 UTC
Required Materials
Computer with a camera, microphone, and Zoom
Internet Access
Administrator
Gary Ayers
Certificate Requirements
You may audit this course, in which case no assignments are due. However, you will not be able to submit questions for discussion, or earn a certificate, the benefits of which are discussed during the Course Introduction session on May 23.
To earn a certificate, all six requirements must be satisfactorily completed by their due dates.
1. Attend Session 1 (Course Introduction, 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 record your attendance. So be sure to attend the entire class!
*Note: The Course Introduction will discuss the other assignments.
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.
3. Attend Session 2 (Discussion of Lectures 1 and 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 (Discussion of Lectures 3 and 4, 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. Note: AI-generated papers will be disqualified.
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).
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.