Living Faith with Both Sides of the Brain (Jim Paul, L’Abri Worker)

In his most recent books The Master and His Emissary (2009) and The Matter with Things (2021), psychiatrist and neuroscientist Ian McGilchrist has explored the meaning of the asymmetry between the right and left hemispheres of the brain. His thesis is that we are in a period in history where the West has become obsessed with the reductionistic, decontextualised, algorithmic thinking of the left brain, whilst devaluing the holistic, integrated and lived experience of the right brain. I will be exploring the implications of McGilchrist’s thesis for Christian faith and asking whether his ideas might help us understand why many Christians today feel their faith lacks a living experience of God.

Please note that the ideas expressed in this lecture do not necessarily represent the views of L’Abri Fellowship.

For more resources, visit the L'Abri Ideas Library at labriideaslibrary.org. The library contains over two thousand lectures and discussions that explore questions about the reality and relevance of Christianity.

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