S2 E14 Jessie Cruikshank | The Dream Crusher | Deep Learning, Brain Science, & Discipleship

🎙️ Episode Summary
In this episode, we sit down with Jesse Cruikshank—neuroscientist, author, missional strategist, and former roller derby player (yes, really!)—to dive deep into the brain science of discipleship. We unpack how our understanding of spiritual formation has been shaped more by the Enlightenment than by Scripture, and how the way we teach and learn often inoculates us against transformation rather than leading us into it.

This conversation is a must-listen for anyone wrestling with how the church should teach, disciple, and form people into the way of Jesus. Spoiler: it's not through 40-minute sermons and passive listening.

📌 Key Themes & Topics:

• The difference between semantic memory (facts) and autobiographical memory (identity & transformation)
• Why most sermons and passive teaching methods don't lead to real change
• How risk, experience, and relational learning create real discipleship
• The Enlightenment’s impact on the church and why we prioritize information over formation
• Why status and power play such a major role in how we think about church leadership
• How to rethink church gatherings to actually form people spiritually
• Why shame can only be healed in community and not in your prayer closet
• The importance of identity formation in discipleship

💡 Notable Quotes:
🧠 "Your brain doesn’t care about truth—it cares about identity. If we were designed to seek truth, it wouldn’t hurt to change our minds."
📖 "The way we teach in church actually inoculates people against transformation. They think they know something just because they heard it."
⛪ "We’ve been handed a model of church from the Enlightenment that prioritizes intellect, status, and control—none of which actually transform people into Christlikeness."
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 "How do you deep-teach your children? Do you sit them down for a 40-minute monologue? No. You teach them in the rhythms of everyday life. Why do we think church should be different?"