A Brain's Reading Guide to the Gospels

The characters in Bible narratives were real people, and as such they can be understood through the disciplines of psychology and neuroscience, sciences that describe and explain the thoughts and behaviors of people. I have spent my life reading and teaching two major things: the Bible and the science of psychology and neuroscience. The aim of this book is to explore the interconnection between these two things. By focusing on the Gospel narratives, this book analyzes the teachings and stories of Jesus, the lives of other Gospel characters, and the interactions between people and Jesus during His ministry. Each chapter focuses on a specific psychological concept: things like emotions, habits, memory, and cognitive biases. I teach toward a basic understanding of that concept and introduce information from cutting-edge neuroscience research to deepen your knowledge about the brain and mind. Then, I apply that knowledge about psychology and neuroscience to understand how characters acted in the Gospel narratives, interpret parables Jesus taught, and explain how we read the Bible through sometimes distorted lenses. Overall, I believe that a deeper understanding of humans through the science of psychology gives us greater awe and wonder of God and what He did and does for us.