Streaming Video

Spiritual Formation, Virtue Ethics, and Christian Anthropology
J.P. Moreland

• Date: 6/22/2022
• Occasion: Lecture for the Center for Faith and Culture at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary.
• Media Type: Streaming Video
• Audience: Intermediate
• Kingdom Categories: Life of the Mind, Spiritual Formation

I enjoyed giving a lecture at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, bringing some philosophical tools to bear on how we think of Christian theological issues in anthropology and spiritual formation.

First, I lay out some metaphysical concepts to help explain what I understand a human person to be. Second, I present my understanding of what is the 'body' and the 'soul' and their interrelationship one to another. Third, I provide some application of my view to spiritual formation and growth, including how we can address anxiety and depression. I show how my view matters when reading scripture and understanding the important role of the body in spiritual formation practices.

Some highlighted sections:

• 10:34: On 'separable parts'
• 11:54: On 'substance'
• 24:29: On soul in the body
• 29:03: On spiritual practices
• 42:49: On presenting your brain to God
• 50:47: On whether there is any sin in the human soul
• 54:34: On what happens to the soul of an animal when it does
• 1:01:39: On higher brain function criterion.

Benefits:

• It provides some basic introduction to core metaphysical concepts.
• It models integration of philosophy, theology, and spiritual formation.
• It shows the relevance of philosophical anthropology to matters of Christian discipleship and spiritual practice.

Get this talk.