Behind all the impressive language of “brain science” is a lurking question that the “neurotheology” of LMW cannot actually answer without betraying the entire premise of Renovated.
If my brain’s “fast track” is currently wired to respond poorly to certain experiences, How is it that I am able to stand aside, look at myself, and make the decision to retrain my brain to do better?
To state the obvious, this kind of self-analysis (according to Wilder) all takes place in the “slow track” of the brain. In fact, all of Wilder’s book is a “slow track” analysis of the problem of how to produce change.
So now rephrasing the question a bit: How is it possible for the brain’s “slow track” to look at the “fast track” and call it into question? Why doesn’t the “fast track” override the “slow track” and shut it down?
Significantly, every step in that process of change advocated by Wilder uses the “slow track” to correct the problem in the “fast track”! It is the only way that any change occurs, because otherwise the “fast track” will simply keep on overriding any reasonable alternative.
Second, let’s slow the process down even further and look at how LMW teaches a person to retrain their “fast track”.
- Person becomes aware that: (a) their automatic reaction is not healthy; (b) it is not the only way to react to that kind of experience; (c) other options can be investigated; (d) new ways of reacting can be trained into their brain.
- Person invests some thoughtful analysis regarding: (a) what exactly they will need to practice in order to correct the problem; (b) if they can locate the necessary information, support and encouragement to follow through until the new pattern is embedded in their brain; (c) if they want the change badly enough to put forth the effort.
- Person makes a conscious choice to pursue the training.
- Person routinely engages in the necessary training experiences.
Again, notice how (according to Wilder) every one of those steps takes place in the “slow track” of the brain. None of this is automatic. It requires deliberate, slow effort to engage in brain training! Yet he repeatedly insists that the “slow track” does not produce much change!
That alone should tell us something about the self-contradicting nature of this theory!
But it gets better!
Notice, too, that the process just described follows the pattern of “Vision, Intention, and Means“; precisely the model described by Dallas Willard for producing change in our flesh! First a Vision is formed regarding what needs to be corrected and how that might occur; then an Intentional decision is made to pursue the training; and finally the person engages in the practical Means of training.
To put this another way: In order to follow Jim Wilder’s plan for living from the “fast track” of our brain, a person needs to incorporate Dallas Willard’s model of VIM to produce the necessary change; the very model that Wilder declares over and over to not work well at all!
Do you see, my friend, how utterly incoherent this all is! Wilder has to contradict his own premises and use the very pattern he criticizes in order to produce the kind of brain that he argues is needed in order to live well.
Now let’s take this one step further and look at how Dallas Willard describes one of the main reasons that VIM produces change.
In short, the Bible teaches over and over that for the Christian, the spirit and soul of a person has dominion over their flesh! That is part of the freedom we have in Christ. We are no longer slaves to the flesh, but can “by the Spirit, put to death the deeds of the flesh” (Rom.8:13, and elsewhere).
And to be clear, “flesh” in this context refers to our natural human faculties and abilities, including our brain; the manner in which we were formed by the world to live as the world lives.
We need to say this again: as Christians, our Soul has dominion over our flesh.
That is why we can stand aside, look at ourselves, take those observations to God, ask for His help, submit to the necessary spiritual practices that will transform our flesh (including our brain), and become more who God created us to be!
All of Wilder’s extensive use of scientific language to bolster his theory of change is nothing more than smoke and mirrors to distract the reader from the fact that his premises are actually self-contradictory and without substance. And worse, Wilder is essentially arguing that the flesh has dominion over the soul!
So to state what ought to be obvious by now, Wilder’s “neurotheology” actually makes no effort at all to bring together neurology and theology, but rather attempts to create theology from neurology, which is simply not possible, because science lacks the tools to either describe or analyse the Unseen Realm in which we live.
Please! It is way past time that we put to rest this deeply flawed approach to developing our spiritual life! And it is time to call Renovated what it truly is: A Terribly Misinformed and Deeply Misleading Critique of Spiritual Formation as taught by Dallas Willard.