On Human Natures: Psychological Science in the Service of Theology, EXPANDING ON Seminars for Theologians

What new insights concerning human nature may be discovered when theology and psychological science are brought together? Expanding upon the initial seminar work in Grant ID: 60878 (dubbed “TheoPsych”) we will resource both the existing network of TheoPsych scholars and a wider audience. This resourcing will primarily concern psychological science focused on specific topics directly relevant to theologians. Grant ID: 60878 themes were: 1) The Created and Fallen Image of God, 2) Completely Human, Completely Divine, and 3) Restoring Human Nature. We will adapt seminar content that served as the core of the TheoPsych seminars and make it more broadly available through online learning modules and partnerships with relevant theological centers and collaborators (e.g., Logos Institute, Yale Center for Faith and Culture, Edinburgh Science and Religion Program, etc.) A short e-book primer for theologians will be developed to help “glue” the multimedia content together. We will deepen connections among past seminar participants by convening an online conference for them, and then equip these TheoPsych scholars to take their colleagues and peers through the material. In this way, the TheoPsych network will be expanded. We will seek to gather papers into one or more online, open access theology journal issues to use as exemplars of how psychological science might be integrated with theology. Finally, as we did for the first two TheoPsych cohorts, we will hold an awards program to support the further development and work of the third cohort seminar participants. The likely impact of our project is the development of a network of scholars focused on integrating psychological science with theological research on “Human Natures.” This new theological research will be science-informed, leading to new insights, raising new questions, and stimulating scientific research.