Volume 11, Issue 2, 2009
Religious Diversity: A Dialogue
John W. Cooper
Pages 453-464
Exaggerated Rumors of Dualism’s Demise
A Review Essay on Body, Soul, and Human Life
Green’s book outlines a wholistic vision of human nature, the Christian life, and life after death using “neuro-hermeneutics,” his approach to biblical interpretation integrated with neuroscience and psychology. He argues that a comprehensive vision of Christianity implies body-soul monism and undermines dualism. I respond that these sciences are consistent with dualist as well as monist anthropologies. I examine his exegetical arguments for anthropological monism from the eschatological texts of Luke–Acts and the Corinthian epistles, find them wanting, and show why they actually imply dualism. I conclude that Green has neither undermined dualism nor warranted monism.