Essentially, what scientists do who work in this field is scan the brains of people as they are involved in spiritual activities, such as prayer or meditation. Certain recurring patterns of brain activity have been observed through such studies, and this gives people like Dr. Andrew Newberg hope that neurotheology can help us to understand the role of religion in our lives a little better.

As he explained to NPR's Neal Conan, while neurotheology "won't provide definitive findings about things like the existence of a higher power, it will provide deeper understanding of what it means for people to be religious." Dr. Newberg told CNN's A. Chris Gajilan, back in April, 2007, "these brain scans may provide proof that our brains are built to believe in God."

That, of course, will remain a matter of one's perspective.

In an article posted at the Slate website, and dated April 26, 2007, George Johnson summarized the findings and promise of neurotheological studies: "Either the brain naturally or through a malfunction manufactures religous delusions, or some otherworldly presence speaks to homo sapiens through the language of neurological pulses. Hot in pursuit of this undecidable proposition, neurotheology will keep on churning out data - but when it comes to the biggest questions, it will never have much to say."

Many Christians are wary of any dialog between science and theology, especially when it comes to the question of which ought to be the lens through which we understand the other (and everything else). Should faith be the guiding factor in religion and science? Or should science define the nature and limits of religious experience and all of life?

Dialog is possible, of course, and should be encouraged. But Christians must always be wary of trusting in science - or any form of rationalism - for the final explanations of what constitutes religious belief or the meaning and purpose of life. Science by its very nature can only observe and make conclusions about physical matter. In the Christian faith there are plenty of non-physical things - like God and the soul, for example - which will never be accessible to scientific research, if only because of their very nature.

Moreover, all science proceeds as an act of faith, following a set of unprovable assumptions which guide all its work and conclusions. Thus, Christians can never expect that science will be able to "prove" anything relative to spiritual experience. It can make observations and record data, but "when it comes to the biggest questions" - Is there a God? Can souls be saved? Do we go to heaven when we die? Is sanctification possible? - science "will never have much to say."

These investigations are interesting, but Christians won't put much stock in them as guides to a richer experience of God. Neuroscientists want to reduce all human experience to brain activity - talk about gross generalizations! - but Christians will never be able to agree that human experience can be explained only by what happens in the brain.

Let's keep an open mind and try to stay apace of such studies. However, at the end of the day, we must remember that we walk by faith and not by sight, and that's not a bad thing. It's the way everyone lives. What the Christian must always be eager to demonstrate is that faith in God and Christ, according to Scripture and in the power of the Spirit, makes for maximum human fulfillment and flourishing.

Additional related texts: Proverbs 14.12; Psalm 36.9; Isaiah 55.6-9; Galatians 5.5-16

A conversation starter: "Some neuroscientists believe they can understand God and religion better by studying our brains. But isn't religion more than brain waves? Is this where we should be looking in order to learn about God?"

T. M. Moore