Neuroplastisitas dan Pemulihan Rancangan Ilahi dalam Konseling Pastoral Modern: Integrasi Iman Kristen dan Sains
Keywords:
neuroplasticity, renewal of mind, pastoral counseling, Christian faith, divine designAbstract
Advances in modern neuroscience, particularly the concept of neuroplasticity, have provided new insights into the human capacity for continuous mental and emotional transformation. From a Christian theological standpoint, this concept resonates deeply with the biblical notion of the renewal of the mind (Romans 12:2), in which human beings are called to be restored according to God’s divine design. This article aims to integrate neuroplasticity with the theological doctrines of creation and redemption to enrich pastoral counseling and Christian psychology. Using a qualitative-reflective literature review, it explores the relationship between the brain’s adaptive structures and the spiritual process of being conformed to the image of Christ. Findings indicate that faith and science are not opposing systems but complementary frameworks that together explain the holistic transformation of humanity. Neuroplasticity provides a scientific model affirming the potential for psychological and spiritual recovery, while Christian faith offers the teleological orientation of that change—the restoration of the divine design within the human person. Thus, this integrative approach offers a contemporary paradigm for pastoral counseling grounded in both neuroscience and theology.
References
Beck, J. S. (2021). Cognitive behavior therapy: Basics and beyond (3rd ed.). Guilford Press.
Benner, D. G. (2021). Spiritual formation and the science of transformation. Brazos Press.
Calvin, J. (1559/2018). Institutes of the Christian religion (H. Beveridge, Trans.). Hendrickson Publishers.
Clear, J. (2019). Atomic habits: An easy and proven way to build good habits and break bad ones. Penguin.
Creswell, J. W., & Poth, C. N. (2018). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches (4th ed.). Sage Publications.
Davidson, R. J., & Dahl, C. J. (2018). Outstanding challenges in scientific research on mindfulness and meditation. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 13(1), 62–65. https://doi.org/10.1177/1745691617709589
Doidge, N. (2020). The brain that changes itself: Stories of personal triumph from the frontiers of brain science. Penguin Books.
Doidge, N. (2021). The brain’s way of healing: Remarkable discoveries and recoveries from the frontiers of neuroplasticity. Penguin Books.
Grenz, S. J., & Olson, R. E. (2020). Who needs theology? An invitation to the study of God. InterVarsity Press.
Hall, M. E. L., & Porter, S. L. (2020). Psychology in the spirit: Contours of a transformational psychology. InterVarsity Academic.
Johnson, E. L. (2021). Foundations for soul care: A Christian psychology proposal. InterVarsity Press.
Koenig, H. G. (2021). Religion and mental health: Research and clinical applications. Academic Press.
Kolb, B., & Gibb, R. (2021). Brain plasticity and behavior in the developing brain. Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, 48, 100939. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dcn.2021.100939
Lincoln, Y. S., & Guba, E. G. (2020). Naturalistic inquiry (2nd ed.). Sage Publications.
Louw, D. (2016). Wholeness in hope care: On nurturing the beauty of the human soul in spiritual healing. LIT Verlag.
McAdams, D. P. (2020). The strange life of narrative identity: Telling, living, and reflecting stories of the self. Oxford University Press.
McMinn, M. R. (2019). Psychology, theology, and spirituality in Christian counseling (2nd ed.). Tyndale House Publishers.
McMinn, M. R., & Campbell, C. D. (2022). Integrative psychotherapy: Toward a comprehensive Christian approach. IVP Academic.
Middleton, J. R. (2019). The liberating image: The imago Dei in Genesis 1. Brazos Press.
Moo, D. J. (2018). The letter to the Romans (2nd ed.). Eerdmans.
Murphy, N. (2018). Bodies and souls, or spirited bodies? Cambridge University Press.
Newberg, A. B., & Waldman, M. R. (2018). Neurotheology: How science can enlighten us about spirituality. Columbia University Press.
Newberg, A. B., & Waldman, M. R. (2023). The transcendence of the brain: Exploring the neuroscience of spiritual experience. Columbia University Press.
Osmer, R. R. (2018). Practical theology: An introduction. Eerdmans.
Plantinga, A. (2019). Knowledge and Christian belief. Eerdmans.
Siegel, D. J. (2020). The developing mind: How relationships and the brain interact to shape who we are (3rd ed.). Guilford Press.
Tang, Y.-Y., Hölzel, B. K., & Posner, M. I. (2022). The neuroscience of mindfulness meditation: How the body and mind connect. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 23(5), 321–339. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41583-022-00567-2
Thompson, K. (2020). Redeeming the mind: A Christian approach to cognitive transformation. Baker Academic.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 SILOAM: Jurnal Teologi dan Pendidikan Kristen
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
