The Case for Christian Physicalism

Adventists are “physicalists”, most of them without knowing what that term means. Usually, Adventist theologians would say they have a holistic view of the human being. We believe that we as humans don’t have souls, but that we are souls, that is, living creatures. When we die, we cease existing, and the Resurrection is in a quite literal sense a re-creation of our whole beings.

As you may be aware, most Christians don’t think that way about humans. Most Christians are dualists. Some Christians even believe that the physical world is limiting our full potential, imagining that the real and full existence begins when we’re freed from these earthly bodies. Of course, this platonic heresy undermines the Christian teachings concerning the resurrection and recreation and leads to weird views concerning the world we inhabit and particularly our bodies. I believe a much safer way to go is to think of the human being in holistic terms. As Christian physicalists.

On the Internet, I believe one of the most interesting proponents of this view is Glenn Peoples from New Zealand (you’ll notice his funny accent). He’s trained in Philosophy, and lots of his arguments are from philosophy, but nevertheless he does provide Biblical evidence. In his view, physicalism is what the Bible teaches, and the Biblical case for dualism he describes as surprisingly weak. He’s explained his views in a number of podcasts. I recommend you listen to them, they’re very informative.

Say Hello to My Little Friend (his own podcast)

• Part 1
• Part 2
• Part 3
• Part 4 
• Part 5

In this series, he basically walks through all the philosophical views people might hold concerning the “soul” and explores the arguments for and against. He concludes the series (in chapter 5) with a Biblical case for physicalism. Some people might want to jump straight to that episode if their interest in philosophy is limited.

Unbelievable (Premier Christian Radio, UK)

Unbelievable? 4 Sep 2010 – Christian Physicalism (Do we have a soul?)

This is my favourite radio show. Its quality is mainly due to its very competent producer and host, Justin Brierly. This is where I first encountered Glenn Peoples and his view on the soul.

Theopologetics

• http://theopologetics.podbean.com/2010/10/01/episode-12-lets-get-physical/
• http://theopologetics.podbean.com/2010/10/22/episode-15-soul-man/
• http://theopologetics.podbean.com/2010/10/22/episode-16-soul-meets-body/

This is a podcast on theology, basically. Glenn Peoples was the guest of a couple of episodes where he explained his views. The host doesn’t agree with him entirely and does his best to challenge him.