123 Why We Gather: The Neuroscience Behind Corporate Worship (with Dr. Joshua Cockanye)

Attaching to God: Neuroscience-informed Spiritual Formation

Is corporate worship just the transfer of information? Or to whip up our emotions into a frenzy? Or does corporate worship do something else?

In this episode, host Geoff Holsclaw engages with Reverend Dr. Joshua Cockayne about corporate worship, joint attention in spiritual formation, and perspectives from developmental psychology, attachment theory, and neuroscience. This episode challenges the traditional dichotomy between cognition and affect, proposing a more nuanced understanding of worship as a communal, transformative experience.

Dr Joshua Cockayne is the Director of the Bede Centre for Church Planting Theology at Cranmer Hall in Durham, UK, where he also lectures on mission and evangelism. He is the co-author of several books, including Dawn of Sunday: The Trinity and Trauma Safe Churches, and more recently, Why We Gather: Psychology, Theology and Liturgical Practice.

Dive deeper in our new book, Landscapes of the Soul: How the Science and Spirituality of Attachment Can Move You into Confident Faith, Courage, and Connection, and learn about our trainings and other resources at embodiedfaith.life.

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