March 9, 2020
Wilder (Rare Leadership), founder of Life Model Works, an organization that incorporates brain science research into the development of Bible-based religious practices, delivers an in-depth if convoluted study of a “soteriology of attachment” based on the blending of neuroscience and theology. Arguing that neuroscience proves people can be retrained into better habits (what Wilder calls “character”) through “attachment love” (“vision, attention, and means” that come from an “active force created by an attachment”), he proposes that attachment to God can bring about deep character change for Christians. He structures the book around talks given by the late philosopher Dallas Willard, alternating between Willard’s talks and his own commentary. Included are discussions of slow and fast track thinking, “hesed” attachments to God (bonds formed neurologically), and the breakdown of different spiritual disciplines. Wilder’s engagement with the work of Willard is rounded out by short exercises that encourage the application of some of his points, such as a “mindful presence” prayer at sunrise or sunset, and meals organized around spiritual reflection and communal storytelling. While the dense explanations of neuroscience research will prove too opaque for many readers, fans of Willard will rush to this evocative study.