Process Neurology: Brain, Spirit,
Preface
For centuries, theologians and scientists have gazed at the mystery of the human mind from different vantage points — one calling it soul, the other consciousness. Yet both have sought to understand how we change, grow, and become. Modern neuroscience presently reveals that the brain is not static: it reshapes and renews itself throughout our lifetime. No less a subject than theology also speaks of renewal, transformation, and rebirth.
This essay brings these two perspectives into conversation through process theology — a framework where reality itself is understood as creative, relational, and ever-becoming. Within this lens, neuroplasticity becomes the science of adaptive transformation, and neurogenesis becomes the biology of divine creativity. Together, they express what Alfred North Whitehead called the creative advance into novelty: God and the world in perpetual co-creation.
The brain, like Scripture, is alive. It rewires through experience, regenerates through creativity, and participates in an ongoing dialogue between the past that shapes it and the future that calls it forth. This is not only neuroscience — it is theology in motion.
Introduction
The human brain’s ability to change itself — to reconfigure its structure and function through experience — lies at the heart of both learning and healing. Scientists call this neuroplasticity. Equally remarkable is the discovery of neurogenesis, the brain’s capacity to generate new neurons even in adulthood, primarily in the hippocampus. These two processes show that the brain is a living, creative system capable of self-renewal.
In process thought, all reality behaves similarly: each moment of existence integrates the past and advances toward novelty. Whitehead’s metaphysics speaks of concrescence — the integration of experience — and creativity, the principle of new emergence. The brain therefore becomes a microcosm of process philosophy itself: a field of becoming, where adaptation and innovation interweave in dynamic balance.
Theological language echoes this truth. The biblical call to “renew the mind” (Romans 12:2), to “put on the new self” (Ephesians 4:24), and to be “a new creation” (2 Corinthians 5:17) describes precisely this process of transformation. The Spirit’s work is not static or miraculous in isolation; it is participatory, embodied, and continuous.
This essay explores how neuroplasticity and neurogenesis together express the processual nature of divine creativity, how they parallel spiritual transformation, and how a process-informed reading of Scripture — a processual bibliology — can reveal the ongoing dialogue between brain, Spirit, and world.
Section I: Neuroplasticity and Neurogenesis
1. Neuroplasticity — The Brain’s Adaptive Power
Neuroplasticity is the brain’s ability to reorganize its connections in response to experience, learning, and environment. It manifests through:
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Synaptic plasticity — strengthening or weakening of existing connections.
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Functional plasticity — shifting of functions from damaged to healthy regions.
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Structural plasticity — formation or pruning of new synaptic pathways.
In psychological terms, this is how we learn, heal, and adapt. In theological terms, it parallels metanoia — repentance and transformation. Every new experience becomes a potential site of renewal. The brain, like the soul, is capable of change without losing its identity.
2. Neurogenesis — The Birth of New Neurons
Neurogenesis refers to the creation of new neurons from stem cells, particularly within the hippocampus. These neurons migrate, integrate, and become functional, offering new potential for memory, emotion, and creativity.
Where neuroplasticity modifies what already exists, neurogenesis introduces something entirely new. It is the biological mirror of God’s creative act — the “I am doing a new thing” of Isaiah 43:19 — a continual emergence of novelty within a living system.
Together, neuroplasticity and neurogenesis express a profound balance: the brain as both conservator and creator, preserving coherence while inviting innovation.
3. Comparison: Neuroplasticity vs Neurogenesis
| Feature | Neuroplasticity | Neurogenesis |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Reorganization of existing neural circuits. | Creation of entirely new neurons from stem/progenitor cells. |
| Scale | Changes at the synapse, network, or regional level. | Cellular level — addition of new neurons. |
| When it occurs | Across the lifespan, very active in early development but continues in adulthood. | Mostly during development, but persists in specific brain regions (e.g., hippocampus) throughout life. |
| Mechanism | Synaptic strengthening/weakening, pruning, rewiring. | Proliferation, differentiation, migration, integration of new neurons. |
| Role | Learning, memory, adaptation, recovery from injury. | Memory formation, mood regulation, cognitive flexibility. |
| Speed | Can happen quickly (minutes to weeks). | Slower process (days to months). |
| Example | Rewiring of the visual cortex in blind individuals for tactile reading (Braille). | New hippocampal neurons generated after exercise improve spatial memory. |
| Dependency | Does not require new neurons. | Can contribute to and enhance plasticity by adding new neurons to circuits. |
Section II: Process Neurology — The Brain as a Field of Becoming
In process philosophy, the universe is composed not of substances but of events — moments of experience integrating the past and advancing into the future. The brain, when seen through this lens, is not a machine but a nexus of experiential occasions: billions of dynamic interactions forming the fabric of mind and consciousness.
1. Neuroplasticity as Processual Integration
Each neural firing is a micro-event — a concrescence that integrates the past (memory, conditioning, experience) into a new pattern. This is the brain’s version of Whitehead’s “many becoming one.” Through plasticity, the self maintains continuity while reorganizing its form.
Therapeutically, this explains recovery after trauma or stroke: the brain reconstitutes identity through new relational patterns. Spiritually, it corresponds to transformation — not the abandonment of the old self but its transmutation into new alignment with divine lure.
2. Neurogenesis as Creative Advance
Neurogenesis embodies Whitehead’s second half of the metaphysical formula: “and are increased by one.” New neurons introduce novelty — new possibilities for relation and integration. This is the principle of creativity at work within biology itself.
Each new neuron, once integrated, expands the field of potential experience. It is a literal creative advance into novelty, where God’s luring presence animates the biological capacity for renewal.
3. The Cycle of Becoming
Plasticity and neurogenesis are not separate but reciprocal:
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Plasticity shapes the environment for new neurons to thrive.
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New neurons, once integrated, expand plastic potential.
This cycle of adaptive integration and creative advance mirrors both the logic of process theology and the rhythm of spiritual growth — where transformation arises from a dialogue between memory and hope, inheritance and creativity, continuity and change.
“The brain is not a machine that learns; it is a living event that becomes.”
4. Plasticity + Neurogenesis = Processual Brain Becoming
| Neuroplasticity | Neurogenesis | Process Neurology |
|---|---|---|
| Reorganizing existing connections | Creating new neurons | Brain as evolving process |
| Adapts to lived experience | Introduces novelty | Interplay of continuity and creativity |
| Works rapidly (minutes to weeks) | Works more slowly (days to months) | Temporal layering of events |
| Functional transformation | Structural expansion | Creativity and concrescence |
| Expressive | Generative | Co-creative |
Whitehead emphasizes the dipolar nature of reality — a tension between inherited past (plasticity) and creative advance (neurogenesis). The brain embodies this dipolarity:
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Plasticity represents “the many becoming one” — integrating past experiences into present functioning.
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Neurogenesis represents “and are increased by one” — novelty entering the stream.
Section III: Biblical Parallels — Renewal, Regeneration, and Co-Creation
The Scriptures teem with language that resonates with the science of brain renewal. These verses may be read as theological metaphors for neural and spiritual becoming:
| Theme | Verse | Resonance |
|---|---|---|
| Transformation | Romans 12:2 — “Be transformed by the renewal of your mind.” | Neuroplasticity as spiritual re-patterning. |
| Renewal of Mind | Ephesians 4:22–24 — “Put off your old self… be renewed in the spirit of your minds.” | Cognitive and moral remapping. |
| New Creation | 2 Corinthians 5:17 — “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.” | Neurogenesis as emergence of novelty. |
| New Heart | Ezekiel 36:26 — “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you.” | Renewal and neural rebirth. |
| Creative Advance | Isaiah 43:19 — “See, I am doing a new thing!” | God’s lure toward novelty. |
| Growth and Formation | Philippians 1:6 — “He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion.” | Ongoing process of integration. |
| Transformation of Thought | Philippians 4:8 — “Whatever is true… think on these things.” | Focused attention reshaping pathways. |
| Re-creation of Life | Revelation 21:5 — “Behold, I make all things new.” | Divine renewal mirrored in neural regeneration. |
The Bible’s language of transformation, regeneration, and growth finds its biological echo in these processes. Both theology and neuroscience describe a living system of renewal — mind, brain, and Spirit interwoven in divine creativity.
A Processual Reading of Scripture
A processual bibliology understands Scripture as a living, relational event rather than a static code of doctrine.
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Text as Event: Each reading is a new concrescence — Scripture becomes alive as it encounters the reader’s experience.
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Interpreter as Co-Creator: Just as neurons adapt through interaction, meaning evolves through participation.
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God as Lure: Divine creativity invites ever-new interpretations, leading believers toward greater love and understanding.
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Scripture as Nexus: It unites ancient experience with contemporary consciousness, forming a network of spiritual memory and novelty.
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Faith as Process: Revelation unfolds through time, not as completed fact but as ongoing relationship.
In this view, Scripture mirrors the living brain: dynamic, regenerative, and relational. Both serve as mediums through which the divine process of becoming finds form.
Bibliography
I. Neuroscience
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Doidge, Norman. The Brain That Changes Itself. Penguin, 2007.
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Gage, Fred H. “Adult Neurogenesis in Mammals.” Science, 2000.
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Kempermann, Gerd. Adult Neurogenesis. Oxford University Press, 2006.
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Merzenich, Michael. Soft-Wired. Parnassus, 2013.
Foundational Works
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Merzenich, Michael. Soft-Wired: How the New Science of Brain Plasticity Can Change Your Life (2013).
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Doidge, Norman. The Brain That Changes Itself (2007); The Brain’s Way of Healing (2015).
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Gage, Fred H. “Adult Neurogenesis in Mammals.” Science (2000).
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Kempermann, Gerd. Adult Neurogenesis: Stem Cells and Neuronal Development in the Adult Brain (2006).
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Kolb, Bryan & Whishaw, Ian. Fundamentals of Human Neuropsychology (2014).
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Pascual-Leone, Alvaro et al. “The Plastic Human Brain Cortex.” Annual Review of Neuroscience (2005).
Supplementary Articles
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Eriksson et al. (1998) Nature Medicine — first evidence of adult human hippocampal neurogenesis.
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Voss et al. (2013) PNAS — Exercise and cognitive enhancement through plasticity.
II. Process Thought & Theology (Whiteheadian & Open/Relational)
These works ground a theological framework that understands human consciousness and transformation as co-creative, processual, and relational:
Foundational Philosophy
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Whitehead, Alfred North. Process and Reality (1929).
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———. Adventures of Ideas (1933).
Process Theology (Classical)
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Cobb Jr., John B. A Christian Natural Theology (1965).
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Cobb & Griffin. Process Theology: An Introductory Exposition (1976).
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Hartshorne, Charles. The Divine Relativity (1948).
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Suchocki, Marjorie Hewitt. God, Christ, Church (1982).
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Keller, Catherine. On the Mystery (2008); Face of the Deep (2003).
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Griffin, David Ray. God and Religion in the Postmodern World (1989).
Contemporary Expansions
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Clayton, Philip. Adventures in the Spirit (2008).
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Eastman, Tim. Untying the Gordian Knot: Process, Reality, and Context (2020).
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Cobb Jr. & Eastman (eds.). What Is Process Thought? (2021).
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Mesle, C. Robert. Process-Relational Philosophy (2008).
Key Themes
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Creativity as the ultimate category (Whitehead) → parallel to neurogenesis
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Concrescence (integration of experience) → parallel to neuroplasticity
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Co-creation with God → theological grounding for adaptive growth
III. Biblical Theology, Renewal, and Hermeneutics
Renewal / Transformation Theology
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Moltmann, Jürgen. The Spirit of Life (1992).
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Pannenberg, Wolfhart. Systematic Theology (1988).
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Tillich, Paul. Systematic Theology (1951–63).
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Schleiermacher, Friedrich. The Christian Faith (1821).
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Wright, N.T. The New Testament and the People of God (1992).
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Brueggemann, Walter. The Prophetic Imagination (1978).
Process Hermeneutics
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Cobb, John B. Christ in a Pluralistic Age (1975).
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Suchocki, Marjorie. “Toward a Process Hermeneutic.” Process Studies (1977).
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Keller, Catherine. “The Cloud of the Impossible.” (2014).
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Pinnock, Clark. The Openness of God (1994).
Key Hermeneutical Insight
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Scripture is not a static deposit of truth but a living text:→ interpreted in relationship,→ open to ongoing becoming,→ dynamically rewoven into new contexts (much like neural networks themselves).
Conclusion
The brain and the spirit tell a single story — one of transformation through relationship, renewal through creativity, and becoming through love. Neuroscience reveals that the brain is inherently processual; theology affirms that the divine life is likewise relational and creative.
- Neuroplasticity is the adaptive response of creation integrating experience.
- Neurogenesis is the creative advance of divine novelty entering the world.
- Process theology unites them, showing that God’s presence is not external command but internal lure, awakening creation from within.
“Behold, I make all things new.” — Revelation 21:5
