Guest editors' page.

Hill, Peter C. ; Kaczor, Christopher

Professionals whose knowledge of psychology is integrated with Christian theology recognize the inherent moral and spiritual nature of persons. To grasp the richness of personhood requires more than simple phrases such as "becoming more Christ-like" or to ask "what Jesus would do" under certain situations. The papers in this special issue of the Journal of Psychology and Christianity wrestle with the very questions that have both plagued and intrigued philosophers and theologians for centuries: what is the spiritual and moral essence of human nature and how is that essence developed? Unlike centuries past, today we have additional resources from such fields as neuroscience, cognitive science, and positive psychology that both complement the philosophical and theological groundwork already laid and that sometimes stimulate new understandings of our spiritual nature.

During the 2013-14 academic year, Christian scholars--psychologists, philosophers, and theologians--invested a semester of their time at Biola University's Center for Christian Thought (CCT) developing ideas about what it means to be spiritually formed. This special issue grew out of those efforts. Several of the articles herein are just a small portion of the products from those efforts, suggesting that indeed the time was well spent. Both of us, as co-editors of this special issue, were privileged to participate. Some of the other papers published here were authored by individuals who did not receive the benefits of time spent at the CCT, but were presented at the Center's year-end conference in May, 2014. Our special thanks goes to the administration at Biola University who had the vision to make the CCT a reality as well as the Center's Directors--Tom Crisp, Steve Porter, and Gregg Ten Elshof--for their masterful role in making the CCT such a profitable experience. Behind all of this effort is the support of the John Templeton Foundation. Without the late Sir John Templeton's passion for understanding the spiritual mysteries of the universe as well as his extreme generosity, none of this would be possible.

Included in this issue are seven articles that reflect much careful thought. Aquinas scholar Christopher Kaczor opens the issue with an analysis of how positive psychology's notion of happiness, as communicated in Martin Seligman's (2011) book Flourish, aligns with the accounts of happiness provided by Aristotle and Aquinas. Though Kaczor, as expected, finds many discrepancies, he also uncovers a host of similarities, many of which the reader may find surprising. James Van Slyke favors us with an analysis of how the habits that contribute to character development and lead to moral action are formed through a study of moral exemplars such as holocaust rescuers and members of the international L'Arche community of homes for the disabled. Theologian Jason McMartin provides a theological framework that identifies ten attributes of the work of the Holy Spirit that are part of the natural process of psychological growth.

The next two articles draw from contemporary science to help further our understanding of spiritual formation. Framing his analysis around mindfulness meditation, Keith Edwards makes the case that understanding embodied experiences through neuroscience can help resolve many of the controversies surrounding some spiritual formation practices. Laird Edman takes a cognitive science approach to better understand religious belief and behavior with the goal that such research will be applied to Christian discipleship and education.

We conclude this special issue with two empirically based articles. Kaye Cook and her colleagues found that the Christian college experience is a spiritually formative experience that runs contrary to the prevailing winds of emerging adult religiousness which has been described in the literature as a moralistic therapeutic deism "that reduces God to a distant, moralizing problem-solver" (p. 261). Findings from interviews by Alexis Abernethy and her Fuller Seminary colleagues with worship leaders highlighted the importance of embodiment in corporate worship that fosters spiritual formation.

Taken together, the articles in this special issue offer a rich spate of ideas and data that further our understanding of Christian spiritual formation. Our hope is that the reader will reap the benefits.

Peter C. Hill

Biola University

Christopher Kaczor

Princeton University/Loyola Marymount University