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"Magical thinking" is "if-then" thinking, which plays an important role in medical research and care, but falters in the face of mystery and the infinite diversity of human beings, and leads to a truncated version of human "flourishing." Christian thinking is "because-therefore" since God in Christ has entered into the depths of what is humanly unfixable, therefore we can articulate a vision of flourishing that includes even failure and finitude, and acknowledges the mysteries that elude our grasp. We will probe the differences such a reframing of "flourishing" might make for the care of persons.
Susan Eastman, M.Div., Ph.D.
Associate Research Professor Emerita of New Testament, Duke Divinity School
Susan Eastman teaches and writes at the intersection of Paul's theological anthropology and contemporary issues in the care of persons, including in healthcare. Her work is informed by scholarly writing on the New Testament and pastoral experience as an Episcopal priest in parishes around the country. Her publications include Paul and the Person: Reframing Paul's Anthropology, Oneself in Another: Participation and Personhood in Paul's Theology, and Romans, an Interpretation Bible Commentary.