From the title I was so keen to give this a read, but I found myself avoiding it anytime I had a chance to read. It wasn’t my cup of tea, but maybe a time and place thing and later on its going to click and be a great time.

This is a helpful book on understanding how our brains process thoughts and ideas, with exercises on how to help us in processing life, and relating better to others.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for the purpose of an honest review.

I wasn't sure what I was expecting when I selected this book on NetGalley. I had only just started it when my access to it was restricted so I bought it as I was so struck by the wisdom in the opening chapters.

What this book highlights is a missing ingredient on a lot of spiritual formation work: the importance of understanding how the brain works. I didn't appreciate this until I read this book and it makes sense having for a while now struggled understanding how to go even deeper in Christ. I figured so long as continue a discipline of adopting various spiritual practices that would be sufficient. But we need 'joy' and 'hesed' through deep relational connection to help facilitate our practices.

There is so much 'meat' in this work and it's one of those books that will require a number of repeat reads plus there are a number of appendices with various exercises which are also very useful but mostly in a church context, not an individual one.

This book has whet my appetite for more of Wilder's psychological perspectives and I'm keen to study more.

As I mentioned I was fortunate to receive an early ebook version from the publisher via NetGalley with no expectation of. favourable review. However, I have also bought a Kindle copy for myself.

An appeal to consider "right brain" Christianity.

The primary voice is Hendricks, although the book would have been better if had been just straight up from Wilder, since all the insights really come from Wilder et al. The book is an application of the present condition of brain science: the belief that there are two hemispheres at work, that all input begins in the right brain, the seat of the emotions, impulse, and connection, and eventually get processed in the left brain, the seat of analysis, etc. Much of church work ends up focusing on left brain things: the acquisition and distribution of knowledge.

The author makes appeal for use of the right brain, and does so through three constructs: joy, relational unity and group cohesion. His association between hesed and relational unity is creative even if lexically suspicious. He speaks of the importance of correction to reinforce the value of community boundaries but doing so by reminding people that their transgression is not who they are in Christ. He warns about narcissism and makes his appeal that a more full brained church would resist it.

There's a lot that makes sense here: relational unity is a main theological theme in Scripture, and belonging a powerful drive. Yet some warnings are in order. First of all, as said above - why didn't Wilder just write the information? Secondly, the author pointed out how the way a lot of us think the brain works is inaccurate, based on older information proved to be inaccurate, and so it must be asked: how sound is the information on which this analysis is built? Will it need significant correction from a later generation who understands that much more about the brain?

Regardless, envisioning the life of a congregation in terms of more than information distribution is a definite positive.

I'm afraid I struggled with this book. I found the tone slightly patronising with the continuing referring to the church as "half-brained". I'm not sure if the authors meant it that way but that's how it came across to me. Basically the books says that much of the church is half brained and needs to become full brained by taking into account latest findings in brain science. The church has become too intellectual based and needs to recover the relational. One issue I had is that the brain science comes from only one person and no other authority in this field is interacted with. The first part of the book which deals with the left/right sided brain design goes on too long in my opinion and becomes repetitive, it could easily be cut in half. Another issue I had was that the left/right sided brain science is presented as though this is a kind of new ground breaking research. In actual fact this knowledge has, to my knowledge anyway, been around for quite some time. I'm afraid I think this book presents a solution where one already exists in the form of all rounded Christian discipleship and I'm really not persuaded that your average lay person needs to know about the left/right brain to advance in their Christian lives. The book has some helpful things to say for instance on joy and narcissism although I found the message here sometimes unbalanced. I'm afraid I just found the overall tone unappealing and some of the content unnecessary. I'm sure others will find it helpful but it didn't really work for me I'm afraid.

Thanks to NetGalley and Moody Publishers for ARC.

Michel highlights from his experience why discipleship as we have pursued it in the church doesn’t bring lasting Christlike maturity. We have often been caught up in following the culture in ‘left brained’ learning. Michel and Jim highlight the importance of recent breakthroughs in brain science and how they impact what discipleship can be, a whole brained experience that allows us to stay relational and love in all circumstances. This is something that requires a level of maturity few have, but something that can be attained. The Other Half of Church is a great book for those who long for more but haven’t put words to the roadblocks and how to we can break through them. I can personally attest that the concepts they talk about are changing my life in really important ways. I’m grateful that they are taking these biblical truths to a wider audience. #TheOtherHalfofChurch #NetGalley

The book main gist is on a topic that is chief of all believers: Growth in maturity to Christlikeness, unfortunately, it's approach is what I believe isn't supported by Scriptures.
Yes, our minds needs renewal, but it is not through 'neurotheology', a term which came over the past few years, and hasn't been applied, or even known by the historical Church. So, the treatment suggested by this book is wanting as it source is man-centred, not God or Gospel centred.