How an unexpected collaboration between theologians and scientists is transforming our understanding of health, disease, and what it means to truly thrive.
What if our understanding of health has been too narrow all along? Imagine a world where healthcare systems don't merely treat disease but actively promote human thriving in all dimensions of life—physical, mental, social, and spiritual. This revolutionary perspective is emerging from an unexpected collaboration: theologians and scientists joining forces to explore what it means for humans to truly flourish.
Health reimagined as part of the broader horizon of human flourishing rather than merely the absence of disease.
Theology and science collaborating to address fundamental questions about health, disease, and human purpose.
"At the forefront of this movement is theologian Neil Messer, whose groundbreaking work challenges us to rethink fundamental questions that affect us all: What do we really mean by 'health' and 'disease'? How do our deepest beliefs about human value and purpose shape our approach to medicine and biotechnology?" 7
Messer's theological approach reframes health within the broader context of human flourishing—what he describes as "the flourishing and ultimate destiny of human beings" 7 . This perspective dramatically expands our vision of healthcare beyond symptom management toward supporting people in achieving their full potential across all life dimensions.
This framework connects to Christian bioethics, which has historically emphasized life as a "precious gift from God" that humans are called to steward and develop 4 . From this viewpoint, health concerns extend beyond individual bodies to encompass the well-being of communities and creation itself.
Theological engagement with bioethics isn't new. The field of bioethics itself emerged from Christian cultural contexts, with theologians participating in debates about political and human rights from the beginning 4 .
Emphasizes the intrinsic value of life and the concept of "Agape love"—a selfless, serving love that should inform medical practice 4 .
Focuses on humanity's creation in God's "image and likeness," understanding human fulfillment as becoming "Godlike" through freedom and love 4 .
The Global Flourishing Study (GFS) offers empirical insight into flourishing across diverse cultures. This massive longitudinal research project involves over 200,000 participants across 22 countries spanning six continents, with planned annual data collection for five years 2 8 .
The GFS defines flourishing as "the relative attainment of a state in which all aspects of a person's life are good, including the contexts in which that person lives" 2 —a definition remarkably compatible with Messer's theological perspective.
Early results from the Global Flourishing Study reveal fascinating patterns about what contributes to human thriving across cultures:
Recent research has highlighted a crucial but often neglected dimension of flourishing: vitality. This concept refers to a "sense of aliveness, energy, and motivation" 3 that may be essential to true human thriving.
The concept of vitality has historical roots in the work of public health pioneer Halbert L. Dunn, who in the 1950s promoted the idea of "high-level wellness" as including "absolute vitality"—described as a perception of harmony between person and environment, accompanied by feeling "alive clear to the tips of your fingers. You have energy to burn. You tingle with vitality" 3 .
Contemporary research supports Dunn's emphasis, suggesting that vitality is a "unique measure of mental and physical well-being" 3 that predicts multiple positive outcomes:
Across the life course
Non-communicable diseases
Lifestyle choices
Independent of other factors
Vitality represents a crucial bridge between subjective experience and biological reality—exactly the kind of concept that can enrich both theological and scientific understanding of human flourishing.
Groundbreaking research explores how individual differences in environmental sensitivity affect flourishing. Studies have identified that approximately 20-30% of the population are "Highly Sensitive People" (HSPs) who display greater sensitivity and responsivity to their environment 5 .
These individuals are characterized by:
Recent research on highly sensitive adults aged 40+ reveals fascinating patterns about how environment affects flourishing differently across the lifespan 5 :
Quantitative analysis revealed that flourishing was positively associated with nature connectedness and age, and negatively with higher sensory processing sensitivity 5 . Qualitative interviews with 12 highly sensitive participants provided deeper insights: they reported significant benefits from nature, while challenges included emotional reactivity and feelings of being different, exacerbated by stressors such as noise and conflict at home 5 .
This research highlights the importance of contextual factors in flourishing—different people may need different environments to thrive, a crucial insight for both healthcare and community design.
Contemporary theologians argue that theological ethics must expand beyond its traditional focus on issues like bioethics and sexuality to address the full scope of human flourishing. This requires developing new ethical categories and interdisciplinary approaches 6 .
Scholars propose focusing on fundamental human experiences like:
Acknowledging human fragility and dependence
Taking embodied experience seriously
Emphasizing relationality and mutual acknowledgment
This renewed approach frames theological ethics as a "humanization proposal" that builds on "the profound potential human beings are called to fulfill" 6 . This perspective aligns with Messer's project of understanding health in the context of human flourishing and ultimate destiny 7 .
The conversation between theology and science about human flourishing represents one of the most promising developments in our understanding of health and disease. Neil Messer's theological perspective on health as part of human flourishing 7 , combined with empirical research like the Global Flourishing Study 2 8 and studies on vitality 3 and environmental sensitivity 5 , points toward a more comprehensive, humane approach to healthcare and bioethics.
As both theological and scientific research continues to evolve, this integrated perspective offers hope for healthcare systems that don't merely treat disease but actively promote human thriving—and for societies that create the conditions for all people to flourish.