OPINION:
In April 2025, scholars and leaders from a variety of fields gathered at the Gallup World Headquarters in Washington, D.C., to discuss “groundbreaking research, actionable insights and innovative strategies for fostering individual and societal well-being.”
This event, co-sponsored by a number of organizations centered at Harvard University and Baylor University, showcased the cross-disciplinary and cross-continent interest in the great question of what it means to flourish.
Central to the discussion was an exploration of the findings of the Global Flourishing Study, rightly described as “one of the most comprehensive studies on well-being ever conducted.”
This is a good and noble endeavor. This contemporary interest in what it means for humans to flourish is notably scientific in its approach, corresponding with the modern era’s way of viewing the world.
But the question of human flourishing is much older as old as recorded history and historically has been approached in a much broader and deeper way. Scholars and leaders of the past approached this question from the whole-life realms of philosophy and religion, including those in the Christian faith.
This may come as a surprise to many, especially those familiar with the Christian tradition. Does Christianity really have anything to do with human flourishing? On the contrary, doesn’t the Christian religion have much to do with God, with the afterlife, with self-sacrifice?
The answer to both of these questions, demonstrated by the Global Flourishing Study, is, “Yes.”
Yes, Christianity teaches about God, the afterlife and self-sacrifice. And yes, this has everything to do with human flourishing, both now and in the future. In all of the six key domains measured in the study, it was demonstrated that religion and spirituality improve our lives, from relationships and mental health to happiness, stability and a sense of purpose. The study proved what most Christians already knew and have experienced.
From the beginning of the Bible (Genesis) through its end (Revelation), the consistent theme is that God the king reigns over his creation. The origin story sets humanity into a place of delight (Eden) with the meaningful work of cultivation and care over creation (Genesis 1-2). Humanity breaks and corrupts this relationship and role, however, resulting in the loss of shalom (that is, flourishing) and ultimately leading to death (Genesis 3).
Christianity offers the solution to this fundamental human problem. Our loss of shalom or flourishing our loss of thriving as humans in relationship to God, to each other and to creation is precisely what Christianity understands Jesus’ work to be correcting in the world.
When Jesus says he came that we “might have life and have it abundantly” (to paraphrase John 10:10), he is not referring to an abstract, esoteric vision of cherubs floating on clouds. He is speaking to the same human need and desire that was addressed by Plato, Aristotle, the Global Flourishing Study and countless thinkers in between the need to find true life, true flourishing.
The gradual loss of this human flourishing focus of the Bible over the intervening centuries has been a great detriment to the church and to society. Without understanding the biblical goal of bringing shalom to the world, the church’s witness can become inward, gnarled and ineffective. Without the Christian input into the world’s discussion of the means and goals of human flourishing, society can only offer idealistic and short-lived solutions.
Instead, Christianity offers to the world a robust, invitational and outward-facing vision for true human flourishing for individuals and society that is rooted in the understanding that the Second Adam, Jesus the God-Man, has entered the world to reboot God’s flourishing kingdom in the world. As theologian Miroslav Volf notes in his book, “Flourishing: Why We Need Religion in a Globalized World,” “far from being a plague on humanity, as many believe and some experience, religions are carriers of compelling visions of flourishing.”
Rather than excluding the Christian faith from explorations of human flourishing because it is a religion, we ought to recognize that the church has much to offer to all of human society in providing a profound answer to the universal human dilemma of true and lasting happiness. This is human flourishing according to Christianity, a profound vision worth rediscovering.
• Jonathan T. Pennington, PhD, is a professor of New Testament Interpretation at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. He is the author of many works, including “The Sermon on the Mount and Human Flourishing” and “Jesus the Great Philosopher: Rediscovering the Wisdom Needed for the Good Life.”
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