Dr. Michael R. Walsh
I am a clinical forensic neuropsychologist who also happens to be a minister with a graduate theological degree. Here’s my story.
My journey has taken me from the pulpit to the mental health clinic and academic classroom, with each step deepening my conviction that faith and science are not adversaries but essential conversation partners in understanding what it means to be fully human. Raised in the Southern Baptist faith tradition, I was licensed into the gospel ministry in January 1975 by Temple Baptist Church in Forest, Mississippi, and later ordained in February 1980 by Forest Baptist Church in the same community. After graduating with my M.Div. degree from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary in 1985, I served as associate pastor at First United Methodist Church in Texarkana, Arkansas from 1987 to 1989. Those years in pastoral ministry gave me firsthand experience with the profound questions that arise when real life intersects with faith—questions that would continue to shape my path forward.
Sensing a call to understand the human condition more deeply, I returned to graduate school, earning my M.S. in Counseling Psychology from the University of Southern Mississippi in 1990. This led to nineteen years working in community mental health in Southeast Arkansas, where I witnessed daily how psychological healing and spiritual wholeness often intertwine. During this time, I also taught undergraduate psychology courses as an adjunct instructor at the University of Arkansas at Monticello, discovering my passion for helping others explore the complexities of the human mind.
In 2009, I embarked on another academic journey, pursuing doctoral studies that culminated in my PSYD degree in Clinical Psychology with a specialization in forensic neuropsychology from The Wright Institute in Berkeley, California in 2016. This intensive seven-year program deepened my understanding of how the brain shapes our experience of reality, memory, emotion, and yes—even our spiritual lives.
My theological perspective has evolved toward what many would call progressive Christianity—a faith that takes both Scripture and science seriously, that embraces questions as sacred acts, and that believes the gospel calls us toward justice, inclusion, and the flourishing of all creation. Rather than seeing my scientific training as a challenge to faith, I’ve discovered it illuminates the remarkable complexity and beauty of human consciousness in ways that deepen rather than diminish wonder. I believe you’ll find this reflected in the homilies I have written, delivered, and now published on this site.
This blog emerges from my conviction that faith—like any relationship worth having—grows stronger through honest examination. Here, you’ll find homiletical reflections, biblical studies that aren’t afraid to wrestle with difficult texts, explorations of how neuropsychology illuminates spiritual experience, book reviews of works that challenge and inspire, and reflections on how progressive faith speaks to the urgent social and political questions of our time.
I would like for this site to be interactive with my guests of all faiths or none. Whether you're a fellow traveler on the progressive Christian path, someone whose faith is grounded in conservative or fundamentalist traditions, someone wrestling with questions about faith and doubt, a colleague in ministry or academia, or simply a curious soul exploring the intersections of science and spirituality, your voice matters here. I invite you to share your reactions, thoughts, questions, and even disagreements with the ideas I explore. Some of my most profound learning has come through dialogue with those who see the world differently than I do. The examined faith, after all, grows stronger not in isolation but in community—through the give and take of honest conversation, the challenge of different perspectives, and the grace we extend to one another as we all seek truth and meaning. Please feel free to reach out via email or connect with me on social media. Your insights, whether they affirm, challenge, or expand upon what you read here, are not just welcome—they're essential to the kind of faithful inquiry this space is meant to foster.
