Philosophy of Micky Boyer 

Human Nature God's Design

When dealing with matters pertaining to Human Nature it could become a subject so broad that it would take volumes to treat comprehensibly. The same is true for the topic of Spiritual Formation. This paper, will argue that human nature was a deliberate consideration in that God developed human nature in human kind to achieve a vital roll in relationship and partnership with him, and then it will then illustrate how this consideration works toward Spiritual Formation. The five arguments presented are:

1. Human beings have the capacity to know and be known.
2. Human beings have an innate desire to engage in worship.
3. Human beings have the capacity of self-determination.
4. Human beings have the ability to be creative.
5. That God designed the human being for relationship and partnership.

Original Goodness

Although the concept of human goodness is not a new idea, the ancient philosophers did not give credit where credit was due. They did not have a concept of God as we do today and because of that missed an important origin for the concept. God created us in his image and the proof mark of that creation is the goodness we see in the people around us. Plato and Aristotle both talk about goodness, virtue and vice as found in the human condition and came very close to expressing the concept of God without actually doing so. The purpose of this paper is to explore the concept of goodness as explained by the ancients and to show how the desire for goodness is one impetus toward "Spiritual Formation".

The Question of Sin

There has been much discussion over the years as to the nature of sin. The plan and purpose of this paper is to reconcile the differing views of sin. From the definition of "hamartia", the Wesley definition on to the Kierkegaard definition we will explore the meaning of sin. It will demonstrate that these differing views can be reconciled and how this reconciliation informs spiritual formation.

Trichotomy Or Dichotomy

Down through the centuries there has been a debate as to the makeup of the human being. One camp believes humans are two-part -- Dichotomy: Body and Soul; while another camp believes that humans are three part -- Trichotomy: Body, Soul and Spirit. The purpose of this paper will be to discuss the two-part theory as explained by the early philosophers Plato, Aristotle and Augustine and a more modern view as three-part and its impact on spiritual formation.