Science and Faith: Conflict or Confirmation?

This week’s post is an excerpt from the Preface of my upcoming book, Influenced from Above: Where Faith Meets Influence. The book will be available on Amazon and other online vendors on October 21.

I began to think more and more about how the principles of influence had a connection to faith. I’ve not come across any resource that blends those topics, so I set out to change that. The more I explored, the more I realized something profound—these principles weren’t just useful strategies for persuasion; they were fundamental truths about human nature. And if they reflect something deeper within us, might they point to something—or Someone—greater?

The answer, I believe, is God. He designed us to respond to certain psychological and relational cues because they reflect deeper spiritual realities. And that’s where science comes in. Some see a conflict between science and faith, but I see confirmation. The more I study influence, the more clearly I see science confirming what Scripture has proclaimed for centuries. In fact, it excites me when I discover how Biblical principles are supported by findings from science. Here’s one example:

Jesus told his followers, “You cannot serve God and mammon (money).” In Sway: The Irresistible Pull of Irrational Behavior, Ori Brafman and Rom Brafman share results from brain imaging studies. They write, “Unlike, say, the parts of our brain that control movement and speech, the pleasure center and the altruistic center cannot both function at the same time; either one or the other is in control” (p. 141). They go on, “It’s as if we have two ‘engines’ running our brains that can’t operate simultaneously. We can approach a task either altruistically or from a self-interested perspective” (p. 142). Isn’t it fascinating that Jesus’s words from 2,000 years ago are being validated by modern brain science?

The principles of influence are validated by science too. Social psychologists and behavioral economists create rigorously controlled experiments designed to find out how people respond in different situations. Of course, not everyone responds exactly the same, but with large enough samples, we see consistent patterns in how people respond to different influence approaches.

Brian Ahearn

Brian Ahearn is the Chief Influence Officer at Influence PEOPLE and a faculty member at the Cialdini Institute.

An author, TEDx speaker, international trainer, coach, and consultant, Brian helps clients apply influence in everyday situations to boost results.

As one of only a dozen Cialdini Method Certified Trainers in the world, Brian was personally trained and endorsed by Robert Cialdini, Ph.D., the most cited living social psychologist on the science of ethical influence.

Brian’s first book, Influence PEOPLE, was named one of the 100 Best Influence Books of All Time by Book Authority. His follow-up, Persuasive Selling for Relationship Driven Insurance Agents, was an Amazon new release bestseller. His latest book, The Influencer: Secrets to Success and Happiness, is a business parable designed to teach you how to use influence at home and the office.

Brian’s LinkedIn courses on persuasive selling and coaching have been viewed by more than 800,000 people around the world. His TEDx Talk on pre-suasion has more than a million views!