Proximity Seeking: The First Step in Bonding with God

Bonding with God Series Proximity Seeking: The First Step in Bonding with God Episode 02  ·  Flourishing with Dr. Victor Counted About This Episode What if drawing near to God isn't just a spiritual discipline — but a deep psychological instinct woven into how you were made? In this episode of the Bonding with God series, Dr. Victor Counted unpacks proximity seeking — the most foundational step in forming a secure bond with God. Drawing from attachment theory and his new book Bonding with God (Baker Academic, 2026), Dr. Counted explores why human beings are neurologically and relationally wired to move toward a source of safety when life feels uncertain,…

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We Got the Order Wrong: How Christianity Traded Relationship for Religion

We Got the Order Wrong | The Flourishing Journal For generations, we have handed children doctrines before we gave them a living God to hold onto. The consequences are written in the data — and in the faces of those quietly walking away. VC Victor Counted, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Psychology · Regent University · Faculty Affiliate, Harvard Human Flourishing Program Walk into almost any evangelical church on any given Sunday, and you will see it at the end of the service — the altar call. The music softens. The lights dim slightly. A voice says something like, "If you want to give your life to Jesus tonight, repeat this…

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Attachment Theory and Spiritual Flourishing

Bonding with God — Author Discussion Author Discussion · Regent Library Gallery What does it really mean to bond with God in a way that transforms how we live, relate, and flourish? Regent Library Gallery & Online Victor Counted · Ward Davis · Corné Bekker In this special author discussion, Victor Counted sits down with Ward Davis and Corné Bekker to explore the intersection of attachment theory, faith, and spiritual flourishing — drawing from Bonding with God: Attachment Theory and the Psychology of Faith and engaging deeper questions about how our inner world shapes our relationship with God. 📘 Book Resources Order on Amazon

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Bonding with God Book is Finally Here

Bonding with God Is Here | The Flourishing Journal The Flourishing Journal Bonding with GodIs Finally Here A word from the author on a book years in the making Victor Counted  ·  April 2026  ·  4 min read What if the way you relate to God is not a fixed fate, but a living story — one that can grow, heal, and flourish? Today is a day I have been quietly working toward for a long time. Bonding with God: Attachment Theory and the Psychology of Faith is now officially published and available through Baker Academic. This book began as a question — one that I kept returning to in…

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Christian Hope

Christian hope does not arise from the self. It is a way of life that begins with God. Scripture presents hope as a response to relationship rather than a product of effort or resolve. The psalmist speaks to his own soul and commands it to return to God. “Put your hope in God” (Psalm 42:11). The direction of our hope does indeed matter. In what/who do we put our hope in? Hope does not emerge because life improves. It emerges because the self turns again toward the One who holds it. This state shapes the biblical imagination of hope. Hope grows when the believer re-connects to God as the object…

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Why We Keep Repeating the Same Mistakes

https://youtu.be/EDoySz4sNfk?si=qqXjuiLaO9JQLETg Every new year brings a quiet promise. We tell ourselves that next year will be different. We will stop the habits that keep us tired, step away from stressful patterns, and walk into a wiser version of ourselves. Yet most people step into a new year with the same struggles they carried through the last one. The story repeats. The pain returns in a familiar shape. The real tragedy is not that we suffer. Pain is part of life. The deeper tragedy is that we often survive difficult seasons without learning from them. We move through heartbreak, pressure, loss, or burnout and come out on the other side with…

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