Understanding James Fowler (Duke Divinity School)

- Faith is a universal phenomenon – something they believe that organizes human life

- Explains human faith stages- On whom or what do you set your heart? The central question of faith- Wilfred Cantwell Smith – the meaning and end of religion- Substitute creed for faith – when faith is defended as merely believing the right

stuff. Belief in creeds is necessary but not sufficient.

Current definition

Stages of faith and religious development

- Faith is a composing, A dynamic and holistic construction of relations that include self to others self to world, and self to self, construed as all related to an ultimate environment

- Don’t equate faith to spiritual. Faith is a function but not who we are. We are “faithing” when we believe and live as we believe.

I. Intuitive /Projective Faith – Intuitive - emerges in early childhood and rooted in imaginationProjective – imaginative ideas are projected to realityMuch of thinking is magical in natureReligiously impressionable age

II. Mythic/LiteralMythic – narrative Literal – the stories are understood in highly literal waysNO sense of personal interiority – who I Eleven year old Atheism – jean piaget – whole new kinds of questions emergeWhere’s heaven? – Trinity Magazine – how to answer children’s questions

III. Synthetic/ConventionalSynthetic – narratives are synthesized onto a coherent wholeConventional – beliefs are adopted from the conventions of the faith communityModal question – what do we believe? Relative underdeveloped interiority of the person – self is defined by roles and relationshipsBelieves that “we” are specially loved by GodDANGERS – unhealthy dependence on leaders - threatened by conflict among leaders

IV. Individuative/ ReflectiveYoung adulthood Individuate – the person individuates, separating self from groupReflective- Thinks deeply about origin and meaning of beliefs May cause a sense of loss and of guiltModal question – what do I Believe? DANGERS – arrogance – sitting in judgment of everyone else individualism – never willing to connect with or commit to a community of faith

V. Conjunctive FaithMid-life and beyondAxiomatic that truth is multi-dimensionalSeeks out meaningful encounters with othersrenewed naivety – new sense of wonder and openness

VI. Universalizing Faithvery rareGhandi – Mother Teresa – Dr. King – Thomas Merton – Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Critique of Fowler- a very nice man- very intelligent

- research method is a problem - to answer how does faith emerge? Instead of a longitudinal study he posited the stages then went looking for them. It’s a “backwards way” of doing research. Huge fan of Tillich, stage 6 sounds a lot like Tillich. Stages are very culture bound and flat. It means Christians developing in the USA.

Evangelizing Children – a VERY difficult issue

Child Theology Movement –

Horace Bushnell - 19 cent. pastor in Connecticut - father of American Liberalism - - wrote Christian Nurture – 1861- argued children of believers should be nurtured in the faith from their earliest days (revivalists taught that children should be instructed about their own sin then later they can be evangelized) - wanted to prevent the need for conversion at a later date- “organic unity” between the faith of the parent and the child- Affirmed by Charles Hodge- Had a faulty view of Sin – tendency for evil and a tendency for good, all we must do is encourage the good.

- tried to correct a view of the abuses of Revivalism

Kids and the Kingdom – John Inchleyall children belong to God until they reject God

Adult learner- biggest frustration – being treated like children- responsible and self directed

- therefore they should have freedom in choosing what they want to learn- experienced- a wise teacher draws on experiences and insights- do not treat them like novices

- task oriented- avoid purely theoretical discussions - help them see how what your teaching will help them solve problems- in various stages to learn depending on their life task- be sensitive as to who is ready to learn what and who is not yet ready and why- requires that we know our students