north of england institute for christian education questions of faith jeff astley
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North of England North of England Institute Institute
for Christian for Christian EducationEducation
www.durham.ac.uk/neicewww.durham.ac.uk/neice
Questions of FaithJeff Astley
1. The Meanings of ‘Faith’
‘the Faith’ OBJECTIVE FAITH Body of doctrine The
Tradition product ◊ content the faith which is believed fides
quae
‘our faith’
SUBJECTIVE FAITH personal faith ‘faithing’ process ◊ personal acceptance/understanding
the faith by which it is believed fides qua
2. ‘our faith’
believing trusting, valuing doing
context
dialogue
development
James Fowler’s ‘human faith’
FormHOW/WAY
ContentWHAT
described under7 Aspects
developing in 6 Stages
Centres of Value Images and Realities
of Power
Master Stories
‘Ultimate Environment’
Fowler’s faith stages
Stage 0: Primal Faith
up to age four
‘Nursed Faith’
‘Foundation Faith’
Stage 1: Intuitive-Projective Faith
ages 4 to 7/8
‘Chaotic Faith’‘Unordered Faith’‘Impressionistic
Faith’‘Imaginative
Faith’
Stage 2: Mythic-Literal Faith
ages 6/7 to 11/12 and beyond
‘Ordering Faith’
‘Narrative Faith’
Stage 3: Synthetic-Conventional Faith
ages 11/12 onwards
or 17/18 onwards
'Conforming Faith'
Stage 4: Individuative-Reflective Faith
'Choosing Faith''Either/Or Faith’
from 17/18 or from mid-life
Stage 5: Conjunctive Faith
rare before 30
‘Balanced Faith’
‘Both/And Faith’
‘Inclusive Faith’
James W Fowler
John H Westerhoff III
Heinz Streib
3. ‘the Faith’ beliefs, doctrines
symbols, storiesspirituality, valuespractices
language: the ‘grammar’ of Christianity
skills: religious literacy spiritual vision
imagination
4. ‘Passing on’
Faith transmission
+
Faith translation
Faith transmission
‘ Faith community/Enculturation’
Forming congregation in Christian faith and life
e.g. in worship
Faith transmission
‘a process which aims to aid persons to internalize and adopt the community’s faith as their own and to apply that faith to life in the world.’
(John Westerhoff)
‘The crucial activity here is not so much comprehension as identification.’ (Charles Foster)
hidden curriculum
‘So much of our most significant learning is unconscious. . . . We learn all the time. My conviction is that this hidden curriculum, this unconscious learning, is so important we cannot afford to let it remain unconscious.’
(John Westerhoff)
Faith translation
‘Interpretation’
Promoting dialogue between Christian tradition and human experience
e.g. with individuals or small groups reflecting on their own stories
Faith translation
‘To interpret means precisely to use one’s own preconceptions so that the meaning of the text can really be made to speak for us.’
(Hans-Georg Gadamer)
Ask: ‘What does the community’s Story mean for (affirm, call in question, invite beyond) our stories, and how do our stories respond to (affirm, recognize limits of, push beyond) the community Story?’
(Thomas Groome)
5 More Questions of Faith
questioning and questing
failing and hoping
ignorance and mystery
education and schooling
formation and criticism
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