Safety for Stages of Faith?

Last updated on: November 16, 2009 at 3:57 pm by David Hayward

Safety for Stages of Faith? 2009-11-16T15:57:53-04:00 David Hayward

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Something I’m finding frustrating about the church right now is that it doesn’t allow for change… neither institutional or personal. But that is always the problem with change. For instance: the church might talk about change, but doesn’t admit the impossibility of doing it. I might talk about personal change, but won’t recognize the impossibility of doing it.

That’s the problem with change: who is the changer, and who is the changed? When I say to myself: I’m going to change myself! I have to recognize how impossible a statement that is. Who is the “self” that I say I’m going to change? And who is the “I” that says he is going to change the self? They are, indeed, one and the same. Which leads me to conclude that in the end what we are masters at is modification, not true change or transformation.

I have lots of friends who’ve left the church because when change has come upon them, they feel they no longer fit. Even though the church preaches change, it really doesn’t allow for it. Because the first step to change is death, death to the self. Which means doubts and questions. And the church, as we all know, is extremely uncomfortable with doubts and questions. So vamoose! They’re gone. If only they’d renovated themselves, for the church loves modification because the person most often modifies to compromise to expectations and values of the church.

Even though we might not agree completely with James W. Fowler’s Stages of Faith, let’s take a look at one of his attempts to describe Stage 5 level of faith:

Stage 5 accepts as axiomatic that truth is more multidimensional and organically interdependent that most theories or accounts of truth can grasp. Religiously, it knows that the symbols, stories, doctrines and liturgies offered by its own traditions are inevitably partial, limited to a particular people’s experience of God and incomplete. Stage 5 also sees, however, that the relativity of religious traditions that matters is not their relativity to each other, but their relativity– their relate-ivity– to the reality to which they mediate relation. Conjunctive faith, therefore, is ready for significant encounters with others traditions than its own, expecting that truth has disclosed itself in those traditions in ways that may complement or correct its own.

How can someone, say, develop from Stage 2 to 3, or 3 to 4, or 4 to 5, in an evangelical, conservative, or fundamentalist church? It is nearly impossible! I have lots of friends who have come to some kind of a perception of the previous quote, and the church is unable or unwilling to provide a safe place for such people. They feel like they no longer belong and must move on. Some even understand themselves as backsliders and they have no choice but to live out their own curse with integrity. That’s been my observation anyway.

thought

Previous Post

November 16, 2009

cartoon: exclusivity

Next Post

November 17, 2009 cartoon: a treadmill is a treadmill

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category art cartoons cartoons 2 freebie music one minute message podcast Sophia teaching technology thought

Select a Month February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 April 2007 March 2007 February 2007 January 2007 December 2006 November 2006 October 2006 September 2006 August 2006 July 2006 June 2006 May 2006 March 2006 February 2006

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What is the Christian practice of eating bread and drinking wine in remembrance of Jesus?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Ordination Baptism Confirmation Communion