Faith Development

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Faith Development

• Presentation by the Office of Childrens
  Ministries and Christian Education

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What is Faith Development?

• What is faith?
• 1._________________
• 2._________________
• 3._________________
• 4._________________
• 5__________________
• Some replies include Gift from God, knowing
  without understanding, trust in God, struggle,
  Grace, I Believe,
• To begin to understand Faith development we look
  first to the development of our own faith.

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Our Own Faith Development

• What do you recall as your earliest memory about
  God?
• Share a time when you remember having a deep
  sense of justice.
• Who are your mentors? Those who have helped you
  to deepen your faith. What did they do?
• Describe the times when you have had critical
  reflection, questions and doubts about faith.
• Describe a time when you had concern for all
  creation.
• Have you experienced a sense that God is all in
  all and out of that sense are you willing to
  sacrifice?

4
Scripture and Faith Development

• Galatians 56 The only thing that counts is
  faith working through Love.
• Romans 51 Since we are justified by faith, we
  have peace with God through our Lord Jesus
  Christ, through whom we have obtained access to
  this grace.
• Mark 924 Faith is a matter of being caught
  between belief and unbelief.
• Timothy 15 I am reminded of your sincere faith,
  a faith that lived first in your grandmother Lois
  and your mother, Eunice and now I am sure lives
  in you. For this reason I remind you to rekindle
  the gift of God within you.

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Early Church Fathers

• St. Augustine
• Faith is contained in the memory
• Unless you believe you shall not understand
• The Holy Spirit is the Teacher who leads us into
  all Truth
• Faith is seeking understanding
• St Thomas Aquinas
• Faith happens prior to religious understanding
  and knowledge
• Faith is located in the intellect
• Faith is found in Scripture and in the teaching
  of the Church

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Modern Faith Development

• Fowler (1981)
• Stage age Name
• One 3-7 Intuitive-Projective
• fantasy, image, story, action
• Two 7-adolescent Mythic-Literal
• Scripture stories are central, fairness and
  justice are important
• Three adolescent Synthetic-conventional
• integration of story to life story, global
  perspective, part of community
• Four young adult Individuate-Reflective
• Critical reflection, separation from parents
• Five adult conjunctive
• cognitive and symbolic are united
• Six Universalizing
• human concern for all life, willingness to suffer
  and sacrifice for others.

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Modern Faith Development

• Thomas Groome (1991)
• Faith is never produced by human doing, it is
  Gods gift (Ephesians 28)
• Religious educators are commissioned (Romans
  1015) with primary responsibility in faith
  development and tradition.
• Three Fold dynamic of faith
• 1. Believing I Believe
• Gods self disclosure in Christ and Holy Spirit
  is leading us into all truth.
• Scripture, Creed and Doctrine
• Role of the educator is guiding and testing
• 2. Trusting Loving Trust
• relational, loving trust in God who brings
  salvation in Jesus Christ.
• Role of educator is to help others fall more
  deeply in love with God and with others
• 3. Doing Praxis of Faith
• role of the educator is discernment of gifts of
  faith expression, How to proclaim the Gospel.

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Modern Faith Development

• Lawrence Richards (1993)
• vitality of faith community is critical to faith
  development
• Five influences on faith development
• 1. Biblical instruction as interpretation of life
• 2. Community belonging being a part of a faith
  community
• 3. Participation in the life of a vital faith
  community
• 4. Stories of best practices of faith are shared
• 5. Encouraging Growth

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Faith Development as a vital concern in human
development

• Search Institute, The role of Christian
  Education in faith development
• Niebuhr (1989)
• Polarities
• Belief disbelief
• Trust distrust
• Fidelity infidelity

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Faith Development as a vital Concern for Human
Development

• Paul Tillich (1959)
• Faith is a state of being ultimately concerned
• Faith claims ultimacy
• Faith demands total surrender
• Faith promises total fulfillment
• Five Factors of Faith
• 1. Freedom in a state of being ultimately
  concerned
• 2. Act of God to be ultimately concerned
• 3. All other concerns are subordinated to the
  ultimate concern
• 4. Acts of ultimate concern are expressed in
  ritual, trust, belief
• 5. There are possibilities of idols which may
  represent ultimate concern

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Polarities of Faith Development

• CONVERSION DEVELOPMENT

Mysterious unexpected from God surprise created
environment sudden Mountain Top
Stage like foundational progressive journey life
long invariant measurable