We have been extremely busy lately....School, Church, Family, House Rehab....

I have been reading Becoming Adult, Becoming Christian by James W. Fowler for my Worldview class. Last night I got to Fowler's theory of the stages of Faith Development. I was totally floored by what I found! I'll do my best to sum up the stages and focus a little more on the last two. I believe this has tremendous implications for the church, and may explain why some of us feel like we have to leave the institutional church in order to continue our spiritual journey/growth.

Mythic-Literal Faith - About age 6 or 7 (some teens and adults). Story/Narrative is the important idea in this stage. Knowing the stories of our people becomes important in the child's identity. Know what they believe, but cannot distance themselves from the belief to critically analyze the meanings.

Synthetic-Conventional Faith - Early Adolescence (Some adults). The God of moral reciprocity dies and must be replaces. They begin to understand that good things happen to bad people etc. Feelings of anguish, struggle, guilt and grief are typical. Begin to systematically integrate beliefs and identity. Their faith is strongly embedded, but identity is primarily derived from "face-to-face" relations. Move on through life with a set of strongly held/felt beliefs that are largely unexamined.

Individuative-Reflective Faith - Person is forced to examine, objectify and make critical choices about defining elements of their faith. Critical choosing of beliefs, values, and commitments. Rethinking of roles and relationships. A person may be "stuck" between this stage and the previous if they rethink their faith, but take no action.

Conjunctive Faith - Usually midlife and beyond. Person begins to come to terms with certain patterns of behavior that may never be fully changed. Death becomes more of reality. Acknowledge paradox and apparent contradictions of different perspectives on truth. "A postcritical receptivity and readiness for participation in the reality brought to expression in symbol and myth." " Exhibits a committed belief in the truth claims of a particular tradition, insists on the humility that knows that the grasp on ultimate truth that any of our traditions can offer needs continual correction and challenge...to help overcome blindspots....and tendencies toward idolatry." Combines deep, particular commitments with principled openness to the truths of other traditions. Combines loyalty to ones own primary community with loyalty to the reality of a community of communities. "They know that the line between the righteous and the sinner goes through the heart of each of us and our communities, rather than between "us and them."

Universalizing Faith - Lives in the tension caused by consciousness and commitment. Person sees the "corruption and vulnerability of the old regime, even as they can also see and rejoice in the possibility of a new order, one more replete with a balance of equality and justice, of inclusion and corporate devotion to the common good. They have attachments and commitments that make revolutionary alignment too costly and frightening to entertain. So they live divided, in tension, working for amelioration (improve) and evolution toward justice, but deeply aware of their own implication in the unjust structures that they oppose." "The polarities in its loves and loyalties can cancel each other out." Because their wills, affections and actions create tension, division and disunity they feel a cosmic homelessness and loneliness. Begin to manifest an "emptying of self" as the result of having ones affections drawn from the finite centers of value and power to the infinite center of power and value. The attachment to causes, persons, institutions, possessions etc. that have protected our identities and values are relinquished for a "response in love and trust to the radical love of God."

When I read this the light bulb went off in my head. I'm not crazy. I'm not having a crisis. I'm not depressed. I am in the tension of moving to a different stage of faith. This guy describes so well the tension I feel between my love for God and the loyalty to the institution that I am a part of. The separation from the sources of power that have given me self-worth/identity for the God who is truly power, and the reason I have worth and an identity. The separation and loneliness.

I believe this faith development theory also has implications for the church. Fowler believes that the Universalizing Faith is a way of "being and moving, a way of being on pilgrimage," not necessarily something to attain. We live this life by cooperating with the Spirit. Kind of sounds like Dallas Willard's stuff. It's easy to see why so few people live this way. The institutional church has a vested interest in keeping people's affections linked to the church, rather than moving to a Universalizing Faith where their affections would be on God. I am wondering if SimpleMissionalHouse Church is simply a movement of people who are trying to live a life of Universalizing Faith and have found a way to remove the "divided tension" that they experience in the institutional church.