north of england institute for christian education questions of faith jeff astley

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