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Stages of Faith: The Psychology of Human Development
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Average Rating:  out of 17 Reviews
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Price: $16.00
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Sale: $9.13
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Manufacturer: HarperOne
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EAN (European Article Number): 9780060628666
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Number of Items: 1
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Binding: Paperback
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Author: James W. Fowler
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Publisher: HarperOne
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Dewey Decimal Number: 234.2
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Publication Date: 1995-10-20
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Reading Level: 352
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Description: Dr. James Fowler has asked these questions, and others like them, of nearly six hundred people. He has talked with men, women, and children of all ages, from four to eighty-eight, including Jews, Catholics, Protestants, agnostics, and atheists. In many cases, the interviews became in-depth conversations that provided rare, intimate glimpses into the various ways our lives have meaning and purpose, windows into what this books calls faith. Faith, as approached here, is not necessarily religious, nor is it to be equated with belief. Rather, faith is a person's way of leaning into and making sense of life. More verb that noun, faith is the dynamic system of images, values, and commitments that guide one's life. It is thus universal: everyone who chooses to go on living operated by some basic faith. Building on the contributions of such key thinkers as Piaget, Erikson, and Kohlberg, Fowler draws on a wide range of scholarship, literature, and firsthand research to present expertly and engagingly the six stages that emerge in working out the meaning of our lives--from the intuitive, imitative faith of childhood through conventional and then more independent faith to the universalizing, self-transcending faith of full maturity. Stages of Faith helps us to understand our own pilgrimage of faith, the passages of our own quest for meaning and value.
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Customer Reviews
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Review Summary: Christian lifecycle |
Date: 2007-01-10 |
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Details: This book is a necessary book for anyone who is involved in faith/spirituality work, particularly with young people. It connects with all the major developmental theories, particularly Piaget and Kohlberg. A vital resource for graduate students involved in faith ministry and development. |
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Review Summary: Making sense of people's understanding of life |
Date: 2006-12-27 |
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Details: Have you ever wondered why some people take religious texts literally and others understand them as metaphoric? Ever wondered why some believe that their religion is "the only one" while others view all religions as streams leading to the same ocean?
Ever wondered why everyone seems to start life seeing things in black and white, and while most continue to do so, some people begin seeing in gray or even colors? Why every tradition starts with a list of concrete laws, and then eventually someone comes along and sums them up with one or two -- if his or her listeners will only pay attention? And why some members of the tradition feel more comfortable with the dozens or hundreds while others let them go and embrace the one or two?
Fowler deals in depth with the six stages of faith, moving from the "Mythic-Literal" that we all begin with, explaining why some of us never outgrow it and each successive stage. He then discusses the processes one must move through, which he calls "crises of faith," in order to move from one stage to the next.
He also explains why those in a low level of faith not only cannot understand those at a higher level, but are usually either distrustful, afraid or worshipful (or possibly all three at once) of them, and often pressure them to move back to the lower stage so they will feel more comfortable around them.
This book is helpful to anyone undergoing a crisis of faith or to anyone who is confident in her own faith but is being pressured by old friends or family members to return to a previous religious background. |
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Review Summary: Deep Thinking |
Date: 2005-10-17 |
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Details: A daunting book--at times ponderous, at times fascinating. Fowler sets out to define a model of faith stages that applies universally--regardless of religion (or lack thereof), culture, nature, or nurture. In this effort he draws heavily on the work of Lawrence Kohlberg, Erik Erikson, and Jean Piaget. Giving credit where credit is due, he devotes about 40 pages to a fictional conversation among these eminent psychologists, a conversation which is highly technical but richly textured with subtle but crucial points about thought development that Fowler will use to build his own model of faith stages. Fowler proceeds with a description of these stages of faith, then uses some (much more readable) interviews to illustrate and flesh out his theory. Personally, I found Fowler's introduction the most fascinating part of the book. In it, he explains the distinction among religion, faith and belief in a way that seems obvious yet had never dawned on me.
As for his system of stages, it makes perfect sense, but I don't know how you could prove that it applies to all people in all cases. But even if it doesn't, it provides an extremely useful guide to understanding where you are in your own faith, and where others are and may be heading. For people who are ministering in any type of faith community, or for people who want a deeper understanding of their own faith journey, this book will broaden and sharpen your perspective, provided you have the patience to plow through Fowler's technical and complex prose. |
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Review Summary: Foundations of Faith |
Date: 2005-08-26 |
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Details: An excellent discussion of faith and how it's formed. Also great references to beliefs and images! |
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Review Summary: Fascinating |
Date: 2004-08-20 |
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Details: We used this work among others in my Masters of Religious Education. This was a fascinating look at a Christian considering psychology as a help in explaning stages of faith that all people go through to a certain level or other. I found it quite enlightening and helpful in better comprehending and understanding where people are in their faith journey as I teach. I would definately recommend this as a valuable part of understanding what could be understood as stages of faith, especially when attempting to improve understanding and value of working with people, especially in areas of religion. |
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