Personal Evaluation of My Faith Essay

Fowler’s proposed the stages of faith development should not be viewed as requirements for an end goal of salvation but as a framework to comprehend how individuals address life obstacles (Hutchinson, 2015). The theory of faith development developed from Fowler’s data from 359 semi-structured interviews on life experiences, values, and religion (Hutchinson, 2015). Fowler’s analysis of these interviews found that participants fit into the six faith stages with development tending to increase with age (Hutchinson,

In verse 15, Paul writes, "We who are Jews by birth and not 'Gentile sinners" Paul seems to be telling his gentile reader that the Torah has no bearing on their salvation. I feel that he purposely or inadvertently gives the law merit more merit than intended by suggesting that Jews are not sinners because they received the law. He draws a distinction between himself and "the gentile sinners" yet he is telling his audience that the ways, some of which are still a part of his own way of life, are irrelevant. He seems to almost make a separation of culture and religion. He seems to be saying that the rectitude of the Jews dates from birth, because the Jewish religion is a part of their culture. Peter claims to

Faith in Christ has given me a unique life filled with optimism and purpose. From a young age, I have been raised in a home where I was taught about the love of Christ. Not only at home did I learn about Christ, but at school and at church. Thus, my life has been filled with experiences that have amplified my faith. For example, when my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer, I found that my relationship with Christ grew. Through all of the difficult circumstances that I have faced, faith in Christ has given me the encouragement that I need to persevere through any situation. Additionally, faith has influenced my decision making, which is why I strive to make all my decisions and live my life according to faith-based principles. This means

Some adults may live much of their lives with a literal faith. Stage three is group faith Young people start to value the importance of friendship and often come to view God as one who treats them much like a trusted companion. Stage four is person faith. People strengthen their faith by questioning earlier beliefs. Stage five is mystical faith. At this stage of faith the awareness of God’s inner presence leads one to become more aware that God also dwells in others. Interfaith dialogue now becomes not a threat but an opportunity for new understanding. Stage six is sacrificial faith. Jesus, Dorothy Day, and Archbishop Romero are examples of this sacrificial faith. Such people display radical and consistent commitment to the doing of God’s will that is uncompromised by concern for personal security.

Both assessments also placed him in the Secure/ low avoidance category. Upon consideration of the participant’s answers to the assessment’s questions, he is currently in Elkind’s final stage, the search for comprehension and Fowler’s fifth stage, Conjunctive Faith. The participant in this interview has indeed reach a point in his spiritual growth where he can see the underlying meaning/reasoning of his relationships. While some times still baffled by the behavior of his father, the relationship that he has with his father, other constants in his life, have meaning can ultimately explained through scripture and personal a connection with God. According to Elkind, religion is a natural result of mental development with such complexities, that it ultimately requires our intellectual needs to be gratified by spiritual development as we progress in age, and it is evident that the interviewee has allowed spiritual development to satisfy and bring meaning to that which he could not understand on his own (Hood, Hill, &Spilka, 2009). As for Fowler’s stage of Conjunctive Faith, it is described as place in one’s development where a willingness to converse with those of other faiths in the belief that they might learn something that will allow them to correct their own truths. As minister and someone that has studied theology, the interviewee has had the opportunity to dialogue with several people different faiths and openly admitted that many of them have contributed to his spiritual growth. No longer viewing everything that is found in biblical scripture in a literal sense, he views the theological challenges that are presented to him by those of a different faith as tool to discover as

For those who have left the church behind but don’t want to entirely abandon spiritual practice, and also for those who were never a part of the church but are still seeking to foster meaningful spiritual development, Rachelle Mee-Chapman’s new book, Relig-ish: Soulful Living in a

Faith and reason can be viewed as opposites. Faith is an element of belief, something an individual does not necessarily require a reason for accepting without reason. For example, an individual’s reason for believing in God may not seem too rational when they are trying to explain them. They may not even stand up to criticism. On the other hand, reason is constructed as a formula. Faith is basically something we believe in, like something we learn in church. Reason is something we learn in school, such as a math formula.

One argues that today we have a crisis of belief, not a crisis of faith. To explain this crisis, I will briefly examine the relationship between faith and belief, explain why cultural shift is important to note when trying to understand religious issues, go into detail on the three hallmarks of each of the two cultures by showing how they compare to each other, show how Tillich’s notion of correlation deals with this idea of culture and a crisis of belief, and explain how Marsh’s notion of a “theology of negotiation” (33) fits with Lonergan’s definition and allows him to argue that film can help us raise theological questions.

Joshua 1:9; "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go."

Spiritual disciplines will prepare us for our journey in Christ. I feel if understanding correctly, the classical Christian Pilgrimage remind us that we all have issues requiring regular examination. In chapter eight, the classical Christian Pilgrimage tells us we are at different stages on the path of wholeness in Christ. However, in my thoughts some areas of our Christian journey we may be doing well, but in other areas we have not touched at all. Not to mention, these are the place we are not ready or capable of handling yet, however, as we mature in God and He knows what we can handle, then we are awakened. God awakens us to our true selves which have not been completely revealed. In reality, once we reach maturity to God, he reveals all that is hidden deep inside of us (the real us/you). By the same token, he let us see the inner behaviors, attitudes, desires, in fact how we measure up in them being Christ-like. I feel the awakening stage deals with the comfort of being set free of these issues that are holding us back also causing detours on our path to wholeness in Christ. Equally, the threat is being afraid to see who we really are; also how far from Christ-like we really are. We must first be awakened from our separation also alienation from God (Mulholland 79-82).

For this assignment, I interviewed Sidney C. Frazier Sr., Pastor of Full Faith Ministries located on John’s Island, SC. Full Faith opened their doors on Mother’s Day in May, 1997. When given the vision to start this ministry, Pastor Frazier invested within himself leadership development by going to other organizations for training in ministry. This is the first valuable lesson I learned from this interview; I never planned on becoming an adult learner until the Lord told me to enroll in Springfield College in 2011, in order to learn of principles in human services, to learn men’s way, and now in Liberty University to learn God’s way in combining both together according to Luke 2:52 (NIV) “And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.” God wanted me to

I’d like to state the most obvious observation that I’ve made about spiritual formation; that is that I will always need to be seeking for ways to nurture my personal spirituality throughout my life. I know that to most people this may sound like a “duh” statement, but for me it has truly become a reality and one that I must admit I have been struggling to embrace. I was brought up in a church that, like most traditional churches, stayed happy living in the “comfort zone” of their Christianity. They took everything that the Bible said at face value without digging in to find out why they believed what they believed. I had never been challenged to look deeper into the text. In the past few years I have felt the need to tunnel out of this

If so, then justification by faith would be of no need or value but if

I am a Christian and I believe in the Holy trinity: God, the Son, the Holy Spirit.

What religion am I? In my life, I have been told many things about my religion. My mother is a Roman Catholic, while my father is Jewish. I have learned about both religions, and I have tried to practice both as best I could, but I am now faced with the decision; which one am I?