Fowler's "Stages of Faith" and liberalism

[JohnClay]

I read this book in the late 90's but I can't see a free online version of the book. Here is a summary:

James W. Fowler - Wikipedia

....Stage 5 – "Conjunctive" faith (mid-life crisis) acknowledges paradox and transcendence relating reality behind the symbols of inherited systems. The individual resolves conflicts from previous stages by a complex understanding of a multidimensional, interdependent "truth" that cannot be explained by any particular statement.

Stage 6 – "Universalizing" faith, or what some might call "enlightenment". The individual would treat any person with compassion as he or she views people as from a universal community, and should be treated with universal principles of love and justice.

The book would probably explain it but I'm not sure what paradoxes he is talking about in stage 5.... for me it is about an intelligent force being involved that is trying not to be too obvious.

I think the author said that Gandhi and MLK were in stage 6.... they were liberal e.g.
Was Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. a Christian?

Perhaps many Christians here might believe that you can't be saved if you are in a high stage because I think those in stage 6 might not believe in Jesus' resurrection in a black and white way.

 

[muichimotsu]

I read this book in the late 90's but I can't see a free online version of the book. Here is a summary:

James W. Fowler - Wikipedia


The book would probably explain it but I'm not sure what paradoxes he is talking about in stage 5.... for me it is about an intelligent force being involved that is trying not to be too obvious.

I think the author said that Gandhi and MLK were in stage 6.... they were liberal e.g.
Was Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. a Christian?

Perhaps many Christians here might believe that you can't be saved if you are in a high stage because I think those in stage 6 might not believe in Jesus' resurrection in a black and white way.

Not sure stage 6 as described necessitates even believing in Jesus' resurrection to have a basis for universal value of humans, it's as much a Buddhist concept, I'd say

 

[thomas_t]

Hi John,
nice to meet you.
God has love for the whole humanity, I'm convinced. He offers salvation to everyone.

My impression is even if some Christians would love any person they're interacting with... many fellow Christians don't.
This is at least from my experience.
So if I would go around loving everyone... I'm sure that the next Christian hating everyone, except the very few subscribing to the same views as his... would destroy most of the love, I'm afraid. So loving everyone seems quite futile to me personally.
I mean God is love, He loves. But being a Christian is a team sport, I'm convinced.
As long as there are people within the Christian ranks that view insulting atheists/ people from other faithes as a virtue and call it "spiritual battling"... or "mature judgement" which always seems to be ok, then the love would always be under friendly fire from the Christian side. That's at least my impression.

Thomas

 

[Silmarien]

I'm somewhat skeptical of these stages. While there's some truth to the earlier ones--as you mature, you get better at understanding things like literary styles, so can have a more nuanced, informed approach to what Scripture may or may not really be saying, stages 5 and 6 are operating under the undeclared assumption that there is no authentic divine revelation.

Accepting that assumption is not ascending to a higher stage of faith. It's actually a form of conversion to a different religion altogether: pluralism. Being a separate religious framework, you can convert to it and you can convert from it, but there's nothing inherently more enlightened about it, and it's not required to treat everyone with compassion.

 

[JohnClay]

My mum says I should have a child-like faith - I guess that would be stage 1 or 2.

 

[FireDragon76]

I'm somewhat skeptical of these stages. While there's some truth to the earlier ones--as you mature, you get better at understanding things like literary styles, so can have a more nuanced, informed approach to what Scripture may or may not really be saying, stages 5 and 6 are operating under the undeclared assumption that there is no authentic divine revelation.

Accepting that assumption is not ascending to a higher stage of faith. It's actually a form of conversion to a different religion altogether: pluralism. Being a separate religious framework, you can convert to it and you can convert from it, but there's nothing inherently more enlightened about it, and it's not required to treat everyone with compassion.

I don't see it that way.

Perhaps it merely acknowledges that divine revelation can be easily misunderstood, or is subject to a plurality of interpretations.

 

[2PhiloVoid]

My mum says I should have a child-like faith - I guess that would be stage 1 or 2.

This might depend on whether or not your mom 'meant' the same thing as Jesus did when referring to what sounds like the same epistemic dynamic ...