ERIC Number: EJ682429
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2004
Pages: 5
Abstractor: Author
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0034-4087
EISSN: N/A
Through the Looking Glass: Reflections on a Gift to Religious Educators
Durka, Gloria
Religious Education, v99 n4 p422-426 Fall 2004
This article presents the author's experience of James Fowler's theory of faith development, from her first exposure to the idea in 1973 until the present. She cites Fowler?s consistent emphasis on the necessity and significance of conversation among religious communities. Throughout his research, Fowler has had to acknowledge its plurality and ambiguity. His willingness to engage in conversation with critics and supporters has allowed him to present a "common" language, so as to allow experiences to be shared, validated, and questioned. By doing so, he illustrates that there is no final and definitive theory of development and no final synthesis that encompasses all human experience, criticizes what is oppressive, and appropriates what is usable in all religious traditions. That work must be ongoing, as the current world situation sharply reveals. For those engaged in teaching and research, Fowler?s work throughout these thirty years points to the reconstructive nature of theory-building itself.
Descriptors: Spiritual Development, Religious Education
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Opinion Papers
Education Level: Adult Education; Early Childhood Education; Elementary Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A