Tag Archives: stages of faith

Stages of faith – the flight-path of a relationship

Posted on May 22, 2014 by

One of this blog’s central, recurring ideas is that faith has a life cycle with recognisable phases or stages (an idea originally developed by James Fowler). It’s an idea that’s helped and supported me through the experience of my own … Continue reading →

Posted in Stages of faith, The faith journey | Tagged , , , , | 7 Comments

Stages of faith – Moving beyond easy answers

Posted on February 4, 2013 by

One of the foundational ideas for this blog is that of ‘stages of faith’ – the spiritual journey, or the life-cycle of faith. Part of this idea is that we gradually outgrow and move on from old ways and understandings … Continue reading →

Posted in Fundamentalism, Orthodoxy, Stages of faith, The faith journey | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Why bother – why not just give up on faith?

Posted on January 12, 2013 by

Sometimes when I’m struggling with all these issues of belief, I get all confused and tired, and just occasionally thoughts cross my mind like this: ‘Why bother? Why not just give up, cut loose, walk free? Is your belief in … Continue reading →

Posted in Dark night of the soul, Emerging, Stages of faith, Suffering, The faith journey | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

‘It’s not as simple as that’ – Moving beyond the either/or

Posted on August 22, 2012 by

Three times this week I’ve found myself querying simple either/or propositions about matters of belief. The first was in a ‘Liberal Evangelicals’ Facebook group, where a Tea-Party-voting contributor had posted ‘If you are Born Again you automatically become Pro Life … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Emerging, Fundamentalism, Stages of faith | Tagged , , , , | 12 Comments

Understanding fundamentalists

Posted on April 26, 2012 by

In the previous post I was reacting emotionally against ultra-conservative evangelicals. For the sake of fairness I’d like to redress this a little with a more measured and balanced follow-up. (Besides which, we do have some good UCCF-ish friends who … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Calvinism, Emerging, Fundamentalism, The faith journey | Tagged , , | 13 Comments

Is Atheism the True Embrace of Reality?

Posted on June 15, 2011 by

Has anyone else read Paula Kirby’s recent pieces in The Hibernian Times, ‘Atheism is the True Embrace of Reality’ and the follow-up ‘Breaking out from the Prison of Religion’? If not, do have a read. A good atheist friend and … Continue reading →

Posted in Atheism/agnosticism, Psychology, Stages of faith, The faith journey | Tagged , , , , , , , | 17 Comments

The life cycle of faith – stages of spiritual development (stages of faith)

Posted on January 9, 2011 by

Faith – like life – is a journey of growth, development, becoming. It involves change, movement, loss and gain. A number of phases or stages of the faith journey can be identified, mirroring the stages of human psychological development from infant … Continue reading →

Posted in Emerging, Fundamentalism, Stages of faith, The faith journey | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 52 Comments