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The Evangelical Liberal is a blog to explore more open and liberated ways of being a Christian, particularly for those who have struggled to find their way within the evangelical tradition. Read more-
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- “Up, civil unrest!” (an Easter-ish reflection)
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Tag Archives: stages of faith
Stages of faith – the flight-path of a relationship
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 boredom, faith journey, losing the fire, marriage, stages of faith
7 Comments
Stages of faith – Moving beyond easy answers
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
Why bother – why not just give up on faith?
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
‘It’s not as simple as that’ – Moving beyond the either/or
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 complexity, either/or, false dichotomies, nuance, stages of faith
12 Comments
Understanding fundamentalists
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 Calvinism, fundamentalism, stages of faith
13 Comments
Is Atheism the True Embrace of Reality?
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 atheism, health, Hibernian Times, Paula Kirby, psychology, religion, scott peck, stages of faith
17 Comments
The life cycle of faith – stages of spiritual development (stages of faith)
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