Loop Group - SEPTEMBER 30, 1993

-- HOW MY FAITH HAS CHANGED ~
GREAT Topic
FAITH CHANGES -

IN FACT, WE KNOW FROM PSYCHOLOGY, BUT ALSO LEGTENTING
(=7P 1 TH
+O OUR OWN EXPERIENCE THAT THE NATYBEWOF se@m@mS IS NOT

statre - [Owe qivan or \eerma = “hy rv prnaescoa oe)

BUT A JOURNEY, A PILGRIMAGE ANA
Seen ny

A MOVEMENT FROM HERE TO THERE
WHICH REFLECTS DIFFERENT STAGES AND SITUATIONS IN LIFE

AND - THAT FAITH THAT DOESN'T CHANGE IS STUCK ~ SOMEWHERE

IN THE PAST
[AI Fi¢ thet i? Poy CHING HAS _!
NOT ONLY A SOURCE_OF ENERGY, JOY -[ put SOURCE OF
ab be

DISCOMFORT ~- AWKWARDNESS
en WRWAR!

EXAMPLE
) FHCA
‘/ RELIGIOUS FAITH - DEVELOPED TO MID-CHILDHOOD AND STOPPED

Soc

WHILE OTHER INTELLECTUAL DEVELOPMENT CONTINUED (PERSON DROPS OUT

COMME Col. reise”
OF CHURCH - NO RELIGION AT HOME)

Aa Fey phoebe i
@) BIBLICAL | - TTERALISM AND SO WHEN CONFRONTED WITH REALITIES
|

OF MODERN SCIENCE - CONCLUDES RELIGION IS INVALID.

$2) THEOLOGICAL - GoD AS KIND, LOVING PROTECTOR AND THEN TRAGEDY

—
HAPPENS - he ~ FA hed af 6 __
ws ye Pecan Geb TITNG
RELIGION IS IRRELEVANT. ~
q
GOD THE PROTECTOR DIDN'T COME THROUGH -; NO anata, ¢ FAITH

OCC
WHICH INCLUDES SENSE OF TRAGEDY.

|

Benn

THERE IS A LOT OF WORK DONE ON TOPIC OF FAITH FORMATION AND

Az . : . a] chet
DEVELOPMENT. | How dees fad Weppee{ why de sume hence
KVM_IS AN EXPERT
BEST CURRENT THINKER - JAMES FOWLER, PROF. OF THEOLOGY
Pil
AND HUMAN DEVELOPMENT AT Emory UNIVERSITY

i

STAGES OF FAITH

1

BECOMING ADULT, BECOMING HUMAN

FOWLER USES ERZK ERIKSON HUMAN DEVELOPMENT THEORY AND STAGES ~
TO HELP UNDERSTAND FAITH
HIS PREMISE IS THAT FAITH FOLLOWS HUMAN PERSONALITY
DEVELOPMENT IF GIVEN A CHANCE

ERIKSON DEVELOPED ~<-STAGES(EACH WITH ITS SPECIFIC CHAL-

LENGES AND TASKS

STAGE TASK THRE
1. INFANCY Basic tawny | RU SY~ FEAR
2. Two AuToNoMy / SHAME/SELF-DOUBT ) 7
3. OLDER PRE-SCHOOL CONSCIENCE GUICT
4. SCHOOL YEAR INDUSTRY / COMPETITION crmoseed ct |
5. ADOLESCENCE IDENTITY | fac
6. YOUNG ADULTHOOD INTIMACY
7. MIDDLE ADULTHOOD GENERATIVITY/ CARE
8. OLD AGE INTEGRITY

OTHER APPROACHES INCLUDE DANIEL LEV@NSON
[s y
SEASONS OF A MAN'S LIFE

FOUR BROAD SEASONS - 20 YR. SEGMENTS
A

CAROL GILLIGAN - IN A DIFFERENT VOICE, PSYCHOLOGICAL

rT

a 3.

THEORY AND WomMEN’S DEVELOPMENT FOCUSES ON
RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Uszna ERIKSON - HOW DOES FAITH EVOLVE/ CHANGE?

= . -
URS HM
INFANCY - BASIC TRUST - Noueece CARE

EARLY CHILDHOOD - CONSCIENCE, RIGHT/WRONG

ADOLESCENCE ~ IDENTITY (IT'S WHY WE CONFIRM paca lle Gr
4

' 4 fav’ AND COMMISSION ADOLESCENTS) gue ‘precect
ae mrt i oe
yf So YOUR FAITH HAS AND WILL CONTINUE TO CHANGE. Older pereerts 4
al
aqeneretivs hy
SoME PERSONAL REFLECTIONS ~-
My JOURNEY

wa
PARENTS - PRESBYTERIAN/METHODIST

BAR,
BADC CLOSEST
CHILDHOOD AND YOUTH ~
RELIGIOUS ISSUES IMPORTANT, BUT NOT CRITICAL
S.S. WORSHIP, CONFIRMATION, CAMP, Y.F. AND
BASKETBALL!
COLLEGE - SOME WORSHIP
OBLIGATORY CHAPEL ~ CURED ME FOREVER OF
COERCED RELIGION
RELIGION COURSES - AN INTELLECTUAL HUNGER ~-
To U. of C. Drv. ScHooL (NoT SEMINARY)
AND WHILE THERE DECIDED ON MINISTRY

AS VOCATION

— Wu cmsis~ TREE end ai Cask Yeau —
acoas

Good. take ~ Sera
TRANSITIONS

Ma 4ospect fy Seri piers

Se ee ee eT

ao
SS: Pritt CC laeye
2 - UITERALISM/ FUNDAMENTALISM

L—Freepee dy

ae

fy

- HIGHER AND exsronrd/urrenant CRITICISM

- WELL MEANING HUMANISM WITH BIBLE STORIES AS
ILLUSTRATION
+ REFORMED THEOLOGY OF THE WorD
| ides tse - Fou daimrudeatian
LITERATURE——FORMEDABLE

NEVER AN ISSUE

NEVER RAISED IN S$!

tF IT'S IN BIBLE, IT'S TRUE

(PARENTS KNEW BETTER BUT NEVER THOUGHT THEY

NEEDED TO TELL ME)

CRITICISM COLLEGE

BIBLE SUBMITTED TO SAME ACADEMIC DISCIPLINE AS HISTORY AND
LITERATURE

Tal

BrG TROUBLE IF YoU'RE LITERALIST
GEOLOGY /BIOLOGY - BIG BANG US - ¢ CULES id |

DARWIN ~- EVOLUTION

SCIENTIFIC METHOD
TEST TRUTH WITH SENSES + WOT Woman reesun | logy

HrsTORY

eee
MOSES DIDN'T WRITE PENTET20Ch
DAVID DIDN'T WRITE PSALMS

SoME BATTLES DIDN'T HAPPEN OR GREATLY EXAGGERATED

ISAIAH WRITTEN BY 3 WRITERS
Genesrs 1 & 2 - TWO ENTIRELY DIFFERENT STORIES

JONAH AND WHALE - WHATEVER DOES THAT MEAN?

So To A BENIGN HUMANISM

=~
WHAT FAITH I HAD BASED ON NOBLE PRINCIPLES - BIBLE A KIND OF

EMBARRASSMENT USED ONLY TO ILLUSTRATE poet bag,
Pr sare ‘ Poe
yl
AND THEN SERZOUS STUDY IN DIVINITY SCHOOL legen? Wee
I MAJORED IN N.T. - leemed Greeks \ vo
Me

I HAVE SPENT MORE TIME IN BIBLE STUDY THAN
IN ANYTHING ELSE
THES1S ON MATTHEW 16:13-20
WORD BY WORD EXEGESIS
REFORMED/PRESBYTERIAN POSITION WAS NEVER LITERALIST

But THE WoRD_IN..THE BIBLE

BIBLE CONTAINS GOD'S WORD.

CURTOUSLY ~- BIBLE NOT AS UNHISTORICAL AS WE FIRST
THOUGHT - NOT UNRELIABLE BUT NOT HISTORY
SOR '
-IT IS SERING OF FAITH - GoD’S PEOPLE AND
Gop’sS LOVE
SOURCE OF INSPIRATION ~- GROUND OF TRUTH -

MEASURE OF ALL THINGS.

2. Gop AND SCIENCE
See aaeememad
TRAJECTORY
SCIENCE AS THREAT >
SCIENCE AS SOLE TRUTH ‘?
TEST Mey |
SCIENCE AS TESTENG TO MYSTERY/ &

COMPAWNE AI
A COMPARISON DISCIPLINE TO RELIGION

THREAT
~~

Ht THE EvVoLUTION/CREATION DEBATE
“

¥

ANI RACLe>

THE PHYSICAL LAWS VS. NATURE -~~-="~
LACK OF PHYSICAL EVIDENCE
PURE RATIONALISM SEES NO VERIFIABLE EVIDENCE

GOD AS PROJECTION OF HUMAN INSECURITY.

Scie a4 TRUTH
So MAYBE ONLY TRUTH IS SCIENTIFIC TRUTH

FEET, Al
‘ee MYSTERY STARTED TO HAPPEN

LOVE - INTIMACY - BABIES
SCIENCE NOT BIG ENOUGH
RECENT EXPOSURE TO SCIENTISTS WHO ARE OPEN TO MYSTERY
STEVEN HAWKING
"TO KNOW GoD"
LEWIS THOMAS
SCIENCE IS TEACHING US WHAT WE DON’T KNOW

PE sr ited ¢
So, I WELCOME SCIENCE AS FESTENG TO MYSTERY

3. SOCIAL ISSUES OF FAITH
FROM OPTIMISM TO PESSIMISM TO REALISM
60s OPTIMISM - A BETTER WORLD
RACE (CIVIL RIGHTS - INCREDIBLE OPTIMISM AND HOPE)
THEN PEACE
i, c { Lt Pets
I WAS EARLY SUPPORTER OF ++=-----<---- AS AN OBLIGATION TO
FREEDOM LOVING FRIENDS.
11/22/63 wAS A SHOCK
68 - WORST YEAR
RFK, MLK, My Lar

JournaL 12/3/69

FOUR EVENTS HAVE PUNCTURED MY IDEALISM AND REVEALED THE
RESIDENT BEAST IN MAN
-ASSASSINATION OF JFK
- ASSASSINATION OF RFK
- ASSASSINATION OF MLK
- MASSACRE OF WOMEN AND CHILDREN BY U.S. TROOPS
"A LOT OF DREAMS WERE SHATTERED. NO CAUSE IS WORTH WHAT HAPPENED
IN THAT VIETNAMESE VILLAGE: NO AMOUNT OF MILITARY RHETORIC CAN
ERASE WHAT HAPPENED. I HAVE ALWAYS FELT A DEEP LOVE FOR COUNTRY
AND A CONFIDENCE IN ITS RIGHTNESS. No more. Now IT’S ALL DE-
SPAIR AND LITTLE HOPE."
~ AND THEN A REACQUAINTANCE WITH CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY -
WHICH KNOWS ABOUT GOOD AND EVIL - AND SEES HOPE
EVEN IN BAD TIMES
wee TE FE
EASTERN FAITH
AND A NEW REALISM - BASED ON REALISTIC HOPE
4. From INNOCENCE AND CERTAINTY TO MYSTERY
CITE OLD MINISTER'S COMMENT AT MY ORDINATION EXAM
THE OLDER I GET, THE FEWER BELIEFS I HAVE AND THE MORE
T BELIEVE THEM
So, I’M MORE WILLING TO SAY -

"T DON'T KNOW" BECAUSE OF MY DEEPENING FAITH IN GoD

I’M LESS EXCLUSIVE AND MORE INCLUSIVE - WHEN IT COMES TO WHO IS
IN AND NOT IN.
I'm WILLING TO LET GOD DECIDE WHO GETS IN HEAVEN...

SOMEONE WROTE ABOUT A SECOND INNOCENCE -

AFTER STRUGGLING WITH DOUBT

FAITH - A SECOND INNOCENT ACCEPTANCE

IN SPIRIT OF T. S. ELIOT LINES - MY FAVORITE:
“THE END OF ALL OUR EXPLORING
WILL BE TO ARRIVE WHERE WE STARTED

AND TO KNOW THE PLACE FOR THE FIRST TIME.”

oA

September 27, 1993

Dr. John Buchanan
Pastor
Fourth Presbyterian Church

Dear Dr. Buchanan,

Thank you for agreeing to speak at the Loop Group Breakfast
Series on September 30. We have had a successful series on the
topic of redirecting outlooks as a result of change in our lives.
We particularly look forward to your reflections on the
experience of change in our spiritual lives.

On Thursday morning, breakfast will begin at 7:00, although you
are welcome to arrive at 6:45 for coffee. We will make some
short announcements at about 7:30, and Suzanne Blaustone will
introduce you. I hope you will welcome questions after your
prepared remarks. Our program will end at about 8:15 so that
people can get to work. The Plaza Club is on the 40th floor of
the original Prudential Building.

Please feel free to contact me (856-4113) or Nancy Hutchison if
you have questions about the series. Again, we look forward to
your remarks and thank you for supporting the Loop Group.

Son Findley

Jon Findley
Chair
Loop Group Planning Committee