Looking at how faith changes and morphs!

2. Knowing Yourself
‘Spiritual Triangulation’

5. Faith Development
• St John of the Cross - Dark Night of the
Soul
• Teresa of Avila - Interior Castle
• Catherine of Genoa (Friedrich von Hügel's
Mystical Element of Religion)
– infancy
– adolescence
– adulthood

6. ‘journey through darkness’
• increasing willingness to be responsible
for one’s own faith which becomes relaxed
and thoughtful as paradoxical truth is
incorporated into all of life.
• move away from being dominated by the
black and white thinking of others as
uncritical acceptance of simple answers is
replaced in favour of embracing mystery

7. Janet Hagberg
• “In each of us a wide mixture of behaviour both
wise and unwise, healthy and unhealthy,
appears.... when that behaviour begins to
dominate or when we become obsessed with
how we need to behave or how others need to
behave, then we have a clear sign that we are
becoming caged. Another sign of stuckness is
having to be right and convincing others of our
rightness.... rightness becomes more important
than the journey.”
• Hagberg, J. O. (2004). The Critical Journey, Stages in the Life of Faith,

8. Summary of Stage 1 - The
Recognition of God - Humbles us
• Faith as the discovery or recognition of
God.
• Driven by a desire for greater meaning in
life
• Characterised by a sense of innocent awe.

9. Summary of Stage 2 - The life of
discipleship - Grounds us
• Faith at this stage is all about learning
about God - everything about absorption
• Belonging and agreeing within what is
seen as orthodox
• Answers are not individual or unique but
found in a leader, cause, or belief system.
• Characterised sense of rightness and
security is in 'Our' faith

10. Summary of stage 3 - The
Productive Life - Rewards and
exalts us
• Faith is working for God as a practical
outworking
• Characterised by a striving for uniqueness
and a seeking for responsibility
• People often overly zealous and self
centred
• Fear a loss of certainty

11. Summary of Stage 4 - The
Journey Inward - Unsettles us
• Faith becomes more about rediscovering
God
• Unlearning and relearning can come
through the emergence of a faith crisis
• Certainties of faith are lost, once dearly
held answers no longer provide direction
• God being released from the box

12. Summary of Stage 5 - The
Journey Outward - Transforms us
• Faith is surrendering to God in a new way
that brings with it a renewed sense of
God's acceptance
• Characterised by a deep calm or stillness
and renewed sense of God's acceptance
• Represents a new sense of calling and
fulfilment
• Depth comes from relaxing into the
evolving into being God's person

13. Summary of Stage 6 - Life of
Love - Transcends us
• Faith that reflects God
• Characterised by continued selfless
Christlike living defined by total obedience
compassionate loving
• Needs of self are abandoned in complete
hospitality for others