Measuring Faith Maturity: Reassessing Valuegenesis and Development of a Denomination-specific Scale

The Valuegenesis Faith-Maturity Scale and two related short-form scales developed for mainline Protestant use were evaluated for validity for Seventh-day Adventists. Inappropriate items were identified using statistical procedures and results from a survey of Adventist educators and pastors. New long- and short-form faith-maturity scales were developed. Different findings from adult/youth and grade-level comparisons using the five scales suggested that denomination-specific scale construction and validation are needed. The new long-form scale was very similar to one of the short-form scales constructed for mainline Protestant use and may be appropriate for other denominations.     

Valuegenesis: A Megastudy of Faith Maturity and Its Relationship to Variables Within the Home,School, and Church

Concern with declining enrollment and commitment in Seventh-day Adventist schools in the United States and Canada led to one of the largest studies ever undertaken by any church group. The research involved nearly 11,000 sixth- through twelfth-grade youth and another 2,300 parents, teachers, and pastors. The findings both encouraged and challenged the Church and underscored the cumulative roles that homes, schools, and churches play in nurturing faith and loyalty among Christian youth.     

Prototypes of Faith: Findings with the Faith Q‐Sort

Defining religion and finding ways to assess it in individual lives has long challenged psychologists of religion. At first, open‐ended questionnaires were used, but with the advent of modern statistical methods, a succession of religiosity scales was developed. But these usually brief scales were typically based on the preconceptions of their authors, who were overwhelmingly Protestant Christian and often conservative, much as were those who completed them. To provide a more adequate way of assessing “faith,” a term here encompassing both religious and nonreligious attitudes, a new assessment device was developed that incorporates the singular advantages of Q methodology. The Faith Q‐Sort consists of 101 statements that respondents sort on a nine‐category continuum, indicating the degree to which each statement describes himself or herself. Factor analysis based on correlations of the sorts rather than individual items yielded, for the initial group of participants, three major prototypes and five minor ones, accounting for 67 percent of the variance. Of the 42 participants, 31 proved to be exemplars of one or another of the eight prototypes. Subsequent explorations illustrate the wealth of possibilities the FQS offers, both as a research instrument and a counseling tool.     

Religious Ego Identity and Its Relationship to Faith Maturity

The relationship between religious ego identity and religious faith maturity was investigated among college students (M age % 19.8 years) using J. E. Marcia's (1966) religious ego status classification system, which is based on the presence or absence in an individual of an exploration of religious values or beliefs and commitment to them; the system also contains a measure of religious faith maturity. Results showed that individuals with a diffusion status (no exploration, no commitment) were less mature in religious faith than those with a foreclosure status (no exploration, commitment), a moratorium status (exploration, no commitment), or those classified as achieved (exploration, commitment). Compared with individuals classified as foreclosed, achieved individuals integrated more effectively the religious faith maturity dimension of service to humanity and community as well as service of self to a transcendent reality.     

The Impact of a Christian Liberal Arts Education on Faith Maturity

For four years, graduates of The King's University College (TKUC) three-year Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science programs were polled as to their perception of TKUC's success in attaining its missionstatement claims. The questionnaire results suggest that the claims, which pertain to “gaining a deeper understanding of God's creation, maturing and growing as Christians, contributing to an advancement of knowledge, and being of service to the community,” have been met for a substantial number of students. However, because the numbers are small, i.e., 132 students out of a possible population of 226, follow-up research will be necessary to determine whether perceived changes in students' faith and understanding are specifically attributable to the college's influence.     

Researching Women's Groups: Findings,Limitations, and Recommendations

Although most counselors believe that women's groups are helpful and important, there is little empirical research in this area. The purpose of this article is to report the current state of published research on women's groups. An overview of previous reviews of the literature is discussed, and 26 articles that were located through PsycINFO and ERIC and are analyzed and discussed. Recommendations for future research are included.     

Spiritual Well-being,Faith Maturity,and the Organizational Commitment of Faculty in Christian Colleges and Universities

The relationship between the spiritual experience and organizational commitment of faculty in Seventh-day Adventist tertiary educational institutions in north Philippines constituted the primary focus of this study. Instrumentation included the Spiritual Well-being Scale (SWBS), Thayer Long-form Faith Maturity Scale (TFS), and Organizational Commitment Questionnaire (OCQ). Each aspect of spiritual experience in the study was significantly and positively related to organizational commitment, with the highest correlation evidenced in the case of faith maturity. Further, the relationship between spiritual experience and organizational commitment was influenced by several demographic variables. The best model for predicting organizational commitment, accounting for 42% of the variance explained, was comprised of existential well-being, faith maturity, and time lapse since baptism.     

Faith Maturity and Mental Well-Being: A Longitudinal Study of Indian American Followers of a Guru Tradition

Journal of Religion and Health - This article is based on a longitudinal study of Indian Americans devoted to a guru tradition, aiming to explore how faith contributes to their mental well-being....     

A Psychoneuroimmunologic Perspective on AIDS Research: Questions,Preliminary Findings,and Suggestions1

Starting with the premise that research questions emanating from the fields of psychoneuroimmunology and behavioral medicine may provide critical information for understanding and treating acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), we provide brief backgrounds on psychoneuroimmunology and on AIDS. Previously, Solomon had generated 25 hypotheses based on the thesis that the immune and central nervous systems are intimately linked. Eight hypotheses from his list are presented as particularly relevant to AIDS. From these hypotheses, we derived a set of 12 new questions to be addressed in research on AIDS. Evidence and illustrations from studies in the literature, from our own research on psychoimmunologic relationships and psychosocial factors related to outcome, and from clinical examples is discussed for each question. Finally, suggestions are offered to address some of the problems in conducting psychoneurologic research.     

Consuming Religion: Faith in the Future and the Future of Faith

Books reviewed in this article:
John Drane, The McDonaldization of the Church: Spirituality, Creativity, and the Future of the Church
George Ritzer, Enchanting A Disenchanted World: Revolutionizing the Means of Consumption     

Leibniz and Luther on the Non-Cognitive Component of Faith

Leibniz was a Lutheran. Yet, upon consideration of certain aspects of his philosophical theology, one might suspect that he was a Lutheran more in name than in intellectual practice. Clearly Leibniz was influenced by the Catholic tradition; this is beyond doubt. However, the extent to which Leibniz was influenced by his own Lutheran tradition—indeed, by Martin Luther himself—has yet to be satisfactorily explored. In this essay, the views of Luther and Leibniz on the non-cognitive component of faith are considered in some detail. According to Luther, the only non-cognitive aspect of faith worth favoring is trust (fiducia), since it is trust in God’s promise of mercy that warrants justification for the sinner. Leibniz, for his part, sides with the Thomistic tradition in emphasizing love (caritas) as the non-cognitive element of faith par excellence. I argue that Leibniz falls into a trap forewarned by Luther himself, even if Leibniz had systematic metaphysical reasons for his disagreement.     

Faith and the practising analyst

Abstract: In this brief essay, I reflect on three questions: What is ‘faith’ in a modern and post‐modern cultural context? Do I, a Jungian analyst, have ‘faith’ or do I not? Does having ‘faith’ or not make a difference in the practice of analysis? I make reference to Jung's understanding of ‘faith’ and his frequent disclaimers about making metaphysical claims. I conclude that a post‐credal ‘faith’ is possible for contemporary Jungian analysts, that I do have such a faith personally, and that in my experience this makes a significant difference in analytic practice at least with some patients. Traditional faith statements must be translated into depth psychological terms, however, in order for them to be applicable in post‐modern, multicultural contexts.     

Faith and the developmental cycle

According to Paul Tillich, faith as a human response is an act of the total personality in which all the elements of man's personal life participate. This paper explores one aspect of this assertion that has been neglected by both psychologists and theologians-the heuristic idea that faith is a developmental phenomenon. Specifically, the paper contends that the dominant form of an individual's faith at any one time is determined in part by the particular developmental stage in which that individual is immersed. This contention is developed using the epigenetic approach of Erik Erikson. Eight developmental forms of faith are explored: among them, faith as trust, faith as obedience, and faith as self-surrender.     

Psychotherapy and the Mormon Faith

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, also known as the Mormon Church, is a Christian faith with a large presence across the globe. Although Mormon doctrine suggests that faith in Jesus allows people to overcome weakness and heal from pain, Mormon people are not immune from experiencing periods of mental and emotional suffering. The deeply held religious beliefs of Mormons can influence the nature of the psychological difficulties a Mormon individual is prone to experiencing, how and when they choose to seek treatment, as well as the types of treatment that may be most beneficial.