FAITHFAITH•Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies. Mother Teresa 

Word AssociationWord Association

• FAITH • BELIEF

I. What is FAITH?I. What is FAITH?– A. Try relating it to trust

• Are they interchangeable?– “I have faith in you” versus “Please just trust me”

– B. Response to God’s love• Responding to the invitation to be in relationship• Response of trust AND faith in revelation

– C. Both personal and communal• Catholic Church is a community of believers

• St. Augustine: stressed F in G as a form of illumination• Thomas Aquinas: (faith & reason)• Synoptic Gospels: equate faith w trust in JC

II. Six Characteristics of FaithII. Six Characteristics of Faith

• 1. Supernatural gift • from God

o H.S. helps us recognize the invitation God extended so that we can

o respond• 2. Certain

o Even when reason o doesn’t understand

• 3. Seeks • understanding

o True faith brings a deepening passion for

o understanding God

• 4. Does not appeal to scienceo God created the

physical and spiritual so there is NEVER a conflict

• 5. Necessary for salvationo One must have faith

to have a relationship• 6. Beginning of eternal

lifeo Gives us a preview of

heaven

III. Statements of FaithIII. Statements of FaithNicene Creed

*Trinity

*Sundays

*Community

*Council of Nicaea–Responding to

heresies

• Apostle’s Creed

*Individual

*Reflect beliefs of Apostles

*Dates back to the Romans

•BELIEF: Involves intellectual assent to a truth…so FAITH implies a deeper acceptance of a belief: one that requires changes in behavior & attitude

IV. Difference between belief and faith

V. 3 Components of (mature) faithV. 3 Components of (mature) faith

• A. Conviction: belief in truths; an assent of the mind

• B. Commitment: dedication to another; an assent of the heart, with implications upon behavior

• C. Trust: Reliance on the power & goodness of that to which one is committed (trust

enables faith to remain active even in times of doubt)

VI. Adolescent Faith DevelopmentVI. Adolescent Faith Development

• A. Men & Women differ• B. FD occurs at all levels• C. While many adolescents

would not describe themselves as religious, often they are spiritual.

VII. Religious vs. SpiritualThe Faith Development in the Adult Life Cycle Project… This study’s result is the basis for the book Faith is a verb by Kenneth Stokes

VII. Religious vs. SpiritualThe Faith Development in the Adult Life Cycle Project… This study’s result is the basis for the book Faith is a verb by Kenneth Stokes

• Religious: generally conceived as involving ritual practices, doctrine, the institutional

Church & active involvement• Spiritual: emphasizes personal

dimension

• RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults)

VIII. Gender Faith DevelopmentThe Faith Development in the Adult Life Cycle Project… This study’s result is the basis for the book Faith is a verb by Kenneth Stokes

VIII. Gender Faith DevelopmentThe Faith Development in the Adult Life Cycle Project… This study’s result is the basis for the book Faith is a verb by Kenneth Stokes

• WOMEN• More like to ponder

emotional & spiritual overtones of signif life exp.

• More relational in approach to faith

• More likely to see religion as impt in their lives

• View it as a positive exp.

• Identify faith w having rel w God

• MEN• See faith more as

set of beliefs• More structured in

beliefs• Less likely to

disclose feelings & attitudes about faith (and if problem will work it out themselves

IX. Westerhoff’s Styles of FaithWill Our Children Have Faith? John Westerhoff, 2000)

IX. Westerhoff’s Styles of FaithWill Our Children Have Faith? John Westerhoff, 2000)

• Uses cross section of tree trunk to illustrate process of FD.

• 1. Experienced• 2. Affiliative• 3. Searching• 4. Owned

X. Fowler’s Stages of FaithStages of Faith: The Psychology of Human Development and the Quest for Meaning, James W. Fowler, 1995)

X. Fowler’s Stages of FaithStages of Faith: The Psychology of Human Development and the Quest for Meaning, James W. Fowler, 1995)

• Faith more as verb than noun)• Stage 1: Intuitive-Projective Faith• Stage 2: Mythic-Literal faith• Stage 3: Synthetic-Conventional Faith• Stage 4: Individualistic-Projective Faith• Stage 5: Conjunctive Faith• Stage 6: Universalizing Faith• Other info: Stages hierarchical,

sequential, Stage 3 most common, Stages 1-3 F comes from external force, Stages 4-6 faith is internal…so shift from 3 to 4 is hardest