Adult Faith Development Pt 3

It is important to keep note that each stage includes and builds upon the previous. Each stage is essential to faith development, the problem is when we get stuck and stop moving upward.

The next level that contains the next stages of development is called the Conventional level of development. This level is where the bulk of society resides. This level contains the cognitive and faith levels of adolescence. It makes sense that most of our society is stuck here. Much of the marketing and media that we see is aimed at teenagers and their record amounts of disposable cash. I think that this conditions the mind to think that adolescence is the heyday of life. We could get into arguments of chicken and egg here, but it does not really matter at this point.

Now for the stages of this level. The First stage of the Conventional level is the Diplomat. This person starts to move away from a self oriented life and leans on a group of peers who define them. “Being a part of this larger entity allows one to be protected and share in its power. The price for protection is loyalty and obedience.” Teenagers' peers are their social protection and they will give loyalties to them even when it goes against the value systems they may have been taught. This stage moves away from the self love for self sake and moves into a love of others, but it is still for personal benefit that they love another. I love you for what you can do for me or how you make me feel. This is a necessary stage of development in the human mind, much social interaction is learned here.

Many legalistic, fundamental churches are stuck in this stage. They would say, “If you adhere to our rules then we give you the power of being in the elite club as well as the protection of not going to hell.”

The next stage is an in-between stage of 3 and 4 called the Expert. The Expert has come to a place of wanting their own identity apart from the crowd, yet desiring their acceptance by proving his/her superiority to that crowd. This is a crucial stage in development in which one desires to become an individual, yet does not possess the confidence to break from the crowd. They still seek their identity and self worth from the crowd. You see this stage practiced in the pursuit of more stuff/knowledge/position for the sake of bragging rights. My car is nicer, my story is better, my trophy is bigger, my salary is higher: now am I acceptable? These people often feel they have all the answers and feel self-righteous in their knowledge.

In Cook-Greuter’s study, she found that 36.5% of American adults surveyed were stuck in this stage. This stage adheres to a system of rules and has a high capability of feeling “shame and guilt.”

Many Christians seem to be found at this stage. These Christians love the writings of Paul and all of his lists of morality, but are confused when they read Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, which ironically is the foundation of Paul’s writings! What they do not understand: any paradox, mystery, or discussion of true transformation outside of the chief end of becoming more moral, is often “intellectualized, rationalized, and explained away.”

Many churches are stuck here as well, and the next generation of young people can see through the intellectualizations and often steer clear of this church because of its institutionalization of rules that are foreign to their own circle and value system.

The Capacity of love of these individuals is still self-focused, but disguised. Experts love God and others for what they get in return from them.