James W. Fowler

James W. Fowler ( born 1940 in San Fernando, California, USA) is an American theologian.

Fowler is the son of a Methodist pastor and member of the United Methodist Church. He studied at Duke University ( BA) and Harvard University ( Ph.D.), where he then took up a teaching position.

He headed the Center for Research on Faith and Moral Development ( Center for the Study of faith and moral development ) and Emory 's Center for Ethics in Public Policy and the Professions ( Centre for Ethics in Public Policy and the professions ) at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. In 2005 he went into retirement.

Theory

Fowler developed in the tradition of Jean Piaget and Lawrence Kohlberg's a faith development theory with the following six steps. Belief ( faith ) is at Fowler refers to a structure, the universal Entwicklungsnormativität, regardless of beliefs ( was ) claimed. The ages of the six stages are only a rough guide:

Method

Fowler used to develop his theory of qualitative semi-structured interviews. Respondents initially look back on their lives and even try to divide it into sections. In a second part is about life-shaping experiences, loss, crisis, suffering, joys or highlights. In part three of his interview, he asks about beliefs, values ​​and actions. Only in the last part of Fowler asks directly for religion. Overall, Fowler into his erupting study of 359 interviewees, 45 percent of Protestants, Catholics, 36.5 percent, 11.2 percent, Jews 3.6 percent Orthodox and 3.6 percent other people. His steps defined Fowler fact that he his interview people certain stages assigns and notes with this is that higher levels are occupied more frequently in older age. It is cross-sectional studies, not the longer -term monitoring of individuals.

Criticism

Fowler's theory of faith development is being blamed on higher levels methodological weaknesses. In particular, for its last stages may Fowler show only a few findings and interviews and reaches for the description instead of people like Gandhi or Jesus returns. For Level 6 Fowler leads just to a person interview, for level 5 there are 25 Another criticism is methodological Art Fowler used cross-sectional studies and no longitudinal studies, that is, it calculates the frequencies of stages in certain age groups. Paradoxically, Level 2 has disappeared in early adulthood, but immersed in the elderly again. Levels Theoretically, a reverse development is not possible, but the empirical results seem to imply exactly that. He also served in the description of these stages of a Judeo -Christian terminology, although its levels descriptions just do not want to be limited to these religions. Here also, the sample is considered to be problematic, which was composed mainly of believers Judeo -Christian religions. On the question of whether the steps for further development should be encouraged, Fowler expresses different. It was also criticized Fowler's faith- term. For a definition of the term social science and not theologically with him. Secondly, was asked whether the form and content at all separated from each other and can be viewed in isolation from each other, as is claimed by Fowler. Moreover, the criticism is directed against the seemingly intellectualist ideal of his theory.

Works

• Faith development and pastoral care; German: Faith Development: Perspectives for pastoral and ecclesiastical education; Munich: Kaiser, 1989; ISBN 3-459-01797- X
• Stages of faith. The psychology of human development; German: Stages of faith: the psychology of human development and the search for meaning; Gütersloh Gütersloh publishing house Mohn, 1991; ISBN 3-579-01750-0 (Issue 2000: ISBN 3-579-05176-8 )
• Religious Congregations: varieties of presence in stages of faith; : Jeff Astley (ed. ): Christian perspectives on faith development; Grand Rapids, 1992; pp. 370-383