This book focuses on four adult faith perspectives (or ways of thinking about faith) and how they relate to the understandings persons hold about religious symbols and concepts. Increasing our awareness of the multiple viewpoints generated by different perspectives of faith is an important step toward breaking down walls that divide us. In the first part of the book, the authors research in cognitive development (grounded in the developmental theories of Jean Piaget, Lawrence Kohlberg, James Fowler, and William Perry) led them to identify a typology of four ways that adults think about subjects such as styles of interpretation, images and authority of the Bible, tradition, truth, and self-understanding. The second part of the book provides examples that illustrate how to nurture faith perspectives about beliefs, church, justice, empathy, and worship. Sample exercises and teaching strategies translate the theory into practical application for pastors, religious educators, church leaders (clergy and lay), and lay persons concerned for the church and its ministries. The appendices include a chart on Faith Perspectives and Biblical Interpretation and details and statistics from the research itself. A bibliography and index are also provided. H. Edward Everding Jr. is Professor of Religious Education and New Testament at The Iliff School of Theology, Denver. Mary M. Wilcox is adjunct Lecturer in Religious Education at Iliff. Lucinda A. Huffaker is Associate Director of the Wabash Center for Teaching and Learning in Theology and Religion, Crawfordsville, IN. Clarence H. Snelling Jr. is Professor Emeritus of Teaching Ministries at Iliff and currently teaches at Kenya Methodist University in Africa.
