I present the development and initial validation a new measure designed to assess specific personal prayer content I used feedback from men and women, along with a review of the relevant literature, to identify specific prayer content for inclusion in the Personal Prayer Content Scale (PPCS) (Study 1) I administered the PPCS to a sample of participants from southeast Florida and southeast Michigan allowing for a cross-national investigation of the specific content of the thoughts that individuals privately direct towards a god, gods, or god-like entity (Study 2) I compared men’s and women’s responses (Study 3) and responses between Christians and non-Christians (Study 4) on the PPCS The results provide evidence for the reliability and discriminant validity of the PPCS by demonstrating that personal prayer content predicts aspects of religiosity and is equally valid for men and women and Christians and non-Christians A validated PPCS may be of theoretical, empirical, and practical value / Includes bibliography / Dissertation (PhD)--Florida Atlantic University, 2016 / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

No description available.

No description available.

Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2014. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: In this study, religiously heterogeneous households refer to households where the parents practice entirely different religions. These households are becoming more common and whilst the literature focusses on what this means for the married couple in terms of marital satisfaction, marital conflict and religious participation it largely neglects the influence that growing up in such a household may have on the child. This poses a potential problem in the therapeutic setting because there is no existing knowledge to work with. This study sought to narrow the gap in the literature by describing the lived experiences of young adults who grew up in religiously heterogeneous households. Through the use of snowball sampling, six young adults (aged 18-24) who grew up in religiously heterogeneous households agreed to be interviewed for this study. Of the participants four were male and the remaining two were female. The semi-structured interview yielded many reports of the participant’s experiences growing up in a religiously heterogeneous household. These experiences have been grouped into three types of themes. The themes include: (1) over-arching themes which deals with issues such as making sense of religion, making the decision as to which religion to affiliate with and idealizing the religiously homogeneous household whilst valuing the lessons gained from the religiously heterogeneous household; (2) an explicit theme which discusses how the experiences that the participants report about their households can be used to make tentative inferences about religiously heterogeneous marriages and divorce and; (3) peripheral themes include discussions about feeling judged and ostracised, negotiating a religiously heterogeneous background outside of the immediate family, tolerance and the value of a name. An Ecological Model is employed in the interpretation of these findings. Finally, the limitations and recommendations for future research are discussed. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: In hierdie studie verwys godsdienstige heterogene huishoudings na huishoudings waar die ouers aan heeltemal verskillende godsdienste behoort. Hierdie tipe huishoudings word al hoe meer algemeen en alhoewel die literatuur fokus op wat dit beteken vir die getroude paartjie in terme van huweliks tevredenheid, huweliks konflik en godsdienstige deelname, versuim dit om te kyk na die invloed wat dit het op die kind wat groot word in sulke huishouding. Dit hou ‘n potensiële probleem vir die terapeuties omgewing in, want daar is geen bestaande kennis om mee te werk nie. Hierdie studie poog om die gaping in die literatuur kleiner te maak, deur die beleefde ervaringe van jong volwassenes wat groot geword het in ‘n godsdienstige heterogene huishouding te beskryf. Deur gebruik te maak van sneeubalsteekproefneming, het ses jong volwassenes (tussen die ouderdomme van 18-24), wat groot geword het in godsdienstige heterogene huishoudings, ingestem om deel te neem aan ‘n onderhoud vir hierdie studie. Vier van die deelnemers was manlik en die oorblywende twee was vroulik. Die semi-gestruktureerde onderhoude het verskeie verslae gelewer van die deelnemers se ondervindinge van hoe dit was om groot te word in ‘n godsdienstige heterogene huishouding. Hierdie ondervindinge word in drie tipes temas gegroepeer. Die temas sluit in: (1) oorkoepelende temas wat te doen het met kwessies soos om sin te maak van godsdiens, die keuse te maak oor watter godsdiens om te volg en om die godsdienstige homogene huishouding te idealiseer, terwyl jy die lesse waardeer wat jy gekry het deur die ervaring van in ‘n godsdienstige heterogene huishouding groot te word; (2) ‘n uitdruklike tema wat kyk na hoe die ervaringe wat die deelnemers geraporteer het oor hulle huishoudings gebruik kan word om tentatiewe gevolgtrekkings te maak oor godsdienstige heterogene huwelike en egskeiding en; (3) perifere temas sluit in besprekings oor om geoordeel en uitgesluit te word, om ‘n godsdienstige heterogene agtergrond buite die onmiddellike familie te onderhandel, verdraagsaamheid en die waarde van 'n naam. ‘n Ekologiese model word gebruik in die interpretasie van hierdie bevindinge. Ten slotte, is die beperkings en aanbevelings vir toekomstige navorsing bespreek.

Thesis (DTh)--University of Stellenbosch, 1999. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study argues that faith formation takes place when the tension between traditioning and reinterpretation is maintained. In Chapter 1 the state of affairs pertaining to faith formation is explored. A number of aspects of the crisis in faith formation in the church and society is stated: The need for forming values, the changing South African situation, the influence of Modernism and Post-Modernism, and the significant shift in the influence and membership of mainline churches. Starting from the various historical positions in the epistemological debate, Chapter 2 seeks an answer to the question: How do we come to reliable knowledge? Groome ascribes an important function to rationalism and experiential knowledge in the formation of faith. Three important guidelines for faith formation are distinguished in this chapter: a) The importance of active remembrance of tradition. b) The importance of engaging people as agent-subjects-in-relationship. c) The importance of mystery, art and poetry. The second question that is of historical importance in the debate on faith formation is: What is the formative influence of our social context? In Chapter 3 we review the historical debate on the context of faith formation. Here three more guidelines for faith formation are formulated: a) The importance of formation in a relating community b) The importance of transformation through social reconstruction c) The importance of immersion through mystery, art and poetry In Chapter 4 the outcome of the historic debate on faith formation is compared to the thoughts of Martin Luther and John Calvin on the teaching ministry of the church. The outcome of this comparison confirms that faith is formed in the tension field between traditioning and reinterpretation. In Chapter 5 the insights of the previous chapters lead to a constructive proposal that stresses the importance of the interdependence of the formative processes and calls for the facilitation of five faith formation processes. In this chapter the guidelines formulated in Chapters 2 and 3, the tensions between traditioning and reinterpretation, and teaching methods, are all integrated. This results in five movements. Linked to each of these movements a recommendation is made with regard to different educational methods. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie studie betoog dat geloofsvorming plaasvind wanneer die spanning tussen tradisionalisering en herinterpretasie gehandhaaf word. In Hoofstuk 1 word die besonderhede wat te doen het met geloofsvorming, ondersoek. 'n Aantal aspekte wat krisisse in geloofsvorming in die kerk en gemeenskap tot gevolg het, word genoem: Die behoefte aan waarde-vorming, die veranderende Suid-Afrikaanse situasie, die invloed van Modernisme en Post-Modernisme, en die betekenisvolle verandering ten opsigte van die invloed en lidmaatskap van die vernaamste kerke. Vanuit verskillende historiese perspektiewe in die epistomologiese debat, soek Hoofstuk 2 'n antwoord op die vraag: Hoe verkry ons betroubare kennis? Groome ken aan sowel rasionalisme as ervaringskennis belangrike funksies toe. Drie belangrike riglyne vir geloofsvorming word in hierdie hoofstuk onderskei: a) Die belangrikheid van aktiewe herinnering van die tradisie. b) Die belangrikheid van die inskakeling van mense as agent-subjekte-in-verhouding. c) Die belangrikheid van misterie, kuns en poesie. Die tweede vraag van historiese belang in die debat oor geloofsvorming is: Wat is die vormende invloed van ons sosiale konteks? In Hoofstuk 3 gee ons 'n oorsig van die historiese debat oor die konteks van geloofsvorming. Hier word 'n verdere drie riglyne vir geloofsvorming omskrywe: a) Die belangrikheid van vorming in 'n gemeenskap gebasseer op verhoudings. b) Die belangrikheid van transformasie vir sosiale rekonstruksie. c) Die belangrikheid wat aan verdieping in misterie, kuns en poesie geheg word. In Hoofstuk 4 word die resultate van die historiese debat oor geloofsvorming vergelyk met die gedagtes van Martin Luther en Johannes Calvyn oor die kategese van die kerk. Die resultaat van hierdie vergelyking bevestig dat geloof in die spanningsveld tussen tradisionalisering en herinterpretasie gevorm word. In Hoofstuk 5 lei die insig van die vorige hoofstukke tot 'n konstruktiewe voorstel wat die belangrikheid van interafhanklikheid van die vormende prosesse beklemtoon en die fasilitering van die vyf vormende prosesse vereis. In hierdie hoofstuk is die riglyne wat in Hoofstuk 2 en 3 geformuleer is, die spanning tussen tradisionalisering en herinterpretasie, onderrigmetodes, alles tot 'n geheel saamgevoeg. Hiervolgens is daar vyf bewegings. By elk van hierdie bewegings is 'n aanbeveling oor die verskillende onderwysmetodes gedoen.

Considerable attention by scholars for the last two decades has focused on issues of spirituality and higher education. Literature in the field of college student affairs suggest that, in order promote the development of the whole student, practitioners in the field should consider adopting theories of faith and spiritual development. This study considered the application of faith development theory, as developed by James W. Fowler, for contextualizing students' response to the 1999 Bonfire tragedy at Texas A&M University. The primary intent of this study was to (1) understand how a student's level of faith development relates to the transformational learning resulting from the Bonfire tragedy, (2) whether such a tragedy was a trigger for transformational learning, and (3) how student affairs professionals can utilize faith development theory for understanding students' narrative account of the tragedy and their commitment to the university. This study utilized a comparative case study approach. Nine respondents were recruited and participated in a semi-structured and the classic Faith Development interviews. The accounts provided by three respondents were selected for in-depth analysis. The investigative tools used for this analysis were hermeneutical and included constant comparative methodology and narrative analysis. Results from the study indicate that transformation of meaning schemes and meaning perspectives are key components of young-adult faith development. Evidence indicates that Bonfire was a student activity that was unique to Texas A&M University and had the potential to become a center of value and power for many students. Findings suggest that faith development theory can be an effective tool for exploring the structure of students' faith relationships and their commitment thereto. Based on an analysis of the narrative accounts, the Bonfire tragedy was a source of cognitive dissonance but not necessarily a disorienting dilemma. For some students the 1999 tragedy was part of a longer cumulative process that advanced the faith development process. Implications from the research findings and recommendations for future research are explored at length.

Project (D. Min.)--Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University, 1987. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 159-162).

Thesis (M.A.)--Trinity International University, 2000. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 83-85).

Thesis (D. Min.)--Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2008. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 177-181).

Thesis (D. Min.)--Bethel Seminary, St. Paul, MN, 2008. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 153-158).