Abstract
A growing momentum of challenge to James Fowler’s stage-based approach to faith development demands a sociological and educational paradigm shift. Through an examination of the impact of social media upon young people’s development, this chapter explores identity formation in teenagers through the framing of ‘journeys of faith’, and the implications that this has for church schools. The permanent yet transient interaction of multiple social stories, locates teenagers within a ‘multi-logue’ of 24-7 interaction, narrative shaping and identity formation. Through a deepening understanding of this social context, schools can become better equipped to provide the support and celebration of narrative that allows faith to develop in a refreshingly and reassuringly non-linear manner.
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Notes
- 1.
The growing chorus of dissenting voices is drawn from a variety of disciplines, and is most succinctly drawn together by David Heywood in his highly critical paper, Faith Development Theory: A Case for Paradigm Change (Heywood 2008). This paper mixes together the nuanced thinking of Astley, Streib and Reich and is further built upon by psychologist Dr Adrian Coyle in his 2011 paper, Critical Responses to Faith Development Theory: A Useful Agenda for Change? (Coyle 2011). Neither paper addresses the context of church school education explicitly, but both provide a rich academic response to the dominance of Fowler.
- 2.
A range of further ideas for school leaders , alongside a deeper ethnographic study of the ‘ONESTORY’ project at The Nottingham Emmanuel School, is unpacked in Wolfe (2016).
- 3.
An Act of Worship refers to the usually daily opportunity offered for collective worship within a school community . This may occur in a variety of forms, involving students and staff, and may include for example teaching, sung worship , prayers and other activities.
References
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Wolfe, A. (2018). Journeys of Faith: Personal Stories, ‘Multi-logue’ Narrative and Faith Formation in Schools. In: Stuart-Buttle, R., Shortt, J. (eds) Christian Faith, Formation and Education. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-62803-5_10
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