1. James Fowler's Stages of Faith

2. Biography
Fowler was Professor of Developmental Psychology at Emory University
Wrote several books but his best known is “Stages of Faith”

3. Stages of Faith
Stage 1-
Intuitive-Projective Faith (Early Childhood, 2-6)
-Fantasy filled stage
-Self aware and egocentric
(“I’m the center of the world”)
-First aware of death/sex
- Child can be heavily
influenced by examples,
stories, and actions,
By mainly parents
-Limited or no logical thought
allows for unrestrained fantasies

4. Stages of Faith
Stage 2 –
Mythic-Literal Faith (Childhood, 7-11, and beyond),
- Beliefs, attitudes, morals are met with literal interpretations
-Faith begins to have more meaning
Can connect stories and myths
To personal experiences.

5. Stages of Faith
Stage 3 –
Synthetic-Conventional Faith (Adolescence and Beyond, 11-13),
Not everyone
Practices religious faiths-
What about people who do
not? This theory does
not address them or those who are apathetic
Faith provides a connector between the involvements in ones life
(family, work, friends etc…)
Faith provides a basis for identity

6. Stages of Faith
Stage 4
Individuative-Reflective Faith (young adulthood and beyond),
Take burdens, responsibilities, commitments, lifestyles …
seriously
Stage of critical reflection on self
and beliefs.

7. Stages of Faith Stage 5 – 40+
Conjunctive Faith (Early Mid-life and beyond),
Look over what was suppressed or unrecognized in stage 4
Look into ones “deeper self”- knowing who you really are
Realise true meanings of who you are and what you believe

8. Stages of Faith
Stage 6 – Rare
Universalising Faith