**[Spiritual Grand Rounds -- October, 2005]{.smallcaps}**

**[National Chaplains' Center]{.smallcaps}**

**[The Use of Lament and Fowler's Stages of Faith Development with Post
Traumatic Stress Disorder Patients in the VA]{.smallcaps}**

by Chaplain Nancy Dietsch

Prior to working at the VA I had worked as a Clinical Pastoral Education
Supervisor in several hospitals and two retirement communities. During
those years I worked extensively with trauma patients, terminally ill
patients, abuse survivors, and mental health patients suffering from
chemical addictions, eating disorders, and mental illness. Some of the
survivors were victims of pedophilia, rape, and physical abuse as
children. For five years I worked with adults who had been raised within
satanic cults or other various religious cult experiences. In addition
to working with survivors and the various personalities that split off
to protect them from the abuse, I had encounters with the perpetrators
of this abuse, confronting their attempts to thwart intervention and
healing.

When I joined the chaplain staff of the Dayton VA Medical Center, I
elected to work with the Post Traumatic Stress Disorder program. I soon
discovered that in many respects 'trauma is trauma.' Many of the
insights I gained working with these other populations could be
translated into the treatment program. There are a number of
characteristics that are consistent with PTSD patients that were
initially observed with the previous populations.

One insight is that when alcohol and/or drugs have been used to
alleviate the symptoms of PTSD, it requires about five years of sobriety
before the individual is free of the residual haze of addiction and is
able to confront the experiences that led to the addiction. In some
sense they are frozen, unable to access their feelings for an extended
period, so that when the feelings emerge they are as fresh as if they
had just occurred. In *The Biology of Belief*, the author states that
"when a stimulus is perceived, it will automatically engage the
behavioral response that was learned when the signal was first
experienced."[^1] This is not to suggest that treatment be delayed. It
is simply to say that there is a substantive change in one's ability to
access one's emotions at the five year mark of sobriety. Another insight
is that unless one's spirituality or soul is addressed in one's journey
in recovery, the healing will not be internalized and embraced out of
choice, enabling wholeness. While emotional catharsis and insight may
occur, its impact will remain largely cerebral and external.

A third insight is that those who experience trauma 'lose their voices.'
The events are too horrific to utter. There is limited understanding by
those that surround them and they do not believe one outside the trauma
experience can truly 'know' it's impact. Also, it is extremely difficult
for either the survivor or those caring persons around them allow
themselves to come close to their own vulnerability. The trauma event(s)
scare the veterans as well as leave their scars. Rev. Alan Cutter, in
discussing the wounds to the soul writes, "The events that scared me the
most, that I don't talk about, are the ones I protect and keep most
secret. Could it be that the events of which I am most scared are the
most sacred?" He continues, saying, "You only have to move a couple
letters to turn 'scared' into 'sacred.' Or add a letter to make
'scarred.' What are the 'sacred' acts of war, or trauma? What elements
are involved? ...Do these acts make you feel 'blessed' or 'cursed?' How
does this affect a relationship with the 'unseen?'[^2]

Survivors experience a large degree of shame and guilt, loss -- not only
of their innocence but of their souls as well. Also, the line
distinguishing themselves from the soulless perpetrators of harm in our
society has been blurred by the acts they have committed, in the name of
God and country, that they cannot see a difference. They have
encountered within themselves their own capacity for evil. Anger and
rage are familiar sojourners because they are the only emotions that
allowed them to greet each day and in a sense, have joined the ranks of
their autonomic nervous system. To let go of that rage is tantamount to
asking them to give up breathing.

As I listened to these veterans tell their stories I heard their sense
of shame and guilt, their belief that they were already in hell, being
punished daily for their 'crimes' without any hope of relief. They
believed there was no way that God could love them enough to draw them
in, for they knew they were unlovable.

Listening to the meanings the veterans had come to ascribe to their
experiences, connections began to form in my thinking. James Fowler's
Stages of Faith Development had been a tool I used for spiritual
assessment for many years. In working with these stages as a descriptive
tool in assessment I had recognized that when people encountered a new
and/or frightening situation (i.e. hospitalization or critical illness)
that they would reclaim an earlier stage of development as they sought
to interpret or find meaning midst the current crisis. It was as though
their fear prompted them to leap out of their current way of seeing the
world to an earlier one where they felt 'safe' or reverting to a time
when things made more sense.

In their reasoning, since they felt confused and frightened, the current
faith understanding wasn't working so they would, in a sense,
disassociate from their present way of understanding meaning and purpose
and revert to an earlier understanding. Rather than rush to correct
their theology trying to convince them that God doesn't punish those He
loves, I would be curious with the patient and ask them to tell me why,
for example, God would want to punish them. As they talked they would
reason that none of their behavior merited the current response, and
through prayer and continued dialogue, the patient would reclaim their
current faith understandings, with the potential of moving beyond
his/her current faith understanding to one which involved individuation,
journeying through the territory, and finding ultimate meaning and
worth.

This process amounted to a rite of reconciliation -- confession,
forgiveness, restoration to right relationship. This insight became the
response to the critique that this particular Faith Development model
didn't deal with the problem of evil. Just as we regress in our behavior
when we encounter stress and acute crisis, so we also revert to earlier
ways of making sense of our world in similar circumstances. While not
explaining evil, it does suggest how we respond when we experience
events as evil in our lives.

A series of lectures were developed for the veterans which presented
Fowler's *Stages of Faith Development*. I used the language used by Tom
Drogge in his book *Faith Patterns*, based on Fowler's Stages of Faith
Development, because his descriptive phrases named common experience
making the stages easier to understand. Coupled with that, we used
poetry, meaningful quotes, children's stories, film clips, and music
(Santana, Rascal Flatts, Phil Collins, and Kate Campbell) to evoke
memory and experiences that illustrated the various stages.

The discussion of faith development begins with a description of stage
3, "I believe what the church believes."[^3] This stage is identified as
the one they were at developmentally when they entered military service
and were deployed overseas. A faith perspective that has not been
internalized is inadequate to allow the individual to make sense of the
traumatic experiences of war and he or she reverts to an earlier mode of
organizing his/her belief system.

The next session starts at the beginning of faith development to discuss
the various stages and the way God is understood at that stage. As
material is presented, veterans are invited to respond with their own
experience and dialog ensues. In the following one or two sessions,
depending on the response of the veterans, material is presented and
they are invited to share their responses. As the process unfolds,
dynamics are identified that relate to the stage under discussion.

Following a presentation on stage four, which is a place of making one's
faith one's own, the vets were introduced to the Lament as a form of
prayer. Many of them have not prayed for years, or they have prayed but
felt their prayers went nowhere. After briefly discussing the parts of
the lament, veterans were invited to contribute to a group lament,
naming their thoughts on the various elements, calling out the words
they would use: to get God's attention, form a list of complaints,
express trust, claim a list of appeals (what they want), express a sense
they have been heard, voice a word of praise.

When each has shared the words they feel comfortable sharing, the lament
is read back to them by the leader. Words are added filling the gaps to
more fully express the thought on the board, giving it the formality of
spoken prayer. Generally, many of the vets have tears running down their
cheeks; they feel that this is the first prayer that has meant something
to them since Vietnam or the war in which they fought. Some are stunned,
chins on the floor.

No one is untouched by the lament. They all request copies and report
later that it is on the refrigerator, beside the bed and posted
alongside the bathroom mirror. Some have posted it on their websites for
others to read.

The next session stage four is reviewed, and they begin to recognize
themselves in that stage as a result of the lament. They have leapt out
of the stage they were in, found their voice through the exercise of the
lament, and moved into stage four to individuate their faith. For some
the process accelerates at this point. The rest of the treatment team
recognizes a marked change in the veterans' participation in their
sessions and the resources that the vet is drawing on.

The last two stages of Fowler's Stages of Faith Development are
reviewed, usually in one session, as something for the vets to work
toward in their recovery. We use more poetry, single line quotations,
and film clips to provide a place to begin discussions. Some of the
participants try on the two stages, using their own experience to find
entry into the stage. There is an air of excitement for they begin to
experience hope in a dimension of their lives which can lead them into
different possibilities.

The vets have an overwhelmingly positive response to the use of the
lament, giving them handles through which they can understand the
spiritual responses they have had to their wartime experiences, and the
freedom to dialogue about spiritual matters without the hindrance of
religiosity.

With the most recent PTSD cohort the series on faith development was
followed by playing the video, *Out of the Night*. It was played in two
sections to allow time for processing during the hour-long spirituality
group. This film has always had a powerful impact on the vets. Stopping
the film midway through was difficult because it was intense and I
questioned the appropriateness of completing the viewing. However, that
concern was allayed when the entire cohort requested an opportunity to
finish the viewing. Their comments following the conclusion of the film
demonstrated an increased awareness of how their own spirituality was
affected by their war time experience and the movement each was making
in his spiritual journey at this juncture.

Following are a few of the Laments, used with permission, that have been
written by the various cohorts. The lecture materials which follow are
handed out as the material is discussed. There is also a summary page of
the Stages of Faith Development and a single page which identifies trust
as it is expressed in each of the stages.

1\. PTSD Cohort Lament -- Fall, 2004

Hey God...God...God, help me. Heavenly Father, G\_\_ D\_\_\_\_\_\_!

Yo, what's up? We's... Hey, I'm pissed at You! Where are you NOW?

[Why me?]{.underline} What the f\_\_\_ is going on here? Why can't
everybody be the way I want them to be? I'm pissed about this stroke. My
life, since the army, has been downhill. It seems that everybody gets a
break but me. I'm pissed off for what happened...you know, when I came
back. War is ugly. Who's freedom was I fighting for? Certainly not mine.
I'm not free. I feel guilty for surviving. I'm tired of being sick...

When I become approachable, people are able to draw near. Things
change... I want to turn this stuff over to you. Help me to know your
will, to do your will. Show me how to live.

Why don't you answer? I can't change the past, I can only deal with NOW.
Help me get through the program. Please stop this roller coaster ride
I'm on. I want peace -- peace of spirit, an absence of this constant
anger I feel. I want peace of mind -- so that I can think clearly. I
want some constancy in my life. Help me get through this s\_\_\_. I want
calmness, peace, increased faith.

When I receive the blessings you've given me, I know you're here. Since
I'm still here, I figure there's something more for me to do. You must
have heard my cry because you gave me one more day. I'm glad I got this
off my chest, that I've been heard.

Thanks for the last 24 hours. Thank you for providing for my daily
needs. To be able to pray to you says that I have faith. I put my trust
in you. You sustain all things.

Amen.

2\. PTSD Cohort Lament, January 21, 2005

Dear God. Our Father. Heavenly Father. Lord God. Give me a break,
Father, please \-- help me. My higher power\... Why, me? Hey, big
guy\...

I hate the way I feel \-- depressed, guilty, shamed, angry, blaming or
like I\'m to blame for everything \-- I hate my life. I don\'t like
these feelings. I\'m sick and tired of being tired. I\'m tired of this
shit, angry about the war, what I had to do. I\'m tired of not having
the time to grieve\... Damn that steam pipe, why did it break when it
did and I got burned so bad \... I\'ve missed so many opportunities.
There\'s been too much loss. I\'m tired of the way my ex-wife get\'s on
me. I lack self-confidence. I\'m so sick of the FEAR!! I\'m always
afraid. I don\'t want to have to deal with my grandbaby\'s daddy, my
mother-in-law, my \'outlaws\', my family\...

I believe you can do anything \-- you said you would. There\'s still
time - I hope. Thank you for another day. I\'m still waiting \-- me too.

I want to get better, to feel some semblance of normalcy. I want to be
happy, to not feel like I\'m crazy. I want to feel whole, to feel
worthy, to love others and yes, to love myself. I want to have hope \...
I want to be trustworthy \... I want to be obedient to your leading and
hear your voice today.

Thank you, merciful father. You must, you have to hear me. I want to do
your will.

Amen, Hallelujah, Jehovah God, You are Love.

3\. Prayer of Lament -- February 19, 2005

Heavenly Father, Good Morning Lord, Father God, the Power I rely on.
Jehovah, Dear God, Good God, O Holy Lord, God, are you listening?

I want to leave my problems in the past. Sometimes, though, it's
necessary to go to the past to be in the present. I sometimes need to
talk about what's happened to me. Why did you take those I love from me
-- before I'm ready to let them go? I don't like the pains and aches of
aging.

Today, I'm thankful. I believe. God, you cannot lie. You are there for
me. Dear Lord, I believe. I trust you with the innocence of a child.

I want to be healed from the pain of loss. God, help me keep my
sobriety. Bring me through this time safely. I'm grateful for all you've
done. Let your kingdom come. Let me live the way you live.

Thank You. I love You. Sovereign Lord. Bless You. Amen.

#### 4. Prayer of Lament -- February, 2005

Heavenly Father, O Jesus, Hear my cry ...

Sometimes I feel crazy, I can't control my thoughts, and I live for that
cigarette or that next beer. I'm tired of being angry, a loose canon who
fires on the unsuspecting around me with no warning. I'm tired of being
alone, of feeling it's all on me. I'm lonely. I resent so much in my
life. I'm not at peace. I'd like to give it over to God.

In spite of everything, I know you are there. I know you love me. Help
me.

I want to know you more. I want to control my temper. I want fewer aches
and pains. Help me to turn things over to you. I want to receive your
love. I want to let go of my resentment. I want to listen to others,
share my wisdom. I want to stay sober. I want to keep my blood pressure
under control so that I don't have a stroke or heart attack. I want to
be stronger in my faith and trust you more.

Thank you, God, for listening. I love you. Amen.

**5. PTSD Cohort Lament, August, 2005**

Dear heavenly Father, we call upon your son\'s name. Sometimes I want to
shake my fist at you, yell "listen up, here!" Or say, "Here I am."

I wish I\'d never been called up to serve. My health holds me back. I
don\'t like all the excess baggage I have to carry. I want to be more
productive with my family. I\'ve lost lots of friends, and almost lost
my family over my craziness since NAM. I lost a lot of friends there
too. I used to think I could walk on water. Don\'t cross me or I\'ll
show you the door. Why am I in this position? I reached for sobriety and
now - some 5 years - life is the worse it's ever been. Are you
trustworthy? I\'ve seen so much pain and suffering\...how could you let
it happen? I\'ve got so many questions????

That 12 step Bible program has helped so much \-- I want to trust. You
were with me then, will you be with me now? You must have had a hand on
me, I\'m still here. There must be more for me to do\...

I want to feel you. I want a good relationship where I can let go of my
secrets. I want the joy back! I did drugs to numb me from the pain. I
don\'t want to have PTSD! I want to be healed!! I want to be \"normal.\"

You do hear. It takes a while for the numbness to leave\... Save me
Lord!

It\'s hard to be honest and straightforward. It hurts to go back. Thanks
for listening. Hallelujah! Amen.

# 

# **6. Lament- individual**

# 

# Why? Oh, God \-\--

I prayed for mom, for you to relieve her suffering, but you didn't
answer and she died. I'm afraid to pray for myself because, when I do,
things just seem to get worse. I'm upset by all the suffering in the
world and the wars. . . . If you're a God of love, why do you allow
this? You seem so strict. It feels like you're a dictator. What's going
on? What's real?

You helped me through Vietnam, even when I stepped on a land mine -- I
made it -- so I know you exist.

I want the nightmares and dreams to stop. I want a better life for me
and everybody else, especially poor people. I want to have needs met --
the homeless to have homes, an end to pain and suffering, a longer life,
to feel my feelings. I want more assurance. I want to talk to you.

I don't really know if you hear me -- but I guess that surviving
Vietnam, meeting people who have helped me get off drugs and alcohol,
feeling good (sometimes), and just living is proof of your care for me.

Thank you.

## [Stages of Faith]{.underline}

Faith Development is a process that evolves, as a person is able to
embrace the gift God extends in love.

***Growing in faith is a gift rather than an accomplishment, grace
rather than self-achievement.***

\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*

# 

# **What prompts movement from one stage to another?**

-   Endings

-   Transitions carry people into a wilderness period, a time when
    nothing is quite firmly in place & the pervasive feeling is a sense
    of being at a loss.

-   New beginnings -- may become aware that there is more order than
    chaos, more power to act than feelings of helplessness, more
    acceptance of self and world than self-doubt and self-contempt.

**Soldiers going into combat bring with them an understanding of God
that is largely unexamined, what he/she has been taught and fits in
Stage 3. Coming home, their faith understanding can range from zero to
stage 2. The church, organized religion fails them, because it refuses
to deal with the spiritual dis-ease.**

**[Infancy and Undifferentiated Faith]{.smallcaps}**

Infancy. The capacity for loving and trusting God is formed in infancy
as the infant forms attachments to the primary caretakers. If the infant
is abused, his or her capacity to trust God will suffer.

**[Stage 1 -- "God's just like my mommy and daddy."]{.smallcaps}**

**[Intuitive-Projective Faith]{.smallcaps}**

**[Age 2-6]{.smallcaps}**

Early Childhood. The child is permanently influenced by examples, moods,
actions, and stories of the visible faith of related adults. Child picks
up the [feelings]{.underline} of parents towards God, prayer, church,
Bible, Jesus, sexuality and these affect the child's faith.

They do not have the capacity to make the distinctions between what is
real and what is fantasy. Their perspective is the only perspective.

Images of God do not fit into a coherent pattern. There is no larger
framework within which to fit concrete images. Stories provide avenues
for the expression of feelings & formation of images.

Thinking is magical and fluid. Fragments are assembled that fit his/her
needs. Scary stories can help externalize inner anxieties and
identification with the "hero" helps them find ways to fight their own
demons. For abused children, the issue is often survival.

What is ***most important is assurance in parents' promise*** ***to
provide care, protection, and nurture*** -- no matter what.

**Children at this age will identify God with powerful parent figures
and will hear the story in these terms. This is also true for an adult
who *feels little and powerless* -- *God is one who kills and brings to
life*.**

**[Stage 2 -- "What's fair is fair!" or "You get what you
deserve!"]{.smallcaps}**

**[Mythic-Literal Faith]{.smallcaps}**

**[Age 7-12]{.smallcaps}**

Childhood and Beyond. The child begins to "take on" the stories,
beliefs, rituals, and observances that belong to his/her community of
faith. Beliefs, moral rules, symbols are taken quite literally. The
children cannot yet abstract meaning from stories, but loves them.

Distinguishing Characteristics:

-   ***idea of fairness***. For preschooler, what is wrong is what
    displeases the parent. For school-age children comes a concrete
    ***way to bring order*** into the world, to know what to expect, and
    to insure fair treatment.

-   Telling of stories is another way in which they make sense of their
    world. They begin to separate real from unreal, give meaning and
    value to experiences. The stories will be flat and meant to be taken
    literally. Begin to see God as an old white man with a beard (for
    example) because of a new-found ability to accept the perspective of
    others. Still concrete in thinking -- not able to reflect on
    meaning.

> Simple stories about good and evil are popular at this age and
> throughout life. I.e. soaps, westerns, cartoons.
>
> Law stories have more appeal than gospel stories which show grace.

-   Story of Job is of a man struggling against a worldview that the
    good prosper and the evil suffer.

-   Gospel stories often viewed as unfair -- workers in vineyard (all
    received same pay even though some worked much longer than others).
    The story of the prodigal son (got what he deserved for squandering
    his inheritance but was welcomed back by a loving father) is much
    more likely to be heard and embraced.

***God only blesses those who obey him and do what he says.***

**[Stage 3 -- "I believe what the church believes."]{.smallcaps}**

**[Synthetic-Conventional Faith]{.smallcaps}**

**[\` Age 12-18 and beyond]{.smallcaps}**

Adolescence & Beyond. The person's faith must coordinate the values held
by family, school, work, peers, street society, media, & religion.
Persons conforms to expectations of "significant others;" often lives by
"tyranny of the they." Person hungers for a personal God and wants
emotional closeness to others. Some people never move beyond this stage.

Stage 3 is a conformist stage and people are deeply influenced by the
expectations & judgments of others. ***Have difficulty saying why they
believe what they believe.***

***Conformity is important because at this stage an individual develops
an ability to see them as others see them.*** As one sees the self,
mirrored in response of others to you, one is able to also discover who
one is as God sees you.

There is a ***deep hunger for acceptance*** by those whom the adolescent
values. There is a deep religious hunger for a God who knows, accepts,
and confirms people in spite of all their inadequacies, faults,
limitations, and failures. God is friend, companion, counselor, and
guide.

***Faith remains unexamined***. Can talk about images and values he or
she holds and can feel strongly about them but still be unable to think
critically about them. Reliance on external authority is needed for the
forming and sustaining of a basic faith.

*Growth in faith beyond stage 3* calls for an environment in which the
person is ***not only permitted but challenged*** to make a confession
of faith that is truly his or her own, a faith based on personal
judgment and internal conviction.

**The person at this stage will *not be able to rise above the
interpretation given to the story by whatever authority figure is
significant in the person's life*. The danger lies in the distorted or
inadequate interpretations the church might give to the story and its
meaning**

**If you consider the story of the sacrifice of Issac in Genesis 22,
Stage 3 would look at the story in this manner.**

**Stage 3 -- "I believe what the church believes."**

Will be able to reflect on the meaning of the story in relation to other
stories and teachings of the church. The person at this stage will
***not be able to rise above the interpretation given to the story by
whatever authority figure is significant in the person's life***. The
danger lies in the distorted or inadequate interpretations the church
might give to the story and its meaning. Story might be presented as an
expression of Abraham's trust in a God of love and promise as well as a
God of law.

**[Stage 4 -- "As I see it, God is . . ."]{.smallcaps}**

**[Individuative-Reflective]{.smallcaps}**

**[Young Adulthood and Beyond]{.smallcaps}**

Young Adulthood and Beyond. Person begins to take responsibility for
sorting our his/her own faith stance, lifestyle, values, commitments.
Begins to think in conceptual, abstract or systematic ways about the
faith to define personal stance. Tends to intellectually "control"
faith.

There is movement from being what others want them to be to being the
person they are and can become.

Going to college, military service, leaving home or major crisis can
trigger this movement. This task is more difficult in late 30s or early
40s because by that time the expectations of both the self and others
are more set.

In Stage 3, identity is given; in Stage 4 it is made one's own. --
Basically male identity formation. Females fuse these stages. Don't have
a clearly articulated Stage 4 in same sense as male. Relational
connections remain in focus. Identity is a gift throughout childhood.
Claiming that identity is a task of Stage 4.

Content of faith may not change. What changes is ***How*** one thinks
about what one believes. Focus is on thinking and knowing. Poetry,
symbols, mystery are less important.

The faith-knowing of 4 which is chiefly intellectual would see an
encounter as an argument or debate, with each sure that his/her position
is the only correct one.

**this *stage involves critical reflection and the underlying trust in
human reasoning.***

**If you consider the story of the sacrifice of Issac in Genesis 22,
Stage 4 would look at the story in this manner.**

Examine the story critically for what it says about the ***way life is
to be lived and how God acts in the world***. The ***moral reasoning***
of this stage would emerge in an individual's understanding of the
event.

a.  What kind of a world would it be if fathers felt directed by God to
    kill their sons? Might disobey in the name of maintaining a lawful
    order where trust is possible.

b.  Abraham was right in obeying God because God ultimately determines
    the order of all things.

c.  Might go beyond moral reasoning and interpret story in light of
    universal ethical principle like the "sanctity of life." Abraham not
    only had right but duty to disobey God.

Essentially, this ***stage involves critical reflection and the
underlying trust in human reasoning.***

**[Stage 5 -- "Don't confuse the map with the territory."]{.smallcaps}**

**[Conjunctive Faith]{.smallcaps}**

**[Mid-Life and Beyond]{.smallcaps}**

Mid-life and Beyond. Person is ***ready to be "controlled" by God rather
than control***. Person is eager to ***cultivate spiritual resources, to
listen to God***. Can now see Truth in others who are different & is
freed from confines of social class, nation, religious tradition. Ready
to spend & be spent for the sake of others. Is alive to Truth in
paradox; lives with ambiguity.

Scripture, teachings of \"church,\" are all maps charting and presenting
the experiences of people who have received the revelation of God.

Want a clear, accurate map. ***Discover that maps are incomplete and
limited***. One can\'t see the whole picture, just a rough outline.
***Maps don\'t give us an experience of our higher power.***

**Symbols** can communicate in ways that are deeper and more powerful
than the most sophisticated descriptive concepts and propositions. Aware
of the depths of knowing something within themselves.

Now possible to have a ***felt sense of the world and God that comes
from within*** and isn\'t supported by reason. There is a personal
expansion and deepening of knowing beyond anything yet attained.

Open to talking about map and ***tolerate differences of opinion***. Can
discover new ways to look at things.

Approach events with a ***desire to see and hear its hidden depths***.
Concern for a clear statement of meaning fades into the background.

a.  What really happened between us and God in this event?

b.  What did God want from us? Blind obedience? Disciplined moral
    reasoning? "leap of faith"?

c\. What is the ***deeper meaning that can guide us*** in our faith
struggles?

Most important element -- ***promise of God***.

**[Stage 6 -- "I have a dream."]{.smallcaps}**

**[Universalizing Faith]{.smallcaps}**

##  Mid-Life and Beyond

Mid-Life or Beyond. Person holds to life very loosely. Does not seek
self-actualization, but rather the Kingdom of God and is willing to lose
own life for it. Is devoted to overcoming division, oppression &
brutality in the world.

At this level people have found a new meaning for their lives in God and
in relation to all humanity. One can see potential, a dream, for that
which is not yet a reality but a movement toward and a partial
realization of it. The strength of a person who has reached this stage
is the ability to surrender to this dream, however limited its actual
fulfillment might be.

Do not have to be a great leader who has changed history of the world or
a great saint, known for words of mercy. May have serious flaw in some
dimension of their humanity, but they nonetheless have a special grace
that makes them seem like a living representation of the God who is
always working at transforming and unifying the world.

Easy to regress to 5, 4 or 3 when faced with situations they cannot
handle. May even return to l.

**willingness to *sacrifice everything that was dear to him for the
realization of a good that was not at all obvious. ***

**required to act in the privacy of his individual conscience**

# 

# 

# [Biblical Lament]{.smallcaps}

Expresses feelings of distress, anger, and abandonment. Israel cries to
God, boldly questions God, complains that God is far off, and argues
with God in prayer.

There is a "voice of pain" that is heard in Israel's prayer. To separate
the songs of praise from this voice is to distort the bold faithfulness
of the people. The voice of pain keeps prayer anchored in real life
experience and prevents it from drifting off into make-believe and empty
phrases.

# How does Lament help us?

1.  **Gives voice to one's suffering**. Grief is not a disease, but an
    inseparable component of love. Deep grieving is not a sign of
    pathology, immaturity, or inadequacy of faith. Rather, the capacity
    to grieve deeply is a mark of psychological maturity, rooted in
    processes that are essential for human life and development. The
    inability to mourn diminishes life.

2.  Confirming the **value of embodied life**

3.  **Granting permission** to grieve and protest

# **Strengthens our understanding as responsible agents**

a.  If we are permitted to bring not only our praise and thanks to God
    but also our laments, questions, and protests, we are given a
    special assurance that God honors us in the **fullness of our
    humanity** and wants to relate to us as responsible subjects.

b.  Lament **counters the drift into apathy** that threatens people who
    feel powerless. Prayer which is cautious, guarded, elegant,
    passionless, or passive sickens the soul because it only contributes
    to a spirit of hopelessness and resignation in the face of evil. We
    will miss the mark because we will be less than we were created to
    be.

# **Purifying anger and the desire for vengeance**

a.  a\. It is essential to **bring one's rage to God** so that it can
    **be**

    **transformed.**

    b\. Almost without exception the psalmist prays that **God will**

    **justly repay the enemies** rather than asking for the personal

    power to act out of vengeance.

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c.  While we, as Christians, are called to love our enemies, this is not
    the same as pretending that we have no enemies, no one who has not
    injured us in some manner. Our ability to forgive is a gift from
    God. John Patton says, **"Forgiveness is something we discover
    before it is something we do."**

d.  The biblical laments offer a form or structure for **expressing
    acute suffering** that facilitates the **turn to hope**.

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4.  Promoting solidarity with all who suffer - claim solidarity with
    others and to feel less alone in our suffering. The **community is
    indispensable** to healing.

# 

# Revitalizing praise and hope

It is the freedom to **lament that enables us to choose to embrace
joy.** W. Bruggemann states: "only grief permits newness; only lament
makes way for joy."

Those who lament **name the brokenness of reality** rather than deny it,
they refuse to pretend that it is other than it is, they want nothing to
do with empty consolations.

The bond between honest lament and genuine praise is expressed in the
African American spiritual:

Nobody knows the trouble I've seen,

Nobody knows but Jesus;

Nobody knows the trouble I've seen,

Glory, Hallelujah.

Lamentation is an indispensable expression of doxology. Prayer of lament
is "a form of praise in which God is rightfully held accountable to
God's promises: to comfort the widow, heal the afflicted. ... **the true
atheist would not be the one who does not believe in God but the one who
cannot bring to God his or her suffering, doubt, and anguish, in the
expectation that God will respond."** Catherine LaCugna

Resource: Rachel's Cry, Kathleen D. Billman and Daniel L. Migliore,
United Church Press, 1999.

Prayer of Lament and Rebirth of Hope. doc

# *Lament*

I.  *Addressed to God (Higher Power). To whom do we address our sorrow?
    Who has an ear for our cry?*

II. *Issue forth in complaints. If we could effect changes, what would
    they be?*

III. *In spite of our complaints, we still express our trust. That I am
     here is proof of your existence.*

IV. *Expression of appeal, petition. What do we want?*

V.  *Expression of certainty, know what we ask for will be heard.*

VI. *Expression of praise.*

Faith Development

> by James Fowler

**[Infancy and Undifferentiated Faith]{.smallcaps}**

Infancy. The capacity for loving and trusting God is formed in infancy
as the infant forms attachments to the primary caretakers. If the infant
is abused, capacity to trust God will suffer.

**[Stage 1 -- "God's just like my mommy and daddy."]{.smallcaps}**

**[Intuitive-Projective Faith - Age 2-6]{.smallcaps}**

Early Childhood. The child is permanently influenced by examples, moods,
actions, and stories of the visible faith of related adults. Child picks
up the [feelings]{.underline} of parents towards God, prayer, church,
Bible, Jesus, sexuality and these affect the child's faith.

**[Stage 2 -- "What's fair is fair!" or "You get what you
deserve!"]{.smallcaps}**

**[Mythic-Literal Faith - Age 7-12]{.smallcaps}**

Childhood and Beyond. The child begins to "take on" the stories,
beliefs, rituals, and observances that belong to his/her community of
faith. Beliefs, moral rules, symbols are taken quite literally. The
children cannot yet abstract meaning from stories, but loves them.

**[Stage 3 -- "I believe what the church believes."]{.smallcaps}**

**[Synthetic-Conventional Faith - Age 12-18 And beyond]{.smallcaps}**

Adolescence & Beyond. The person's faith must coordinate the values held
by family, school, work, peers, street society, media, & religion.
Persons conforms to expectations of "significant others;" often lives by
"tyranny of the they." Person hungers for a personal God and wants
emotional closeness to others. Some people never move beyond this stage.

**[Stage 4 -- "As I see it, God is . . ."]{.smallcaps}**

**[Individuative-Reflective - Young Adulthood and Beyond]{.smallcaps}**

Young Adulthood and Beyond. Person begins to take responsibility for
sorting out his/her own faith stance, lifestyle, values, and
commitments. Begins to think in conceptual, abstract or systematic ways
about the faith to define personal stance. Tends to intellectually
"control" faith.

**[Stage 5 -- "Don't confuse the map with the territory."]{.smallcaps}**

**[Conjunctive Faith - Mid-Life and Beyond]{.smallcaps}**

Mid-life and Beyond. Person is ready to be "controlled" by God rather
than control. Person is eager to cultivate spiritual resources, to
listen to God. Can now see Truth in others who are different & is freed
from confines of social class, nation, religious tradition. Ready to
spend & be spent for the sake of others. Is alive to Truth in paradox;
lives with ambiguity.

**[Stage 6 -- "I have a dream."]{.smallcaps}**

Universalizing Faith - Mid-Life and Beyond

Mid-Life or Beyond. Person holds to life very loosely. Does not seek
self-actualization, but rather the Kingdom of God and is willing to lose
own life for it. Is devoted to overcoming division, oppression &
brutality in the world.

## 

## Trust: The Fundamental Orientation of Faith

# 

# ***What are the promises of God? Order, Providence, Acceptance***

These promises are for all people. They come with creation and life.

In midst of chaos, order will prevail. Providence stands against the
terror of powerlessness. God will always enfold us. Belief in the
acceptance of God finds it's roots in our earliest experiences of being
held, fed, and protected. These experiences allow us to believe in a God
who can forgive instead of punish, who can love when angry, and one who
promises a relationship that will never be broken.

The promises of God not only sustain faith, but give it birth.

The movement is always from God to us, from promise to trust, from gift
to reception.

**[Forms that trust takes in the stages of faith.]{.smallcaps}**

# **Genesis 22 Sacrifice of Issac**

**Stage 1 -- "God's just like my mommy and daddy."**

Preschool child will not catch all of the storyline but will capture
some of the images. The image of a father who can save you or kill you
can be very real. It captures the trust-mistrust conflict of Erickson.
Children at this age will identify God with powerful parent figures and
will hear the story in these terms. This is also true for an adult who
***feels little and powerless*** -- ***God is one who kills and brings
to life***. There is no differentiation between parent and God and no
telling what they might do, depending on our behavior and their whims.

**Stage 2 -- "What's fair is fair!"**

The story will be taken quite literally and interpreted in terms of the
principle of reciprocity, namely, that Abraham ***got what he
deserved***. Abraham obeyed God so God rewarded him by providing a
sacrifice. If Abraham had disobeyed God, he would have been punished and
he would have deserved the punishment. It might have been the loss of
his son or loss of God's blessing in another way because ***God only
blesses those who obey him and do what he says.***

**Stage 3 -- "I believe what the church believes."**

Will be able to reflect on the meaning of the story in relation to other
stories and teachings of the church. The person at this stage will
***not be able to rise above the interpretation given to the story by
whatever authority figure is significant in the person's life***. The
danger lies in the distorted or inadequate interpretations the church
might give to the story and its meaning. Story might be presented as an
expression of Abraham's trust in a God of love and promise as well as a
God of law.

**Stage 4 -- "As I see it, God is . . ."**

Examine the story critically for what it says about the ***way life is
to be lived and how God acts in the world***. The ***moral reasoning***
of this stage would emerge in an individual's understanding of the
event.

a.  What kind of a world would it be if fathers felt directed by God to
    kill their sons? Might disobey in the name of maintaining a lawful
    order where trust is possible.

b.  Abraham was right in obeying God because God ultimately determines
    the order of all things.

c.  Might go beyond moral reasoning and interpret story in light of
    universal ethical principle like the "sanctity of life." Abraham not
    only had right but duty to disobey God.

Essentially, this ***stage involves critical reflection and the
underlying trust in human reasoning.***

**Stage 5 -- "Don't confuse the map with the territory."**

Approach the story with a desire to ***see and hear its hidden
depths***. ***Concern for a clear statement of meaning fades*** into the
background.

a.  What really happened between Abraham and God in this story?

b.  What did God want from Abraham? Blind obedience? Disciplined moral
    reasoning? "leap of faith"?

c.  What is the ***deeper meaning that can guide us*** in our faith
    struggles?

Most important element -- promise of God.

**Stage 6 -- "I have a dream."**

Kierkegaard speaks of a "knight of faith" who is capable of identifying
with Abraham's willingness to ***sacrifice everything that was dear to
him for the realization of a good that was not at all obvious.***

Contemporary candidates for Abraham's role are not likely to be
well-known figures, since Abraham was required to act in the privacy of
his individual conscience.

**Bibliography**

Billman, Kathleen D. and Daniel L. Migliore, *Rachel's Cry,* Cleveland,
OH: United Church Press, 1999.

Cutter, Alan, Daybreak Newsletter, Volume XI, Issue 4

Droege, Thomas, *Faith Passages and Patterns,* Philadelphia, PA:
Fortress Press, 1987 (3^rd^ Printing).

Fowler, James W. *Stages of Faith*, Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 1983.

*\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_, Faithful Change: The Personal and Public
Challenges of Postmodern Life,* Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 1996.

Lipton, Bruce, *The Biology of Belief,* Santa Rosa, CA: Mountain of
Love/Elite Books, 2005.

Stokes, Kenneth, *Faith is a Verb: Dynamics of Adult Faith Development,*
Mystic, CT: Twenty-third Publications, 1989 (7^th^ Printing, 1998).

[^1]: Lipton, Bruce, The Biology of Belief, 166.

[^2]: Cutter, Alan, Daybreak Newsletter, Volume XI, Issue 4.

[^3]: Droege, Thomas, Faith Patterns. (Philadelphia: Fortress Press,
    1987, 3^rd^ printing) 55.