Spiritual formation in the church and its impact upon spiritual free agency

209 Pages·2009·1.77 MB·English

by  Ian Trigg

ABSTRACT

SPIRITUAL FORMATION IN THE CHURCH AND ITS IMPACT UPON
SPIRITUAL FREE AGENCY

by

Ian Alexander Trigg

We live in a free agent culture where people reserve the right to choose whatever
they want. If an organization no longer serves people’s needs or desires, they move on.
Free agency is alive and well in the church. Consumerism and individualism, the hallmarks
of a free agent culture, are evident and are hindering the process of spiritual formation. The
purpose of this project was to analyze the effectiveness of an intentional spiritual formation
strategy upon the influence of spiritual free agency in the life of the believer. This study
introduced Renovaré and its impact upon consumeristic and individualistic thought.
DISSERTATION APPROVAL

This is to certify that the dissertation entitled

SPIRITUAL FORMATION IN THE CHURCH AND ITS IMPACT UPON
SPIRITUAL FREE AGENCY

presented by

Ian Alexander Trigg

has been accepted towards fulfillment

of the requirements for the

DOCTOR OF MINISTRY degree at

Asbury Theological Seminary

____________________________________ April 15, 2004
Mentor Date

____________________________________ April 15, 2004
Internal Reader Date

____________________________________ April 15, 2004
Vice President of Educational Development Date
SPIRITUAL FORMATION IN THE CHURCH AND ITS IMPACT UPON

SPIRITUAL FREE AGENCY

A Dissertation

Presented to the Faculty of

Asbury Theological Seminary

In Partial Fulfillment

Of the Requirements for the Degree

Doctor of Ministry

by

Ian Alexander Trigg

May 2004
© 2004

Ian Alexander Trigg

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page
List of Tables....................................................................................................................vii
List of Figures..................................................................................................................viii
Acknowledgements ...........................................................................................................ix
Chapter
1. Overview of the Study.......................................................................................1
Understanding the Problem..........................................................................1
A Description of Current Reality...........................................................2
A Description of God’s Ideal Reality....................................................4
The Scriptural Anchor............................................................................7
Theological Foundations........................................................................8

The Purpose..............................................................................................12

The Purpose Stated..............................................................................12

The Guiding Research Questions.........................................................13

Definition of Terms..............................................................................13

A Description of the Study.......................................................................15

Methodology.............................................................................................16

The Context..........................................................................................16

The Subjects.........................................................................................17

Instrumentation....................................................................................18

Delimitations and Generalizability......................................................19

An Outline of the Study.............................................................................20

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2. A Selective Review of the Literature...............................................................22

Introduction................................................................................................22

Emerging Themes.................................................................................24

The Influence of Postmodernism...............................................................24

Postmodernism and the Church...........................................................26

Consumerism.............................................................................................27

A Definition of Consumerism..............................................................27

The Historical Basis of Consumerism.................................................30

Consumerism and Christianity.............................................................31

Consumerism and the Church..............................................................34

The Consequences of Consumerism....................................................36

Individualism............................................................................................38

A Definition of Individualism..............................................................38

The Historical Basis of Individualism.................................................40

Individualism and Christianity.............................................................43

Individualism and the Church..............................................................46

The Consequences of Individualism....................................................48

Spiritual Formation...................................................................................49

Spiritual Formation Defined...............................................................50

Spiritual Formation and Renovaré......................................................52

The Contemplative Movement...........................................................54

The Social Justice Movement.............................................................60

The Holiness Movement.....................................................................66

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The Charismatic Movement................................................................69

The Evangelical Movement................................................................73

Conclusion..........................................................................................76

3. A. B. Simpson and Renovaré...........................................................................78

Simpson and the Contemplative Stream.....................................................80

Simpson and the Evangelical Stream..........................................................81

Simpson and the Holiness Stream...............................................................83

Simpson and the Charismatic Stream.........................................................84

Simpson and the Social Compassion Stream..............................................86

4. The Design of the Study..................................................................................88

Reviewing the Problem and Purpose.........................................................88

The Problem Revisited.........................................................................88

The Purpose Revisited.........................................................................90

The Guiding Research Questions.........................................................91

Methodology.............................................................................................93

Instrumentation...................................................................................95

Validity and Reliability.......................................................................95

Data Collection...................................................................................96

Variables and Generalizations............................................................96

Data Analysis......................................................................................97

5. Findings of the Study.......................................................................................98

Profile of Participants...............................................................................98

Reliability............................................................................................... 100

v
The Relationship between Free Agency and Spiritual Formation..........101

The Effectiveness of Renovaré...............................................................107

Consequences of the Study.....................................................................114

Summary of Significant Findings...........................................................115

6. Summary and Conclusions............................................................................117

Major Findings from the Data.................................................................118

Theological Reflections..........................................................................123

Significant Implications..........................................................................128

Limitations of the Study..........................................................................131

Contribution to Research Methodology..................................................133

For Further Study....................................................................................134

Final Thoughts........................................................................................135

Appendix A: Letters of Invitation/Confirmation................................................139

Appendix B: Spiritual Formation Pretest/Posttest Questionnaire.......................142

Appendix C: Posttest Questionnaire Scores Sorted by C/I Index.......................152

Appendix D: Reflecting the Heart of God Sermon Schedule.............................154

Appendix E: Reflecting the Heart of God Studies..............................................156

Works Cited.........................................................................................................193

vi
TABLES

Table Page

5.1 Reliability Factors...................................................................................100
5.2 Consumerism/Individualism Index.........................................................102
5.3 Changing Churches.................................................................................103
5.4 Looking to Serve.....................................................................................103
5.5 Looking to Serve outside the Church.....................................................104
5.6 Looking to Serve within the Church.......................................................104
5.7 Practicing Prayer.....................................................................................104
5.8 Prayer and Social Issues.........................................................................105
5.9 Evangelical Stream Questions................................................................109
5.10 Contemplative Stream Questions............................................................110
5.11 Charismatic Stream Questions................................................................111
5.12 Holiness Stream Questions.....................................................................112
5.13 Social Justice Stream Questions.............................................................113

vii
FIGURES

Figures Page

5.1 Pretest and posttest results versus the researcher’s standard...................105
5.2 Comparing posttest Renovaré scores with C/I index...............................106
5.3 Percentage change of Renovaré streams between questionnaires...........108
5.4 Pretest and posttest results for the five streams of Renovaré..................114

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