Spring 2008 Initiative Grant Recipients
Christian Reasoning
Jens Zimmermann
Project Director
Professor of English and CRC Chair for Interpretation, Religion and Culture
Trinity Western University
Tony Cummins
Associate Professor of Religious Studies
Trinity Western University
Matthew Levering
Associate Professor of Theology
Ave Maria University
Judith Toronchuk
Assistant Professor of Psychology and Chair, Research Ethics Board
Trinity Western University
Merold Westphal
Distinguished Professor of Philosophy
Fordham University
Holger Zaborowski
Assistant Professor of Philosophy
Catholic University of America
Abstract
The project Christian Reasoning examines and seeks to substantiate the intrinsic role religion plays in human existence and public life. In the current dispute whether religion is the problem or the solution to the most pressing global concerns such as terrorism, tribal wars, the social cohesion of Western societies, and the relation between religion and science, reflection on the nature of reason has emerged as the most fundamental issue. In seeking to address this foundational problematic, the proposed research initiative pursues two distinct goals.
The first goal is to examine and show to what extent religion is constitutive for the very nature of human reason as such. Despite a major shift away from scientific rationalism in academic circles, religion continues to be relegated by many to the private, even irrational sphere of human existence. Against this lingering separation of faith and reason, our first research track focuses on the extent to which human perception, knowledge, understanding, and learning- in short, human reasoning- require the central religious elements of personal relation, tradition and belief. The collaborative philosophical (phenomenological and hermeneutical), social, and empirical research seeks to answer this question in the affirmative by drawing mainly on the Christian tradition but also on different faith traditions (Judaism, Islam, Buddhism).
Assuming a defining role of religion for human reasoning and public life, the second goal of this project us to articulate a specifically Christian understanding of human reasoning in response to current fears that particular religious convictions should be excluded from public life because they inevitably result in conflict and violence. Our research will address the seeming impasse between a recognition of the much publicized "return of religion" on the one hand, and a continuing public fear of religion as bigoted intolerance on the other. More specifically, this research phase will examine:
- The dependency of cultural and religious relativism (i.e. "all religions are the same") on a rationalist view of truth and the need for a different approach to comparing and assessing particular religions
- Compatibility of scientific and religious accounts of human rationality
- The relationship between reason, identity, religion and culture
- The importance of interpretation as intrinsic to any religion's theological ability to separate church and state
- The relationship between revelation and reason, including the role of sacred texts, tradition and interpretation in the mediation of divine revelation
- The relationship between religious conceptions of law and reason.
Religious Worldview, Ego Identity, and Attachment: Necessary Strengths for Navigating the Challenges of Emerging Adulthood
Kaye V. Cook
Project Director
Professor, Psychology
Gordon College
Cynthia N. Kimball
Associate Professor, Psychology
Wheaton College
Kelly S. Flanagan
Assistant Professor, Psychology
Wheaton College
Kathleen C. Leonard
Post-Doctoral Fellow, Institute for Applied Research in Youth Development
Tufts University
Chris J. Boyatzis
Consultant
Associate Professor, Psychology
Bucknell University
Abstract
Emerging adulthood is a distinctive era of development. Arnett (2000) has highlighted three areas of unique challenge during emerging adulthood, marked by changes in one's worldview, sense of self, and relationships with others. We will explore how strengths in these areas help individuals navigate the challenges that accompany a frequent and increasingly common transition of emerging adulthood: graduation from college. Because Christian colleges self-consciously desire to graduate students with coherent religious worldviews that affect one's entire life, and we can measure their religiosity, we focus on the worldview of those graduating from Christian colleges. We believe that a stable worldview, a solid sense of self, and secure relationships with parents and others in the face of challenges best prepare emerging adults to manage the stresses of this uncertain time. We hope to use this information to contribute to the larger literature on emerging adulthood and to help Christian colleges to nurture and strengthen the faith of their graduates.
The research will consist of two phases. In Phase I, we will survey 60 graduating seniors and 60 two-year alumni from each of the two Christian colleges, for a total of 240 participants. We will more extensively interview 20 graduating seniors and 20 two-year alumni from each context. In Phase II, we will interview the same participants, using comparable measures, two years later. We thus use cross-sequential analyses to allow us to draw conclusions about development and coping over a four-year period. The data consists of surveys and open-ended questions designed to explore religiosity, sense of self, and relationships with others. Data will be examined by regression analyses using religiosity (intrinsic, extrinsic, quest, perceived similarity with the larger context, perceived faith support, and stability of belief), ego identity status, and attachment measures to predict to our outcome measures, as well as by ANOVA analyses of age differences in the same measures. Outcome measures include participants' total stress, perceived stress, balance between stress and coping methods, and satisfaction with life and faith. Reponses to open-ended questions will be coded by qualitative analysis.
The project will result in several outcomes: multiple presentations, multiple research papers submitted for publication or in process, and a book proposal and accompanying request for added funding. In developing the project, particularly since this group of faculty has never worked together, we will also need to convene several team meetings.