Finding Peace in Union with Christ through the Practice of Contemplation

Gary W Brouwers

Etd

Finding Peace in Union with Christ through the Practice of Contemplation

Public Deposited

MLA citation style (9th ed.)

Gary W Brouwers. Finding Peace In Union with Christ Through the Practice of Contemplation. rim.ir.atla.com/concern/etds/40ecbbfb-e065-47d4-bb7e-0b58d47a2ca4.

APA citation style (7th ed.)

G. W. Brouwers. Finding Peace in Union with Christ through the Practice of Contemplation. https://rim.ir.atla.com/concern/etds/40ecbbfb-e065-47d4-bb7e-0b58d47a2ca4

Chicago citation style (CMOS 17, author-date)

Gary W Brouwers. Finding Peace In Union with Christ Through the Practice of Contemplation. https://rim.ir.atla.com/concern/etds/40ecbbfb-e065-47d4-bb7e-0b58d47a2ca4.

Note: These citations are programmatically generated and may be incomplete.

Creator

Gary W Brouwers

Keyword

Practice (Theology)

Rights Statement

In Copyright

Abstract

Believers in Jesus exist in a powerful unsion with the ecodn person of the Trinity. Through this union, believers have access to everything that Jesus is, including the ability to expereince peace regardless of circumstances. This thesis examinded how a growing awreness of one's union with Jesus affects one's experience of anxiety. Using a mixed method phenomenological study, 46 participants spent increasingly longer periods of time contemplating on thier union with Christ. Anxiety levels were tested using pretexts and posttests of Beck's Anxiety Indicator (BAI). Participants kept records of their experiences using Likert-style scales as well as written journals. Data from BAI, the individual records, and a focus group were triangulated and compared. The results indicated that anxiety levels were reduced in 63 percent of participants. In addition , the data revealed common themes among the experiences of the participants, including strong expressions of God's love, continuing effects of peace beyond the period of contemplation and an appreciation for the structure and accountability of the project. In addition, most participants reported experiences of frustration and confusion as they attempted to spend time in contemplation.

Year