Facing the whirlwind: identity formation in the United Church of Christ

Carol A Kipe

Etd

Facing the whirlwind: identity formation in the United Church of Christ

Public Deposited

MLA citation style (9th ed.)

Carol A Kipe. Facing the Whirlwind: Identity Formation In the United Church of Christ. Wesley Theological Seminary. rim.ir.atla.com/concern/etds/fde83548-24f0-4422-abe4-da9722f06fa2.

APA citation style (7th ed.)

C. A. Kipe. Facing the whirlwind: identity formation in the United Church of Christ. https://rim.ir.atla.com/concern/etds/fde83548-24f0-4422-abe4-da9722f06fa2

Chicago citation style (CMOS 17, author-date)

Carol A Kipe. Facing the Whirlwind: Identity Formation In the United Church of Christ. Wesley Theological Seminary. https://rim.ir.atla.com/concern/etds/fde83548-24f0-4422-abe4-da9722f06fa2.

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

Creator

Carol A Kipe

Keyword

Heidelberg Catechism

Rights Statement

In Copyright

Abstract

This thesis is a model for identity formation in the United Church of Christ through the use of the Heidelberg Catechism. The author studies spiritual development, using the theories of Kegan, Erikson, Fowler, Gilligan, and Loder. The history and theology of the catechism that helped shape the identity of the German Reformed people was researched. The author developed a pedagogy, based on Howard Gardner's multiple intelligence theory, for teaching the catechism in the 21st century. A case study was developed based on a six week study of two churches in the United Church of Christ. The author made the following conclusions: 1) Howard Gardner's multiple intelligence theory, as pedagogy, offers different approaches to adults in various stages of their spiritual development. 2) Adults do not have an adequate concept of sin; as a result they are confused about how grace is operative in their lives; therefore, they do not know what it means to live a life of gratitude. 3) Without a strong identity, based on core documents of the faith, there is no congregational loyalty. This author concludes that catechism could benefit our churches immeasurably.

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