Any comments or suggestions are welcome and encouraged.
I'm wondering if :
My Introduction is clear enough
My theological focus is too narrow
What the heck I need to do for the Proposed Action Plan
I) Introduction and clear statement of the issue (2 Pages)
1) There is much that can be learned by examining the intersection of religion and psychology.
i) Within the last several decades there has been a significant body of research developed that has shed light on the intricate interplay of these fields.
ii) Through a thorough understanding of one’s religious orientation it is possible to draw implications regarding correlated personality traits.
(a) In 1950 Allport set the ball in motion with his studies on religion and personality and the correlation of orientation to racially prejudiced attitudes.
(b) These studies have been further developed by Hill in 2005 with his validation of Allports Intrinsic Extrinsic Religiosity Scales, and the inclusion of additional categories.
· Hill took the research a step further and correlated these scales with personality tests with some enlightening findings.
· It was shown that the majority of those scoring as Extrinsic, or religious as a means to an end, had negative personality traits,
· those who scored Intrinsic, or religious as an end, correlated with positive personality traits,
· while those who scored as Quest, or no religious orientation, correlated with socially neutral, albeit overall more positive, personality traits.
II) Goals of the paper (2 Pages)
1) If a predictive relationship can be shown, then it stands to reason that the instillation of intrinsic religious values in youth could be shown to help foster positive personality traits as they grow to adults.
i) There is clear indication in scripture to provide an emphasis on proper child development.
ii) With the way that modern society views religion, being able to empirically show that instilling real intrinsic religious values in children causes positive personality traits will be beneficial to the overall church and it’s evangelism efforts.
(a) Through this examination of the work that has been done in this field, as well as the work that is currently being done in youth ministry, it is possible to devise a program that should, in theory and practice, be able to facilitate this process.
(b) It is the intent of this paper to not only show the causal relationship between these values and personality, but to devise the framework of just such a program with the hope that perhaps future implementation could be longitudinally studied in order to validate the implications.
III) Biblical/theological reflection on the issue (15 Pages)
1) Scripture gives us every indication that learning and integrating matters of faith and value into our everyday lives is ideal.
i) Jesus and his dealings with the Pharisees shows us this. (Matthew 15)
(a) The Pharisees acted appropriately, they followed every aspect of the Mosaic law as they interpreted it
· The Pharisees upheld tradition over scripture
(b) This was not enough for them to obtain salvation
(c) This was detrimental to their living out of their faith as is exhibited by the prohibition towards healing on the Sabbath
· This is also observed in their condemnation of the Gentiles
· This is also observed in the exclusion of the Samaritans
· This is also observed in the refusal to interact with those deemed “unclean”
ii) Jesus’ condemnation of not just the act, but the motivation behind the act furthers this understanding.
(a) It is not enough to simply act accordingly or appropriately, one’s heart must also be in the right place (Matthew 15:8-20)
· What comes from the mouth stems in the heart
¨ The heart is the source of evil thoughts, etc.
· Lust in the heart is the sin of adultery (Matthew 5:27-28)
· Anger in the heart is the sin of murder (Matthew 5:21-22)
2) Learning this at a young age is vital to its continuation in adulthood
IV) Psychological research and its implications (15 pages)
1)
V) Ministry setting (2 pages)
1)
VI) Proposed action plan for ministry (10 pages)
1)
VII) Conclusion (2 pages)
