The theme and nature of this venture was in so many ways a product and reflection of my personal journey - my own "Pilgrim's Progress". When I reach this milestone and reflect on the relationships and experiences that have marked my journey thus far, I can only marvel at the providential, guiding hand of God. My greatest hope, then, is that readers of this work will be alerted, as I was, to the ultimate goal of epistemological development: "Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast of his strength, let him not boast rich man in his riches, but he who boasts, let him boast in the fact that he understands me and knows that I am the LORD, who works mercy, justice and righteousness on earth. Brittany, who has taken every step of this process with me – sharing every challenge and celebrating every small victory.
Also to my original learning community - my two brothers, Nathan and Travis, and my (favorite) sister, Jennifer: I am so thankful to God that according to his infinite wisdom and sovereign plan, he has intertwined our lives; I just can't imagine growing or developing without looking to each of you for guidance. I would like to thank the faculty of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary's School of Church Ministries for welcoming me to the Ph.D. Troy Temple for the many, incredible opportunities you've given me to engage students alongside you during my time as a Ph.D.
My deepest thanks also go to my brothers and sister in Cohort 4, who have enriched these years of my life with joy, friendship, unwavering support, and heartfelt self-sacrificing care. Finally, to my beloved family of believers at First Baptist Church in Mount Washington, thank you for your blessing, investment, and support from me in this endeavor; it is my joy and privilege to serve the Kingdom with you.
INTRODUCTION
So for Christians, the ultimate goal and goal of wisdom is the person of Christ, "the power of God and the wisdom of God" (1 Cor. 1:24). This research was limited to the specific institutional contexts of the students participating in the interviews. Frame, The Doctrine of the Knowledge of God, A Theology of Lordship (Phillipsburg, NJ: Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Company, 1987), 42.
The center of biblical truth is the person of Christ - the Word made flesh, who revealed God's glory (John 1:14). Knowledge that is "of the world" is any knowledge that does not conform to God's word. The concept of "the fear of the Lord" as the basis of knowledge, understanding and wisdom strongly affirms the centrality of faith as the platform for epistemological maturity to wisdom.
Wisdom, then, is the natural result of true, active Christian faith based on the fear of God. As Andersen notes, “The seat of wisdom is not simply in the mind of God. Proverbs begins with the emphatic introductory statement, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge" (1:7).
The structure of the Perry scheme is organized according to functions or stages of development.
Commitments in Relativism
Commitment Foreseen. In order for epistemic progress to be made, students must realize the necessity for making personal commitments in a
This particular form of escape, described as an "escape into commitment," is a well-established concept in. In position 6, "Providing Commitment," students begin to accept responsibility for formulating their own worldview by making commitments, even if those commitments seem at first to require "arbitrary belief, or even a willing suspension of disbelief."280 The first steps of commitment require careful consideration. For students in position 6, commitment is something they "feel" or "feel" internally, without actually exercising commitments in a practical way.
The art of commitment. Position 7 is reached when a student invests himself in making an initial personal commitment in the face of relativistic reality
In Perry's view, the teacher's role in the tedious, cost-laden process of establishing a relativistic worldview and pursuing heartfelt commitments is crucial. Modification of the protocol, as well as interview training, took place through personal consultation between the investigator and William S. Moore, director of the Center for the Study of Intellectual Development (CSID).5 The format of each interview consisted of predetermined, open-ended questions, followed by more specific questions.
This research is delimited to the specific institutional contexts of the students participating in the interviews. A pilot study was conducted with a small group of participants to provide validation of the researcher's interview protocol. The data for this study was mainly collected through the personal interviews that the researcher conducted with each member of the population sample.
First, completion of the participation form formally confirmed each participant's willingness and consent to participate in the study. Position ratings of interviewees' articulations were applied according to the judge's judgment of the Perry Schema position that was most accurately represented by the individual statements, within the context of the discussion. The total of position designations within each interview informed the rater's judgment of the participant's overall score according to the Perry scheme.
Additionally, compared to the four Bible college students who received above-average grades, the top-scoring liberal arts students were two to three years younger. After further examining the distribution of position ratings, the researcher made two noteworthy findings. As shown in the figure, no statement was rated as indicative of a transition from position 4-5.
Thus, half of the participants in this group scored below the typical range for traditionally aged graduates. While the analysis according to the researcher's structured framework produced findings consistent with the general positional variation of the entire sample, no. Findings for each of the ten epistemological priorities are presented in the first three subheadings of this section.
And apparently it is the work of the Holy Spirit on a person's heart and mind that really begins to change that worldview. Another priority regarding biblical assumptions addressed by the researcher was "a clear articulation of the relationship between faith and rationality."
