Hermetic Homiletics

Stage 2: Mythic-Literal Faith

Attributes:
~Literal interpretation accompanied by moral rules and attitudes; episodic faith of the Intuitive-Projective becomes more linear
~Do not step back from the flow of stories to formulate reflective, conceptual meanings
~Take on beliefs and observances of community
~Begins to take on the stories for him- or herself
~The actors in the cosmic story are anthropomorphic
~Affected deeply and powerfully by symbolic and dramatic materials and describe in endlessly detailed narrative what has occurred
~Stories become a major way to give unity and value to experience
~Meaning is both “carried” and “trapped” in the narrative
~The world is based on reciprocal fairness and immanent justice based on reciprocity
~Increased accuracy in taking the perspective of the other persons

Gifts:
~The story, drama and myth serve as ways to find and give coherence to experience

Dangers:
~Limitation of literalness
~Excessive reliance upon reciprocity ads a principle for constructing an ultimate environment
~The above two points can result in either
+++ An over-controlling, stilted perfectionism or “works righteousness,” or
+++ an abasing sense of badness embraced because of mistreatment, neglect, or the apparent disfavor of significant others.

Transition:
~Clash or contradiction of stories that leads to reflection on meanings; previous literalism breaks down and is replaced by a “cognitive conceit” that leads to a disillusionment with teachers
~Conflicts between stories (creation vs. evolution) must be addressed
~A need for a more personal relationship with God

Note: I won’t be using anything from this stage either, though many adults are at this level. My reasoning is that I believe that God has called us all to grow. In the rest of life, we are expected to function as “adults.” I believe that sermons should more fully draw us into the faith-maturation process. Adult Christians are called to be “adults” in the faith. To empower people to function at this level actually promotes a form of “spiritual developmental disability.”

posted by irreverance @ 11:46 AM