• Title/Summary/Keyword: James Loder

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A Study on the Transformational Christian Education for Young Adults: With a Focus on the Employment of Jung's Unconscious Confrontation and Loder's Transformational Theory (청년기의 기독교 변형화교육에 관한 연구: 융의 무의식 대면과 로더의 변형이론을 중심으로)

  • Lee, Kyoomin;Kim, Eunjoo
    • Journal of Christian Education in Korea
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    • v.63
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    • pp.121-150
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    • 2020
  • The important developmental tasks of young adults are based on encounter and identity. These problems of encounter and identity are also connected to the instinct of longing for the "face" of primary caregivers, who acknowledge and affirm themselves as their cherished children. James Loder emphasizes that human "face pursuit instinct" later reaches "formal-operational stage" and leads to religious yearning for God as "the Eternal Face." This pursuit of "face" and "the Eternal Face" is an existential and ontological move to find out "Who am I?" through meaningful encounters. Religious psychologist Carl Jung also points out that scientific thinking has contributed to the liberation of humans from superstitious beliefs. But this has also led to the loss of the precious value of human spirit and the sense of unity with nature. Jung emphasizes that "symbolic play" should help learners and counseler face-to-face with their unconscious mind. By doing so, learners can overcome the wounds and scars of unconsciousness and mature toward the true self. James Loder is a scholar who critically introduced Jung's "unconscientious confrontation" therapy to his educational theory. Beyond Jung's unconsciousness and "symbolic play," Loder proposed transformational education for the learners to participate in meaningful changes through interaction between human spirit and the Holy Spirit. With many young adults wandering around in their existential voids, it is clear that functional and socializational education cannot overcome their problems and developmental crisis. This developmental crisis requires a foundation of identity and intimacy in the encounter with God, the "Eternal Face." Therefore, this study suggests that when Jung's "unconscious confrontation" and Loder's "transformation logic" are employed, transformational Christian education for the healthy self-identity and intimacy of young adults can be accomplished. This inquiry presents not only theoretical reflection, but also the reactions of young adults and actual feedback obtained through implementing transformational Christian education for young adults. Through all of these endeavors, this inquiry was completed by proving that "Transformational Christian Education for Young Adults" is an educational theory that can yield actual results and abound fruits. (This enquiry was undertaken by the support of the research fund of PUTS 2020.)

Christian Education for Human Spirit Transformation (인간 영의 변형을 위한 기독교교육)

  • Woo, Ji Yeon
    • Journal of Christian Education in Korea
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    • v.66
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    • pp.413-437
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    • 2021
  • Humans are created as spiritual beings that can relate to God. However, when a human spirit refuses to transform through confronting God, it experiences a crisis. A spiritual crisis results from disconnecting with God, who is the ultimate foundation, but we humans try to overcome such absence through accomplishments and efforts. In this technological age, the ethics issues of AI (Artificial Intelligence), robots, and cloning are related to anthropology. The development of the mind, heart, and logic cannot suggest a basis for destruction and confusion as much as the development of the world. In fact, education focused on the human mind cannot be considered holistic. Mind, together with thought, will, and belief, plays a crucial role in making choices and leading a human life. So it is actively studied in other domains other than Christian education. However, although the human spirit takes care of some territory of humanity, unlike the mind, it can neither be partial nor fragmentary. Instead, it manages the transformation that influences the core of human life. Therefore, Christian education must clearly concentrate on the spirit rather than on other human elements, intentionally concerning spiritual transformation through encounters with God. In other words, Christian education is the passage connecting a human spirit to God's presence at work, which enables us to understand the human being as a whole. For this, we must put our efforts to increase the chances of encountering God through Christian education. While "Encounter" requires both parties' interaction, "Transformation" stresses God as the main agent and His proactive nature. I also want to emphasize "worship" as the opportunity to communicate and experience God in our daily lives. By examining the preparation and the process of the spiritual transformation of humans, this paper would offer a theological foundation for continued transformation of the human spirit in the faith community, rather than personal experience or conviction.