Calling But Not Foreclosing: reworking Our Approach to Faith Formation

Abstract

As churches continue to feel anxious about losing their young people, the impulse to find means to secure young people’s faith identities can arise. Such approaches, though well-intended, can inadvertently become exercises in identity foreclosure. Foreclosure subverts young people’s selfhood and can lead to faith and identity commitments that lack resilience. Using Søren Kierkegaard’s writings and the biblical book of Jonah, an approach to faith formation will be articulated that focuses on hearing God’s call. This approach avoids identity-foreclosing impulses by elevating the place of God’s calling in faith formation.