The Way Through The Trees: An Introduction to Faith Development

Throughout history, Christians have reached for a variety of metaphors to try and understand and explain the journey of discipleship. The Way Through the Trees presents a case for the concept of development in faith through engagement with scripture, the Christian Tradition and modern theology. It it, Sarah Brush also offers an important introduction to some of the multiple ways of understanding faith development which predominate today – from the single trajectory approach described by Fowler or Rohr, to the cyclical pattern identified by McLaren. Demonstrating how scripture supports the concept of faith as not a simple, one-off conversion but of continuing discipleship, The Way Through the Trees explores the way faith grows through wisdom from the Christian Tradition alongside the most significant modern models of faith development, newly categorised in three groups according to the movement of faith within the models. Through exploring the various existing models and the new narrative metaphor, and culminating in a new model which draws from all that has preceded it, the book seeks to equip people in understanding their own faith journey and support others in theirs.