Before the Face of God: An Interdisciplinary Study of the Meaning of the Sermon and the Hearer's God Image, Personality and Affective StateAll over the world, millions of people attend services every week, and most of them will hear sermons. What happens between the sermon and the listener? Does the sermon become meaningful to listeners? The present study in the fields of practical theology, homiletics, and psychology of religion combines quantitative and qualitative methods to offer an empirically-based approach to the study of preaching. Highlighting the psychological factors influencing how a sermon is heard, this study draws theoretical insight from the works of D.W. Winnicott, A.-M. Rizzuto and D. Bonhoeffer in its examination of the relationship between the meaning of the sermon and the hearer's God image, personality, and affective state. |
Contents
| 1 | |
| 21 | |
Preaching 70707 | 70 |
Hearing the sermon | 93 |
AnaMaria Rizzutos theory on God images | 107 |
Empirical studies of the image of God | 129 |
Personality and affective state | 149 |
Empirical research | 179 |
Qualitative results | 229 |
Discussion and conclusions | 269 |
Conclusions and implications | 293 |
Questionnaire | 305 |
Statistical glossary | 317 |
Zusammenfassung | 323 |
Author index | 331 |
References | 337 |
Common terms and phrases
analysis anxiety approach aspects associated behaviour believe Bonhoeffer Bonhoeffer’s chapter child Christ Christology church cognitive concept concerning context creativity D.W. Winnicott Dietrich Bonhoeffer dimensions discussed emotional encounter Eurelings-Bontekoe experienced external Extraversion factor faith focused function Furthermore God image God’s heard hearers hearing hermeneutical homiletics human Hutsebaut Immink implication important incarnation individual individual’s interaction interpretation Jesus Jonker Kernberg Leah listeners mainstream Protestant McAdams McCrae meaning construction meaningful mother narrative Negative Affect Neuroticism object relations theory one’s participants personality disorders personality organisation personality structure perspective practical theology preacher predicted predictor preek present process of meaning psychic psychoanalytic psychological characteristics psychology of religion questionnaire reality reflects Reformed League congregation regression analysis relationship religious culture representation respondents Rizzuto role schemas scores sermon situation story subjectivity and objectivity themes theological tradition transitional experience transitional object Ulanov understanding variables variance view on preaching Winnicott words Zock