Raised a Teenage Kataphatic

Abstract

The framework for this study comes from the historical and contextual theory ofapophaticandkataphaticspiritual typologies within the “Circle of Sensibility” espoused by spiritual type theorists. This study analyses seven years of collected data, comparing spiritual type similarities and differences of late adolescent students at a private Christian university in the United States. A major premise of the study underscores the influence catechetical models have on faith development during mid-to-late adolescence. A subsidiary objective of the study measured participants’ perceptions of the importance and frequency of practice of twelve spiritual disciplines. The results of the study confirm outcomes in all four major spiritual type categories within the Circle of Sensibility. Based on the findings, the author offers several recommendations for research in utilising spiritual type theory for understanding catechetical models within youth ministry praxis.