Pedagogical Emphases on the Mystery of God: The Apophatic Predicament in Emerging Adult Faith Formation

Abstract

For years Christian institutions in the West have observably supported and maintained kataphatic approaches to faith formation. Respectively, many schools have neglected apophatic considerations when teaching principles and approaches within emerging adult faith formation. Layered into this predicament is the strong inclination of predominantly kataphatic learning contexts to use increasing digital forms of instruction. Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, escalating reliance on digital technology in college classrooms has only exacerbated this dilemma. As a result, apophatic attentions, which tend to move away from trending pedagogical approaches and subsequent outcomes, remain formidable. The following paper employs a 14-year case review of students’ spiritual type similarities and differences at a private Christian university in the U.S. The review's theoretical and phenomenological framework utilizes spiritual typologies associated with apophatic and kataphatic nomenclature found in the “Circle of Sensibility” and espoused by spiritual type theorists. The data supports the theory of a general dividing line between approaches to Christian spirituality between apophatic and kataphatic taxonomical constructs. Additionally, perhaps most notably, this paper looks at digital distraction in current academic, spiritual formation contexts as a critical explanation for the lack of apophatic emphases. Digital distraction, in other words, undercuts the power of apophatic teaching. Based on the findings, recommendations for incorporating complementary kataphatic and apophatic approaches in spiritual formation coursework are offered.