Understanding God images and God concepts : towards a pastoral hermeneutics of the God attachment experience
Date
2015-11-03
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
AOSIS Publishing
Abstract
The author looks at the God image experience as an attachment relationship experience with
God. Hence, arguing that the God image experience is borne originally out of a parent–child
attachment contagion, in such a way that God is often represented in either secure or insecure
attachment patterns. The article points out that insecure God images often develop head-tohead
with God concepts in a believer’s emotional experience of God. On the other hand, the
author describes God concepts as indicators of a religious faith and metaphorical standards for
regulating insecure attachment patterns. The goals of this article, however, is to highlight the
relationship between God images and God concepts, and to provide a hermeneutical process
for interpreting and surviving the God image experience.
Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: Given that most scholars within the
discipline of Practical Theology discuss the subject of God images from cultural and theological
perspectives, this article has discussed God images from an attachment perspective, which is a
popular framework in psychology of religion. This is rare. The study is therefore interdisciplinary
in this regards. The article further helps the reader to understand the intrapsychic process of the
God image experience, and thus provides us with hermeneutical answers for dealing with the
God image experience from methodologies grounded in Practical Theology and pastoral care.
Description
CITATION: Counted, V. 2015. Understanding God images and God concepts : towards a pastoral hermeneutics of the God attachment experience. Verbum et Ecclesia, 36(1),
Art. #1389, doi:10.4102/ve.v36i1.1389.
The original publication is available at http://verbumetecclesia.org.za
The original publication is available at http://verbumetecclesia.org.za
Keywords
Image of God
Citation
Counted, V. 2015. Understanding God images and God concepts : towards a pastoral hermeneutics of the God attachment experience. Verbum et Ecclesia, 36(1),
Art. #1389, doi:10.4102/ve.v36i1.1389.