Religious Education: The official journal of the Religious Education Association

Dialogue of the Soul: The Phenomenon of Intrapersonal Peace and the Adult Experience of Protestant Religious Education

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DOI:: 10.1080/00344080701657741

Dent C. Davis^a

pages 387-402

Available online: 15 Nov 2007

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Abstract

This year-long study explored how adult church members experienced the phenomenon of spirit and the relationship between their experience and peace. Four themes emerged from the analysis of personal journal entries and transcripts of individual and group interviews: depth in the encounter with spirit, soul as the locus of spiritual growth, dialogue as the language of spiritual communication, and the phenomenon of third space. The intersection of these themes suggests that spiritual encounter is an intrapersonal, dialogical process leading to changes in perspective and action. These findings extend the concepts of peacemaking and adult education pedagogy in parish settings.