Personality and Connection

With the recent popularity of books such as Don Miller’s “Blue Like Jazz”, David Kinnaman’s “unChristian”, and Dan Kimball’s “They Like Jesus But Not the Church”, many Christian leaders are beginning to take notice of a broad cultural shift happening within the American Church. This trend is reflected in the growing body of research being gathered by the Christian research firm, The Barna Group. Across the general public and even amongst practicing believers people are becoming more vocal about their “skepticism and frustrations with Christianity”. More often, people are feeling free to express the difficulties they’ve encountered in their spiritual lives and their lack of feeling connected with God. To pastors and spiritual leaders who’ve made their life’s work helping others pursue a relationship with the Divine, this frank outpouring of widespread spiritual struggle might seem like a daunting new challenge. In times such as these, much can be gained by seeking the guidance and wise counsel of those who’ve wrestled with this disparaging disconnect before us.

One such person who made it his personal crusade to help others achieve this intimacy was religious scholar and pastoral counselor, Morton T. Kelsy. His quest drove him to explore forgotten forms of prayer and meditation from times passed. Kelsey then paired those findings with the latest insights from psychology. The resulting body of work captured in Kelsy’s book, “The Other Side of Silence” has proven to be a helpful tool in the hands of those in ministry. The truths uncovered, some of which have been met with resistance, reveal that there are no one-size-fits-all answers with regard to how individuals relate with God. For this reason, it has become vital that clergy and those dedicated to serving the body of Christ by helping others navigate life’s spiritual path personally explore prayer in its many varied expressions and couple that knowledge with the recently gained understanding of how people with different personality types process information and relate to the world around them.

For some ministers, talk of an expanding definition of prayer or the incorporation of modern psychological data might seem foreign and uncomfortable, but once the historical precedent for these Christian practices is reclaimed and the applicability of knowing peoples’ personality types is understood, their validity and relevance should be self-evident.

Most commonly today, evangelical Christians are taught to seek God through prayer (specifically the extemporaneous, conversational style of prayer practiced in most evangelical churches), scripture reading, and communal worship. Other lesser known practices include the incorporation of mantra-like prayers, Lectio Divina, and the use of icons or concentration aids such as beaded prayer necklaces. Although unknown to most Christian mystics today, many historical followers of Christ followed the meditative examples and exercises of St. Ignatius, St. Teresa of Avila, St. John of the Cross, or Brother Lawrence. Even today, monks of the Benedictine Order routinely gather to pray the Psalms together in daily life. Still others have preferred to follow St. Francis of Assisi’s more outwardly expressive example practicing missional service to the poor as their connecting point.

Unfortunately, as Kelsey covers in his book, religious leaders have often made the mistake of discontinuing practices not meaningful to them. “This has presented a real problem in many denominations, and also in religious Orders in which the actual devotional practice of one leader could be made the rule for all.” (Kelsey, p.22) If these elders had only understood the significance of differences between peoples’ personalities, perhaps many of these alternative forms of worship wouldn’t have been sidelined.

Kelsy explains that within the study of psychology, primarily drawing upon the work of Dr. C. G. Jung, eight distinct major personality characteristics (for example Introvert and Extrovert) have been identified. These characteristics can be combined in differing combinations to form 16 unique personality types. Each type possesses its own particular tendencies and traits, which can affect how individuals of that typological make-up are predisposed to experience the world around them.

When applied to how people relate spiritually, Kelsey noted that extroverted people were more prone to experience connectedness to God through shared experiences or activities with others. Unsurprisingly, the converse was true of introverts. This also can explain why some people get more from independent study or prayer while others find communal praise or missional service their faith’s pinnacle expression. While this is merely a peek at the insight that could be gleaned by a deeper study of psychology and faith, the major lesson to note lies in understanding that people experience and relate to God differently.

As ministers and leaders seeking to help foster spiritual growth within others, acquiring a basic familiarity with the spectrum of Christian disciplines and expressions can be useful, especially when combined with an understanding of differing psychological needs. By adequately exposing others to the numerous avenues for expression available, the hope is that people will gravitate towards that which most deeply resonates with them, rather than ministers having to learn and know each parishioners’ individual peculiarities.


Bibliography

The Barna Research Group. “A New Generation Expresses its Skepticism and Frustration with Christianity.” Barna Group. 24 September 2007

Kelsey, Morton T. “The Other Side of Silence: A Guide to Christian Meditation.” New York, New York: Paulist Press, 1976.

Kimball, Dan. “They Like Jesus But Not the Church: Insights from Emerging Generations.” Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2007

Kinnaman, David. “unChristian: What a New Geveration Really Thinks about Christianity… and Why It Matters.” Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Books, 2007

Miller, Donald. “Blue Like Jazz: Nonreligious Thoughts on Christian Spirituality.” Nashville, Tennesee: Thomas Nelson, 2003