REPORT OF BIBLICAL INSTRUCTORS CONFERENCE* |
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| Authors: | Meir Ben‐Horin |
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| Institution: | Professor of Education , The Dropsie College , Philadelphia |
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| Abstract: | This article examines the psychoanalytic concepts of object-relations theorist Christopher Bollas, applying them to a view of the Bible as “transformational object.” Emphasizing the connection between psychological process and religious experience, this article suggests that each person's innate ability to choose and use objects is a key factor in their ability to appropriate the Bible for constructive use. By offering religious objects with psychological awareness, religious educators may come to appreciate that silence, empathy, and open-ended lesson plans are important incubators of transformation; and that aggression has a potentially positive role in the healthy development of worship communities. |
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