Results
Title

USE OF THE PHRASE 'PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS': TOWARD A COMPREHENSIVE INTERDISCIPLINARY EXPLANATION.

Authors

Bennett‐Carpenter, Benjamin

Abstract

When people use the phrase 'personal relationship with Jesus,' how does one explain its significance? Normally attributed to evangelical Protestant Christians, use of the phrase 'personal relationship with Jesus' is a complicated phenomenon, and an explanation of it requires drawing upon resources from across multiple disciplines rather than a single discipline only. Attempts to explain exactly what the phrase 'personal relationship with Jesus' means frequently can be mystifying, on the one hand, or dismissive and simplistic, on the other hand. This article moves potentially toward a better context for understanding use of the phrase 'personal relationship with Jesus' by drawing upon insights from multiple disciplines, including (1) rhetorical and cultural-historical studies, (2) evolutionary and cognitive psychology, and (3) biological/behavioral and social/anthropological studies in order to set forth some basic lines of explanation for use of the phrase 'personal relationship with Jesus.' The article concludes with some possible testable statements for future empirical studies.

Subjects

INTERPERSONAL relations; PROTESTANTS; COGNITIVE psychology; EVOLUTIONARY psychology; RELIGION

Publication

Zygon: Journal of Religion & Science, 2017, Vol 52, Issue 3, p663

ISSN

0591-2385

Publication type

Academic Journal

DOI

10.1111/zygo.12348