KCU/04/Group 1

Topic 2: How do people grow? Question: Do more research into the four models of spiritual growth discussed in How People Grow & give a more detailed explanation & support for each of the models. Then, in light of your research, which model(s) of how people grow would you choose & why? (If the group cannot come to a consensus, feel free to have different group members each express their own opinions.)

Introduction Spiritual growth is an important aspect of every person’s life. According Dr. Henry Cloud’s and Dr. John Townsend’s book How People Grow, four models of spiritual growth: the sin model, the truth model, the experiential model, and the supernatural model. The purpose of this paper is to explore each of these models and to determine the positive and negative aspects of each model.

The Sin Model According to Cloud and Townsend, the sin model states that "all problems are the result of one's sin" (Cloud and Townsend 16). In order to grow, a person must purge themselves of sin, and then their problems will go away. In this model, the greatness of a person’s suffering is directly related to how much they sin, or “indicative of the measure of his guilt in the eyes of God” (Intro to Job 723).

Later in How People Grow, however, they note that this view of growth does not necessarily work. Rather than focusing on being under the law, one must focus on being under the grace of God. Being under the law inhibits growth because it makes the grower feel that “God is the enemy” and that “we get what we deserve” (Cloud and Townsend 67). Various characters just in Bible history are examples that contradict the sin model, namely Job.

The very first verse of the first chapter of Job describes Job as being "blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil" (New International Version. Job 1.1). Job was the victim of incredible suffering, yet he was not guilty of a significant amount of sin whatsoever. Satan himself inflicted the suffering because he believed Job was “righteous only because it pays” (Intro to Job 723).

Bibliography Introduction to Job. The NIV Study Bible. Ed. Kenneth Barker. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1995. 722-724.

Cloud, Dr. Henry, and Dr. John Townsend. How People Grow. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2001.

The Holy Bible: New International Version. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1984.