Psychological Type and Biblical Interpretation among Anglican Clergy in the UK

Author: Village, Andrew

Source: Journal of Empirical Theology, Volume 23, Number 2, 2010 , pp. 179-200(22)

Publisher: BRILL

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Abstract:

A questionnaire measuring psychological type preferences and biblical interpretation was completed by 364 male and 354 female clergy ordained in the Anglican Church in the United Kingdom from 2004 to 2007. Preferences among the perceiving functions (sensing versus intuition) and among the judging functions (feeling versus thinking) were assessed using the Francis Psychological Type Scales. Biblical interpretation was assessed by asking respondents to read a healing story from Mark 9:14-29 and then to choose between interpretative statements designed to appeal to particular psychological type preferences. After controlling for differences in biblical conservatism, preference for interpretation was correlated with psychological function preference in both the perceiving and the judging processes. This confirms and expands a similar finding previously reported from a smaller sample of Anglican lay people.

Keywords: Anglicans; biblical interpretation; personality; psychological type; reader response

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/157092510X527349

Affiliations: 1: York St John University, York UK, Email: A.Village@yorksj.ac.uk

Publication date: 2010-10-01

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