The Faith Styles Scale (FSS)
Fowler Scale
Barnes‚ Doyle & Johnson‚ 1989
Please express a preference for one of the two statements on each of the nine items.
1. A. Those who do what God wants are given special rewards.
B. God grants comfort and strength to those who are loyal and faithful.
2. A. God can do whatever God wants without any particular reason.
B. It is important to try to make sense out of how God acts and why.
3. A. A good way to relate to God is to do what God wants‚ so that God will help you in return.
B. It is best to think of God as utterly and freely giving.
4. A. Following Christ with loving devotion is more important than having a thorough and correct understanding of true doctrine.
B. It is important to reflect on one’s beliefs to make them reasonable and logically coherent.
5. A. True followers of Christ will often find themselves rejected by the world.
B. Most people in the world are doing their best to live decent lives.
6. A. God’s revealed truth is meant for all people everywhere.
B. No set of religious beliefs is the whole and final truth for everyone.
7. A. It is important to follow the leaders to whom God has entrusted his church.
B. Religious leaders must respect the need for reasonableness‚ consistency and coherence in their interpretation of doctrines.
8. A. It is often hard to understand why people are disloyal to their family and religion.
B. People have to make their own best choices about religion‚ even if it means following new ways.
9. A. The moral teachings of the church are objectively valid for all people‚ even though many do not realize this.
B. Love of neighbor requires being open to new ideas and values
This instrument can be found at: https://scholarsbank.uoregon.edu/xmlui/bitstream/handle/1794/5050/Thesis%20revisions.doc?sequence=1
Barnes‚ M.‚ Doyle‚ D.‚ & Johnson‚ B. (1989). The Formulation of a Fowler Scale; An Empirical Assessment among Catholics. Review of Religious Research; 30(4): 412-420.
Timpe‚ R. (1999). Faith development scale (Barnes‚ Doyle & Johnson‚ 1989). In P. Hill & R. Hood (Eds.)‚ Measures of Religiosity. Birmingham‚ AL: Religious Education Press.