She Knows Truth: Toward a Redemptive Model of Women's Epistemological Development

Abstract

Gilligan, Perry, Belenky et al., and Baxter Magolda have spoken the loudest on epistemological development in past decades with numerous follow-up studies that sought to confirm and add to their ideas. Christian higher education has generally accepted or sought to integrate these models which include developmental prescriptions rooted in sub-biblical presuppositions—namely constructivism, feminism, and egalitarianism. This research asserts a series of competencies for redemptive development among women, one that is rooted in a thoroughgoing biblical-worldview and from a complementarian perspective. It employs David Powlison’s epistemological priorities as a trajectory for critically considering existing theoretical paradigms. Specifically, this project examines the developmental ideas of Gilligan, Belenky et al., and Baxter Magolda. This thesis proposes a series of developmental priorities and competencies, from an evangelical, complementarian perspective.