Seeing God Clearly: Meaning-Making and Attributions to God Made by Resident Assistants

Authors

John Macikas, John Brown University

Abstract

Resident Assistants (RAs) at a Christian college in the Midwest were interviewed in order to explore the nature, reasoning, and complexity of attributions to God from their RA-related experiences. Resulting themes found that RAs made attributions to God for experiences of identifiable goodness, which included positive developmental experiences and experiences of deep unity and spirituality. Though RAs often saw themselves as God’s intermediary agents, they also claimed they were limited in their ability to affect deep change. The relationship between their agency and God’s was complex, but RAs sought solace in God’s ultimate control in the midst of their efforts. Implications for practice include facilitating opportunities for RAs to reflect on their experiences to impact spiritual development. Moreover, professionals can teach conceptual and theological tools to help RAs think about how God works in the world and to develop RAs as leaders to better influence wholesome and growing experiences.

Recommended Citation

Macikas, John (2017) "Seeing God Clearly: Meaning-Making and Attributions to God Made by Resident Assistants," Growth: The Journal of the Association for Christians in Student Development: Vol. 16: No. 16, Article 2.
Available at: https://pillars.taylor.edu/acsd_growth/vol16/iss16/2