Where heaven meets earth: Unraveling the experience of grace

Tine Schellekens (2023). Where Heaven meets Earth: Unravelling the Experience of Grace.

Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Jessie Dezutter
Co-Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Annemie Dillen
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This doctoral project provides insight into the lay conceptualization of grace, explores the lived experience of grace and presents a bottom-up developed instrument to assess the experience of grace. All these objectives were pursued with special attention to the meaning of grace in a secularized society such as Belgium.

Chapter 1 provides a concise characterization of grace within the theological and psychological frameworks most important for the research aims of this project.

Chapter 2 focuses on the lay conceptualizations of grace. A quantitative and qualitative content analysis were conducted on descriptions of grace (n=456, 64% female, mean age = 50y). The following themes and categories emerged (1) virtuous qualities: grace is recognized in a multitude of good qualities with forgiveness as the ultimate example; (2) extra-ordinary gift: grace as something one receives unmerited, the nature of the giving goes beyond mere fair exchange; (3) transcendent and immanent setting: grace is encountered in the realm of the divine as well as in human relationships and daily life; (4) profound experience: the giving and receiving of grace entails an articulated personal involvement leading to new beginnings and freedom and (5) profound feelings: the experience of grace is accompanied with positive feelings and states often preceded by negative feelings and states. Distribution of categories by respondent age, gender, and religiosity showed robustness of the underlying characteristics of grace but significant group differences were also found.

Chapter 3 broadens the laymen’s conceptualization of grace by zooming in on the lived experience of grace. Person-level narratives (n=456) describing the experience of grace (64% female, mean age = 50y) were analyzed using a thematic analysis and network approach. The resulting thematic network visualizes the experience of grace in the flow of time: (a) the antecedents of grace reveal that it can happen anywhere and anytime, but difficulties often precede grace; (b) the core experience is one of receiving an unmerited free gift in response to failure or brokenness or as an encounter with goodness and beauty, the source can be human or divine, and(c) consequences entail a transformation at the intrapersonal, interpersonal and/or situational level. Special attention was given to the importance of the appraisal and attribution people gave to their experience of grace. Differences were found depending on worldview. 

Chapter 4 addresses the development and psychometrical evaluation of the Experiencing Grace Scale (EGS), which consists of four subscales: Appraising Grace, Giving Grace, Receiving Grace and Divine Grace. A test-retest design (n=285, 30% male, mean age 41y) established the reliability and validity of the EGS. Confirmatory factor analysis supported the subscale structure. Reliability analysis showed overall acceptable internal consistency and stability over time. Convergent validity and predictive validity were confirmed.

Chapter 5 expands and deepens insight into the psychological experience of grace. In-dept-interviews regarding the antecedents and consequences of grace (n=7, age range 50-81y, 3 male) were conducted and analyzed using Consensual Qualitative Research. Opening up in being and doing was considered a helpful antecedent in recognizing and actively receiving grace in life. Growing closer to oneself, others/the Other and life itself was a key consequence. Through cross-analysis, a third cluster with circular dynamics was identified. These virtues (e.g., openness, hope and trust) functioned both as antecedents and consequences and served as interlinking facilitators in the giving and receiving of grace in daily life. These processes can be linked to personal growth processes related to meaning making and virtue and character development.

Chapter 6 concludes with an overview of the present findings, which are integrated based on a thematic synthesis review. Attention is given to the nature of grace as being an extra-ordinary gift in a reality of relational interdependence and the process of grace as having a transforming power and interacting with meaning and existential processes in life. Lastly, limitations, practical implications and promising avenues for future research are formulated.