The framework draws on far more than can be listed here. These are the sources whose ideas left the clearest mark — spanning Christian tradition, human development, and the study of culture and mission.
Christian Tradition & Discipleship
The Engel Scale — James F. Engel. A continuum tracing a person’s movement from no awareness of God through conversion to maturity, and a starting point for how the DJF maps the early journey.
The Threefold Path — classical Christian mysticism. The ancient pattern of purification, illumination, and union that stands behind the framework’s movement toward deeper life with God.
Vision, Intention, Means (VIM) — Dallas Willard. Willard’s account of how transformation actually takes hold — through a clear vision of the goal, the intention to pursue it, and the practices that make it possible.
Human Development & Change
Stages of Faith — James W. Fowler. A developmental account of how a person’s capacity for faith matures over a lifetime, informing how the DJF understands growth across the zones.
Attachment Theory — John Bowlby and Mary Ainsworth. Research on how early relational bonds shape the way people connect — including how they relate to God and to a community.
The Critical Journey — Janet Hagberg and Robert Guelich. The study that named “the wall,” the season of crisis and testing that reshapes faith into something more deeply held.
Stages of Change — James Prochaska and Carlo DiClemente. A widely used model of how people move toward lasting change, from first awareness through commitment to sustained new habits.
Worldview, Culture & Mission
Worldview Transformation — Paul Hiebert. Hiebert’s account of conversion as a change that has to reach belief, emotion, and values together, grounding how the DJF understands genuine formation.
Religious Coping — Kenneth Pargament. Research distinguishing faith that sustains a person through suffering from faith that fractures under it — central to how the DJF treats resilience.