A Quantitative Analysis of God Attachment and the Christian Faith and Life Among Evangelical Christians

Abstract

This pilot study explored the possible relationships between attachment to God and the Christian faith and life among a small sample of evangelical Christians. A quantitative analysis was performed on Christian adults (N=189) in local churches in the southeastern region of the United States. The study examined the relationships between attachment to God, awareness of the value of sin-beliefs, beliefs about sin, and levels of religious defensiveness. The project used correlational and stepwise regression analyses. The study found there was a significant negative variance between avoidance of intimacy with God, anxiety over abandonment by God, avoidance of legalism and religious defensiveness. Implications for Christian psychology and pastoral ministry were also discussed.