Developmental theory returning?

For what feels like a long time now, I’ve had to defend my use of developmental theories (they grow out of psychology, for the most part, and also have strong evolutionary elements) in theological circles. James Fowler’s work, which was long considered essential, started to fall out of favor, and people were interested in more narrowly theological languages. Once in a while I’ve just given up entirely. But I have always found the theories useful, particularly for helping students develop empathy with people who experience religion differently from themselves. Now it’s kind of fun to discover various bloggers picking the theories back up a bit. Like NextReformation, which has an extended post building on Fowler; or The Journey, which even details the stages Fowler defines.

Towards that end, one of the best books I've read lately which builds on complex developmental theories without ever invoking them directly is Change Leadership. Written by Robert Kegan, Tony Wagner, Lisa Lahey, and a host of other people involved in education, it describes a step by step approach to leading change in K-12 school settings. But the steps are not a technical, rationalist recipe. Rather, they are a host of exercises for engaging in real transformation, the kind that requires as much inner work as it does group work. Rather than laying out the theories behind it, the authors just jump right in and make the work accessible to people. There's SO MUCH in this book that is applicable to theological contexts. I'm beginning to hope that perhaps I'll be able to find some colleagues who might even want to work through it with me.