James William Fowler III (1940–2015) was an American theologian who was Professor of Theology and Human Development at Emory University.
Fowler was born in Reidsville, North Carolina, on October 12, 1940, the son of a Methodist minister.
[1] He was later named Charles Howard Candler Professor of Theology and Human Development.
[7] In the book, Fowler describes 6 stages of development.
Fowler's model has inspired a considerable body of empirical research into faith development, although little of such research was ever conducted by Fowler himself.