Becoming an adult is a distinct, but gradual transition in the development of an individual. A number of theories exist that attempt to describe some important features that distinguish early adult cognition from adolescent, including differences in moral reasoning (Kohlberg), meaning-making (Perry), and faith development (Fowler), among others. After reviewing these three influential theories, some of their similarities are noted, including their common ancestry in modernity. A case is then made that present theories of qualitative adult cognitive development are only of limited value to the Christian community because they are as much an expression of modern thought as they are a documentation of how young adults in the United States accommodate to the modern thought to which they are exposed.
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