agency_model
Agency Model
About This Dimension
Who does the heavy lifting in the drama of salvation, liberation, or human flourishing? This dimension measures the balance between divine initiative and human effort. At one extreme, everything depends on God's grace, election, or intervention — human striving is irrelevant or even counterproductive. At the other extreme, humans are entirely self-reliant — no god will rescue you, and your liberation depends solely on your own discipline and insight.
Why It Matters
This is one of the most consequential dimensions in the taxonomy because it shapes a tradition's entire practical culture. Divine-agency traditions produce devotional piety, prayer, surrender, and trust. Human-agency traditions produce rigorous practice systems, ethical self-cultivation, and philosophical training. The middle ground — where most traditions actually sit — produces some of religion's most interesting theological debates: grace versus works in Christianity, self-power versus other-power in Buddhism, divine decree versus free will in Islam.