Also a Pastoral Theologian: In Pursuit of Dynamic Theology (Or: Meditations from a Recalcitrant Heart)

This essay evolved out of my effort to situate my work from the last quarter-century for an introduction to a collection of previously published essays. After tracing divergent uses of the terms pastoral and practical theology in figures such as Seward Hiltner, Friedrich Schleiermacher, and Don Browning, I turn to the task of differentiating the two disciplines. Although pursuit of dynamic theology lies at the heart of both, I argue that their sloppy conflation is problematic. Whereas practical theology is integrative, pastoral theology is person-and pathos-centered. I situate my work in pastoral theology within practical theology because of the latter’s commitment to wider curricular and ministerial concerns. But I remain a pastoral theologian at heart, appreciative of its appropriation of psychology as a key means to comprehend what matters most to persons. Commitment to a theology of experience has led the discipline to the inadvertent creation of alternative theological loci of angst and flourishing.     

Mapping the terrain of pastoral psychology

Pastoral psychology has, over the course of the past century, undergone substantial transformation. Changes in the territory warrant, if not require, a thoroughly revised map. This essay approaches pastoral psychology as an interdisciplinary enterprise, a bridge discipline unifying three diverse, integrally related angles of vision: as a specialized field of theology (or theological studies), a specialized field or kind of psychology (or psychological studies), and a practical-clinical enterprise. The need to systematize the field as well as demonstrate its complex relations with cognate areas recommends approaching pastoral psychology, ultimately, as theological: as a dimension of pastoral theology, a kind of practical theology, which integrates practice-theory (praxis) and research; involves religious-theological and psychological domains of experiences, patterns of behavior, and forms of reflection; and maintains a focus on the understanding and care of persons across intrapsychic, familial, community, and cultural levels.     

Laudato Si’: Integral Ecology and Preferential Option for the Poor

This essay examines Pope Francis’s encyclical Laudato si’ from a Latin American perspective and its reception in this part of the world, especially in Brazil. It focuses on two aspects of Laudato si’: its dialogical approach, and the connection it makes between ecological issues and poverty. These two aspects allow us to understand Francis’s proposal of integral ecology and how the preferential option for the poor becomes central to his perspective. In addition, this essay explains how Latin American theology and pastoral experience are present in Pope Francis’s thought.     

Aesthetic Truth and Pastoral Theology: A Proposal for a New Method of Reflection and Practice

Pastoral theology needs to clarify its identity as an autonomous theological discipline by developing its own knowledge base, body of research, and practice methods. It needs to broaden its scope to include not only a concern for personal issues, but also larger sociocultural and anthropological ones as well. Additionally, there is a pressing need for moving beyond the confines of traditional methods of correlation. This essay offers a new method for pastoral theological reflection and practice that is grounded in Hans-Georg Gadamer's understanding of aesthetic truth and hermeneutics. It offers a new way of conceptualizing the relationship of pastoral theology to such conversation partners as the Bible and theological tradition, the social sciences, and practical wisdom, demonstrating how these can contribute to the pastoral theological task.     

The Theological Contributions of Bishop K. H. Ting to Christian/Pastoral Counseling

As China enters an era of urbanization and change, mental health issues are increasingly becoming a concern of the Christian church. Pastoral counseling is taking new shape as people of faith respond to those in their midst in need of care. Bishop K. H. Ting, a long-time leader of the Chinese church, has stressed the importance of an indigenous Chinese Christianity. This article is based on an examination of Bishop Ting’s theological writing with the aim of eliciting themes that might be foundational in the construction of inherently Chinese models of pastoral counseling. Based on a survey of his work, six themes emerge with particular importance for pastoral counseling: the Three-Self church, God is Love, the Cosmic Christ, ethical responsibility, theological reconstruction, and religion in society. These themes are explored within their uniquely Chinese context and suggestions for application to the practice of pastoral counseling are discussed. Original publication: Wang, P. (Ed.) (2006). Seeking Truth in Love. Nanjing, China: Nanjing Seminary Press. This essay was originally published in a collection of essays honoring Bishop K. H. Ting on his 90th birthday. Bishop Ting has been the head of the Chinese Protestant church for over five decades and his leadership has profoundly shaped Chinese theology and church life. The purpose of this essay is to explore how his collected theological writings might inform a uniquely Chinese approach to pastoral counseling. This article is published with the permission of the original publisher.     

The unconscious in pastoral psychology: a rabbinic perspective

The present essay reviews the rabbinic theology of person as it has been outlined within the corpus of talmudic and rabbinic literature. Concepts such as libido, id, and superego are located in the rabbinic notions ofyezer harah andyezer tov (evil impulse and good impulse). Sexuality, as a paradigm of the Divine-human encounter, is explored in rabbinic and kabbalistic literature, and a model of transference is analyzed. Furthermore, a comparison is examined between rabbinic exegesis and psychoanalytic interpretation. It is suggested that the pastoral counselor may develop a theologically more authentic orientation to pastoral therapy by reflecting upon its origins in rabbinic thought.     

Intersectionality: A Model for Addressing the Complexity of Oppression and Privilege

This essay proposes that adopting an intersectional theoretical approach amenable to the values and commitments of our field will enhance our efforts as pastoral theologians seeking to analyze, engage, and resist oppression and privilege in response to forms of difference. Intersectionality is a model that effectively addresses complex individual, relational, structural, and ideological aspects of domination and privilege arising from forms of difference treated oppressively. Methodologically, intersectionality pursues emancipatory praxis toward its telos of social justice. This essay introduces key themes in intersectional theory and draws on them to analyze a case. The essay also briefly explores both points of convergence in the literatures of intersectionality and pastoral and practical theology and points to which pastoral and practical literature may add value to intersectional theory.     

The possible connection between “private speech” and prayer

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the psychological origins of prayer through a preliminary examination of certain aspects of social and cognitive development in early childhood. Specifically, it is the thesis of this essay that the phenomenon of “private speech” in early childhood can tell us something about prayer activity as it occurs in older persons. It is not the intention of this essay to present a detailed or complete theology of prayer from the perspective of pastoral theology or pastoral care. This essay is a prolegomena to the future study of the origins of prayer as social communication and personal regulation.     

Told in Memory of God’s People: Beloved

The purpose of this article is to show how Toni Morrison’s novel, Beloved, can be used in pastoral care and counseling courses to encourage the development of empathy and to illustrate themes in the communal contextual and intercultural paradigms emerging in the field of pastoral theology.     

Middlesex: A Pastoral Theological Reading

This article, written for the Group for New Directions in Pastoral Theology’s conference on the theme of “Emotion, Mood, and Temperament,” focuses on Middlesex, a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Jeffrey Eugenides, Professor of Creative Writing in the Lewis Center for the Arts at Princeton University. The novel, set in 20th century America and written as a fictional memoir, is a coming-of-age story of Cal/Calliope, a man with an intersex condition caused by 5-alpha-reductase deficiency. The mission statement of the Intersex Society of North America (ISNA) states that the organization is “devoted to systemic change to end shame, secrecy, and unwanted genital surgeries for people born with an anatomy that someone decided is not standard for male or female.” This essay employs the resources of pastoral theology to assist in the project of ending shame regarding intersex conditions by offering a pastoral theological reading of Middlesex. As such, this essay is an example of the discipline of pastoral theology being employed in the field of medical humanities in particular and the field of clinical humanities more broadly, and it also serves as an example as to how one might offer a pastoral theological reading of a novel.     

History and Method of Charles V. Gerkin’s Pastoral Theology: Toward an Identity-Embodied and Community-Embedded Pastoral Theology,Part I. History

The purpose of this article is to explore the legacy of Charles V. Gerkin’s pastoral theology and to construct a method of pastoral theology. In Part I, I will trace within a larger context of pastoral theology the history of Gerkin’s pastoral theology since his early clinical praxis. In Part II, I will explore his method of developing pastoral theology and construct a renewed critical and constructive method of pastoral theology, reflecting on the implications of exploring the history and method of his pastoral theology.     

The Sayings of Jesus in Family Guy: A Pastoral Reading of “I Dream of Jesus”

This essay offers a pastoral reading of an episode of the cartoon Family Guy. The episode is titled ??I Dream of Jesus.?? In doing so, I explore six sayings of Jesus in this episode, and I identify nine theological themes that are raised by these sayings. On the basis of this pastoral reading of ??I Dream of Jesus,?? I argue that Family Guy can be used as a source for theological reflection, and I suggest, in closing, that the show might be a practical way for combating biblical and theological illiteracy among youth and young adults. This article also contains a table that can be useful for creating Sunday School or youth group lessons based on this episode. It is worth pointing out that this essay was written for the ??Group for New Directions in Pastoral Theology.?? The ??group?? was formed to celebrate the career of Donald Capps on the occasion of his retirement from Princeton Theological Seminary. The theme for the conference this year was the sayings of Jesus. While the choice of focusing on a contemporary cartoon for such an occasion may seem odd or quirky, the author does so to demonstrate the unique freedom that pastoral theologians enjoy with regard to what Robert Dykstra calls ??the acceptable latitude of inquiry?? in pastoral theology. Another way of putting this is to say that both the Apostle Peter and the animated Peter can serve as resources for theological reflection.     

History and Method of Charles V. Gerkin’s Pastoral Theology: Toward an Identity-Embodied and Community-Embedded Pastoral Theology,Part II. Method

The purpose of this article is to explore the legacy of Charles V. Gerkin’s pastoral theology and to construct a method of pastoral theology. In Part I, I will trace within a larger context of pastoral theology the history of Gerkin’s pastoral theology since his early clinical praxis. In Part II, I will explore his method of developing pastoral theology and construct a renewed critical and constructive method of pastoral theology, reflecting on the implications of exploring the history and method of his pastoral theology.     

What Makes Care Pastoral?

This essay argues for including two principal foci in both research and practice within pastoral theology. These foci include the care of souls (soul care) and care offered against the backdrop of “the Christian story.” The distinctiveness of pastoral care, as compared with other types of care, is also discussed.     

THE RECEPTION OF DIONYSIUS IN TWENTIETH‐CENTURY EASTERN ORTHODOXY

This essay surveys diverse interpretations of the CD by twentieth‐century Eastern Orthodox theologians. This essay argues that the evaluation of Dionysius' contribution crucially depends upon the master narrative within which the CD is considered. For example, for Vladimir Lossky, Dionysius' apophaticism was the “dogmatic ground” of Byzantine mystical theology, whereas according to John Meyendorff, Dionysius' theology was in need of a “Christological corrective” later provided in the theologies of Maximus the Confessor and Gregory Palamas. The points of contact and contrast between Dionysian mystical theology and Russian sophiology are also discussed. Finally, this essay argues that modern Orthodox readings of the CD are characterized by a profound irony: while they are in various degrees indebted to the Western intellectual tradition (as, for example, Christos Yannaras is to Heidegger), Orthodox theologians often use Dionysius to forge an anti‐Western Orthodox theological identity.     

Personal wholeness and political creativity: The theology of liberation and pastoral care

The writer questions whether it is legitimate to take the institutional, ecclesiastical, and ecclesiological settings of pastoral care as a starting point for understanding it. He responds negatively since the struggle for liberation is a social, economic, and political one and mental distress reflects the individual's relation to this world. Thus the relation between the institutional church and the sociopolitical realities is ambiguous and it sometimes obscures the conflict between the rich and the poor, the powerless and the powerful, and so on. There follows an analysis of the institutional setting of pastoral care as it functions to mediate grace, provide interpretations, and give moral advice, with an attempt to discern to whom this care is offered. Several observations are made on the ways a theology of liberation might delineate the problems of pastoral care. The area must be understood politically as communal creative activity, aiming, in the midst of shared suffering, to transfigure the world.He is an acknowledged spokesman for the theology of liberation and has publishedA Theology of Human Hope andTomorrow's Child (Harper, 1972).     

A Review of Emmanuel Y. Lartey’s Postcolonializing God: An African Practical Theology

This review of pastoral and practical theologian Dr. Emmanuel Lartey’s 2013 Postcolonializing God: An African Practical Theology summarizes the book’s specific contribution to African pastoral and practical theology as well as to the broader fields of pastoral and practical theology. The reviewer outlines Lartey’s three movements of reversal, recovery, and transcendence intertwined in the active process of postcolonializing. She raises questions about developmental theories of postcolonial change and commends Lartey for locating postcolonializing in pastoral practice rather than developmental achievement.     

Spirit and self

This article is the second in a series of two on the topic of Christian anthropology as it relates to pastoral theology. In this article I shall continue to try to address some fundamental issues in the development of a Christian anthropology in a manner which is consistent with, and grows out of, the bedrock of the Christian tradition about human beings, and, when correlated with some modern reflections on the nature of the self, can prove useful in providing a relatively consistent theory of human life for pastoral care and counseling and other aspects of practical theology. First, a conception of spirit will be presented, as representing a central motif of the Christian tradition's understanding of human beings. This conception of spirit will then be discussed in relation to a conception of self which was developed in the first essay, The Self, Its Vicissitudes and Possibilities: An Essay in Theological Anthropology, published inPastoral Psychology (Lapsley, 1986).     

Expanding the Psychological Imagination in Pastoral Theology: Using Novels to Better Understand Underrepresented Persons and Groups

This essay argues for the effectiveness of using novels to develop a more sophisticated pastoral imagination by discussing the unique contributions the novel can make to pastoral care and using Toni Morrison’s (1998) novel Paradise to demonstrate the power of the novel to expand the author’s own pastoral imagination. Themes the novel raises include the contextual nature of human experience; the value of cultural theories for deeper and more penetrating analyses of human experience than those provided by psychological theories alone; and the resources available among victims of oppression and abuse for communal healing. The essay concludes with a discussion of the lessons that novels and, in particular, Morrison’s Paradise, have to teach pastoral theologians.     

Explorations in the Aesthetic Pastoral Theology of Donald E. Capps

This paper will examine the curative effects of art and the reorienting perspective of poetry in the aesthetic pastoral theology of Donald E. Capps by exploring two key volumes, The Poet’s Gift and At Home in the World. The paper identifies some of the key contributions of Capps’s exploration of art and poetry including the recovery of perception, the advancement of reframing perspective, the notion of embodied pastoral conversation and the roots of religious sensibility. The therapeutic effect of the imaginative aesthetic pastoral theology in these two volumes is further developed by integrating three corollary themes in Capps’s particular orientation to pastoral theology, namely hope, freedom and authenticity.