The court house chaplaincy—a project in collaboration

Summary This paper describes a Court House Chaplaincy Program in which Clinical Pastoral Education trainees and local clergymen were assigned to regular voluntary assignment as chaplains of the Harvey County Court House. Worked out in coordination with the Newton Ministerial Alliance and the commissioners of Harvey County, the project served court house clients, staff, and pastors as well. The paper describes a model for community collaboration that could be operated in many settings. In this plan, the mental health center clergyman joins with other clergymen in the community in a task that is directed toward the community's whole good and not specifically a project operated by the mental health center. The importance of careful preparation, of political negotiations, of responsible supervision, and clarity regarding the issues of funding are also illustrated.     

Psychological and theological dynamics in an inpatient psychiatric chaplaincy group

This article describes the structure and goals of chaplaincy groups in an inpatient psychiatric setting. The article also explores their therapeutic benefits for patients and offers a theological framework for thinking about the conversations that unfolded in these groups. The article focuses in particular on the value of discussion and reflection in a group setting, the significance of receiving and answering questions, and the experience of participating in a simple ritual to name hopes.     

推动世界性的科学探索和世俗人文主义的一次盛会——记“科学探索与人类福祉”国际研讨会

2007年10月13～15日,由中国科普研究所、中国无神论学会等单位与国际探索中心联合,在北京友谊宾馆召开了"科学探索与人类福祉"国际研讨会。会议主题是"提升科学精神,建设和谐社     

Nurturing spirituality in secular classrooms

Since 1999 the New Zealand secular school curriculum has included a statement on fostering children's spirituality in classrooms. This statement defines spirituality in a broad fashion and includes reference to Maori (indigenous New Zealander) views on spirituality. The implications of this for classroom teachers have not been researched in this country and therefore this paper reports on a study that examined teachers' views on spirituality and the implications for the children they teach. The methodology focused on the experiences of nine teachers in two multicultural secular primary schools. The classroom experiences of a spiritual nature that the teachers recounted, while many and varied, revealed some common themes that related to the climate of the classrooms. Such classrooms were characterized as being non-judgemental and non-self-conscious and as places where a community of spiritual discourse was encouraged and where deeply meaningful activities and events occurred. The findings suggest that while teachers cannot plan and predict precisely what will foster spirituality in classrooms, teachers can cultivate a climate that enhances children's spirituality.     

The unfriendly agora and secular hypocrisy

This article seeks to commend Professor Trigg on his exposure of the warped thinking and policy‐making concerning religious life and its institutions in the United Kingdom and elsewhere. However, it challenges the view that the problems he has identified are best linked to deep philosophical and metaphysical positions (e.g. relativism, non‐realism and the subjectivity of values). Instead it invites a more piecemeal philosophical approach and supports the call to participate in the agora of discussion and policy‐making despite the secular hostility.     

Reintegrative counseling: Reversing secular dissociation

The argument is made that counseling emphasizes the unique elements in each individual and thus differs from medicine, which seeks generalizations. By analogy to secularization of classic Greek religious drama, which did not result from any known social imperative, it is suggested that the fragmentation of modern man may have occurred unintentionally and is therefore a reversible process. The role of the counselor is to catalyze the reintegration of the intellectual, emotional, and spiritual components through a close subjective identification with the client.     

开创替代宗教的世俗人文主义之路

有两个问题常常被人们提及。第一个是为什么宗教可以持续至今?第二个是我们是否可以创造出世俗人文的替代品。对于为什么宗教可以一直延续这个问题,众说纷纭。     

The minister can use the secular contribution

Pastoral Psychology -     

架起中国无神论者与世界世俗人文主义者之桥

2007年10月12日,在北京友谊宾馆,中国无神论学会专家一行5人,在科学探索与人类福祉国际研讨会前夕,拜会了国际探索中心主席、