Growth counseling: A dialogue with Howard Clinebell

This interview describes an emerging tenor in pastoral psychology, growth counseling. Philosophically cultivated by the Human Potentials Movement, this school of counseling has genetic components in biblical theology, as well as intrapsychic and interpersonal psychotherapy. Church-related issues are also linked, especially crisis intervention models for the laity and the pastoral counselor's unique vantage for ministry. In addition to these characteristics, the dialogue underscores two other concerns many health care professionals share: (1) a deemphasis of psychopathology via a renewed emphasis of the human growth drive; and (2) the therapeutic complementarity of affirmation vis-à-vis empathic confrontation.He is also Research Chairman of the American Association of Pastoral Counselors' Southeast Region, as well as Book Review Editor for thisJournal.     

Pastoral care and miscarriage: A ministry long neglected

Ministers often are estranged from the loss experience of women who miscarry. This paper gives medical information about such spontaneous abortions, describes several factors that shape the woman's experience, and explores possible pastoral response.Swanee Hunt is a candidate for Th.D. in pastoral care and counseling at Iliff School of Theology, Denver, Colorado. She is part of an ecumenical ministry team that serves both a Presbyterian church community and a Catholic church community.     

Phenomenology and dialogue: A methodological consideration

Dialogue between religions, if it is to advance beyond polite posturing and into the arena whereby mutual mis‐perceptions are corrected and old dogmas transcended, requires a particular framework for discourse, a language that belongs to neither religion in isolation but to both in the context of the dialogical encounter. With the specifics of Christian‐Muslim dialogue in mind this paper asks the question: What methodological tools are required such that dialogical engagement may take place at the conceptual and ideological level? We argue that the theological dimension of dialogue requires the particular tools of the phenomenologist of religion; indeed that the path to a dialogue that seeks to address the deep and thorny issues requires, in fact, the complementary methodologies of the theological and phenomenological approaches. To this end, the matter of defining the term ‘religion’ is addressed, various approaches to the study of religion are noted, and the phenomenological method outlined and discussed.     

A relational theory of ministry

The many forms that the practice of ministry assumes raise the question whether there is any central purpose or principle that serves as a valid criterion of authentic ministry. The work of the minister is here seen as interpersonal in character (either immediately or ultimately) and the heart of this interpersonal relation is the agapic ideal of reconciling love, the purpose of which is to overcome one's estrangement from himself, his neighbor, and from God.This article is a slightly revised form of his Retirement Address. He now resides at 33 Thrasher Road, Cape Elizabeth, Maine 04107.     

Values interpretation: A new model for hospital ministry

The importance of values in clinical settings is a topic of increasing discussion in the medical literature, but the nature of values and the process of interpreting them have received little attention. The hospital chaplain or religious professional is an underused resource in addressing values issues. This paper summarizes the current models of the hospital chaplaincy in historical context, and then develops a new model drawn from the disciplines of pastoral care and clinical medical ethics in order to address problems involving values in clinical settings. The model construes the chaplain as values interpreter who provides both consultation and liaison functions in clinical situations. We present a clinical case to illustrate the role of the values interpreter. We conclude that the religious professional can make an important contribution to both clinical decision making and medical education through such a model.The authors thank Don S. Browning, Ph.D., and Thomas H. Jobe, M.D., for their critical readings of earlier versions of this paper.     

A metaphilosophical dialogue

Three philosophical attitudes in dialogue are suggested in answering the question posed by the Journal. An inviting, First Inner Voice undeerstands philosophy as a shareable theoretical task that can be explained and understood even across distant philosophical paradigms. A Second Inner Voice, sometimes termed in the dialogue as sceptic, distrusts any metaphilosophical definition of what philosophy is and what it should do, but would, nevertheless, aspire to retain a certain universalistic understanding of its own work, though it cannot be strongly and conceptualy rendered. A Third Inner Voice, regarded in the text as somewhat Hegelian, insists in the unavoidability of strong philosophical definitions both in historical and in conceptual terms. No proposal or conclusion is forwarded regarding what should be done in contemporary philosophy, though an analysis of harm experiences is taken as an example of philosophical work     

The church's ministry to singles: A family model

The authors provide a theoretical introduction for the church's ministry to singles by reviewing the family therapy literature as it pertains to familial disengagement or enmeshment and interpersonal mutuality or isolation. Belongingness based on consanguinity must eventually be replaced by belongingness rooted in consensuality or commitment. The single person must seek such commitment outside the institution of marriage. The church can offer belongingness through establishing parity, de-emphasizing segregation, promoting inclusion, and practicing community.     

Computer dialogue system (CDS): A system for capturing computer-mediated dialogue

In the process of studying human tutoring sessions as a basis for building an intelligent tutoring system, we developed a computer dialogue system (CDS) that allows two PC users to communicate with each other over a telephone line by typing at a computer keyboard. CDS records the content of dialogue on a disk in a specified, well-formatted way. It also makes available a way to mimic some of the characteristics of face-to-face dialogue such as repair. It was developed in the Smartcom III (Hayes Communication package) environment. Thus, it is fast, portable, and easy to use. In addition, to help us study the recorded dialogues, we have also written a numbering program to label each turn and each sentence within each turn. Although CDS was originally designed for the study of tutorial dialogues between students and teachers, it can be used to conduct and record dialogues of any kind.