The rise of charm as a virtue:Don Giovanni as its vehicle,and some implications for theological anthropology

The relative lack of positive content in contemporary theological anthropology, as seen in the works of Farley and Pannenberg, is related to a decline in the culture's valuing of traditional virtues. The rise of charm as a replacement pseudovirtue is traced through a historical and psychological analysis of a longrunning work of presentational art, the Mozart/Da Ponte opera Don Giovanni, and the reactions of audiences to it. Ambiguities of charm are discussed with the aid of a psychoanalytic perspective.     

Vengeance: The Half Hidden Pillager of Our Lives

Vengeance is presented as a destructive, deeply rooted, human tendency to punish without limit those who arouse the sense of injustice. Retribution is distinguished from it principally by being measured out in proportion to the wrong felt, though the two are often fused in individual and corporate life. Vengeance is viewed as rooted in infantile mourning for the felt loss of the mothering figure, but significantly developed through experiences of shame. Retribution, sometimes not distinguished from vengeance, is defended by some sophisticated ethical and legal theorists. Christianity has had a mitigating effect upon vengeance, but further remedies need to be found. Symbolic acts of public reparation at monuments may be one such remedy.     

Pastoral counseling centers: Mid-century phenomenon

Summary The movement as a whole has been pictured as a diverse one embracing many administrative patterns with a common purpose of offering help to persons with problems through counseling. Centers in which clergymen do all the counseling, though with the benefit of psychiatric consultation, and having some kind of relationship to a church or church related institution represent the dominant pattern. Centers with interprofessional staffs including ministers, though few in number, have a significant impact on the movement as a whole through their training programs. Centers that are unrelated to any church comprise a significant minority of the centers, and church related centers staffed by professionals other than the clergy are the least prevalent. Though there appears to be some uniformity among the centers in regard to the kind of counseling done, they are sharply divided on the questions of fees, referral, and attitude toward church and community relations.     

Reviews of current books

Pastoral Psychology -     

The clergy as advocates for the severely demented

The author sets forth the argument that pastoral caregivers ought to consider expanding their traditional role of ministering to dementia patients by pressing the issue of whether appropriate medication might significantly lessen the suffering of these persons. After discussing and documenting the current understanding regarding the nature of pain, the author outlines several advocacy, ethical, and procedural issues that could be included in providing pastoral care to this population, at the same time not miminizing more traditional faith-based activities.