Seeing Things Differently and Not Being Looked At

Three traits inform a pastoral theological hermeneutic. These include: interpreting “the living human web”; relying upon the unique location and nature of pastoral theological imagination; and embodying the power that comes with knowledge and the discernment of meaning. These traits often lead to pastoral theologians seeing things in a different light than colleagues in other theological disciplines, while often holding comparatively less power or influence in the academy. The image of the pastoral theologian as hermeneutical juggler is identified to complement existing metaphors that can inform the identity and hermeneutic of a pastoral theologian.