Short description
This book is an edited volume of works that have predominated over the past several decades in contemporary pastoral theology. Through the writings of nineteen leading voices in the history of pastoral care, Dykstra shows how each contributor developed a metaphor for understanding pastoral care.
Long description
This book is an edited volume of works that have predominated over the past several decades in contemporary pastoral theology. Through the writings of nineteen leading voices in the history of pastoral care, Dykstra shows how each contributor developed a metaphor for understanding pastoral care. Such metaphors include the solicitous shepherd, the wounded healer, the intimate stranger, the midwife, and other tangible images. Through these works, the reader gains a sense of the varied identities of pastoral care professionals, their struggles for recognition in this often controversial field, and insight into the history of the disciple. Images of Pastoral Care includes readings by Anton Boisen, Alastair Campbell, Donald Capps, James Dittes, Robert Dykstra, Heije Faber, Charles Gerkin, Brita Gill-Austern, Karen Hanson, Seward Hiltner, Margaret Zipse Kornfeld, Bonnie Miller-McLemore, Jeanne Stevenson Moessner, Henri Nouwen, Gaylord Noyce, Paul Pruyser, and Edward Wimberly.
Review
Robert Dykstra's reading of the pastoral theological tradition is masterful. This book is at once a history of the field, woven together around living illustrations of key moments and metaphors, and a fresh conceptualization. Its three-part grouping of classical, paradoxical, and contemporary/contextual 'images of care, ' its well-chosen and carefully edited excerpts of each image, and its wisely crafted introductory remarks make this a real gold mine. Seldom does one find a book that is so useful both for ministers desiring a basic introduction to pastoral care and doctoral students seeking a sophisticated understanding of the field. We are indebted to Dykstra for this multifaceted contribution.