David M. Moss

Medical resistance, crisis ministry, and terminal illness

The pastoral curricula of Americas most prominent divinity schools and seminaries emphasize a need for holistic ministry. A systems approach using interprofessional contact is being underscored, particularly in crisis situations (e.g., alcoholism, acute marital disharmony, and abortion counseling for the unwed). A primary area where this tenor is evidenced is in ministry to the terminally ill. It is frequently contended that the most effective pastoral care in these instances involves a mutual co-operation between physicians, pastors or institutional chaplains, and, at times, trust attorneys. Their work should be synchronized so that the probability of the terminal patients acceptance of death is increased.1 It is a safe generalization to say that nearly all ? if not everyone?fears death or dying at some time. However, not all people are exposed to the complexities of biological change on a daily basis, at least not in the way members of the medical profession are. This exposure, coupled with the common sensitivity to death most of us are conscious of when we choose to be, places the physician in a potentially vulnerable position when a patient becomes terminally ill. Often such illnesses provoke physicians and nurses to resist psychologically thoughts

Cultic Observations—Responses to J. P. Healy's “Involvement in a New Religious Movement”

The current public image of cults continues to be a product of media presentations from the last century, namely the Jonestown mass murder-suicide in Guyana and the Branch Davidian siege in Waco. Explanations of these tragic events often rely on a brainwashing model of coercive persuasion. Although this perspective lacks credibility as well as scientific support, it still persists in the conceptualizations of non traditional religious movements. J. P. Healys paper on Muktahandras Siddha Yoga attempts to clarify this general misconception and show how new religious movements do not necessarily breed psychopathology in any form. Because of my clinical experience in this area and my position as an editorial consultant for this journal, a host of associations grew out of my review of an earlier draft of Dr. Haleys research. With all due respects to the scope of his work, I have limited my responses to three general areas: prolonged adolescence; a theology of Providence; and the elementary ingredients of organized religion.

Nietzche’s Echo—A Dialogue with Thomas Altizer

Prophets provoke psychological unrest, especially when exposing accepted beliefs as profound deceptions. The biblical prophets exemplify such confrontation as do certain atheists ardently opposed to the images of God created by those seers. The German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche dramatically illustrates this type of counterforce to the Judeo-Christian tradition. His prophet Zarathustra is intended to be a model for the modern mind, one free of superstitions inflicted by antiquated religious dogma. Nietzsche’s credo “God is dead” served as a declaration for the nineteenth century. In the twentieth century, it became a theological diagnosis. As a “movement,” or “tenor,” the death of God or radical theology was spearheaded by Thomas Altizer, a well-published young professor center-staged during the turbulent 1960s. His work foreshadows a new strain of atheism currently represented by biologist Richard Dawkins (2006, The God delusion. New York: Houghton Mifflin), philosopher Daniel Dennett (2006, Breaking the spell. New York: Penquin), neuroscientist Sam Harris (2004, The end of faith. New York: W.W. Norton; 2008, Letter to a Christian nation. New York: Vintage), journalist Christopher Hitchens (2007, God is not great. New York: Twelve), and mathematician John Allen Paulos (Paulos 2008, Irreligion. New York: Hill & Wang). This twenty-first century crusade against belief in God is best understood as a psychodynamic ignited by Altizer’s Christian atheism. The present dialogue reflects that dynamic while the prologue and epilogue reveal evidence of Providence amidst claims of God’s demise in contemporary history.

Reviews: Books, Theater, and Painting

JUNG AND THE POSTMODERN: THE INTERPRETATION OF REALITIES. By Christopher Hauke. 304 pp. London & Philadelphia: Routledge, 2000. THE FASHIONING OF ANGELS: PARTNERSHIP AS SPIRITUAL PRACTICE. By Stephen and Robin Larsen. pp. Chrysalis Books, 2000,

Pastoral psychotherapy, the fee-for-service model, and professional identity.

19.95. CHILDREN IN THERAPY: USING THE FAMILY AS A RESOURCE. Edited by C. Everett Bailey. 529 pp. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2000.

Parochial ministry, the Episcopal Church, and alcoholism

45.00. THE PSYCHOLOGY OF RELIGION AND COPING: THEORY, RESEARCH, PRACTICE. By Kenneth I. Pargament. New York: Guilford Press, 1997.

The Priest’s Husband

50.00. SOUL WILDERNESS: A DESERT SPIRITUALITY. By Kerry Walters. 153pp. New York/Mahwah, N.J.: Paulist Press, 2001.

The Printed Pulpit: On Harry C. Meserve

12.95. SOUL MAKING: THE DESERT WAY OF SPIRITUALITY. By Alan Jones. 215 pp. San Francisco: HarperCollins, 1985.

Epitaph: Carroll alonzo wise, symbol of pastoral care

16.00. Theater: Words of Albert Schweitzer and the Music of Bach. Painting: Vermeer and the Delft School