Search Results (124)

This article proposes Migratory Theology as a framework that emerges from the lived experience of displacement and reconfigures how ecclesial life is understood. Drawing on twelve qualitative interviews conducted with migrant women engaged in catechetical and pastoral ministry in Southern California, as well as on practices of pastoral accompaniment, the study argues that migration is not merely a social phenomenon but a constitutive epistemological condition through which faith and belonging are reinterpreted. By placing these experiences in dialogue with biblical narratives—particularly the Book of Ruth—and with the itinerant character of early Christianity, the article shows that migrant communities generate relational forms of ecclesial life that extend beyond territorial structures. Migrant women emerge not only as agents of pastoral care, but as epistemological subjects whose lived experiences generate theological insight concerning belonging, accompaniment, and ecclesial identity. The study concludes that migration reveals dimensions of ecclesial life that have long been present but insufficiently recognized, offering a reconfiguration of ecclesiology in which the Church is understood as a relational communion continually formed through movement, vulnerability, and reconstructed belonging. Full article

This article examines the challenges and directions involved in the renewal of the pastoral care of marriage in the teaching of Pope Francis. The analysis is grounded in key ecclesial documents, particularly the apostolic exhortation Amoris Laetitia and the document issued by the Dicastery of Laity, Family and Life entitled Catechumenal Pathways for Married Life: Pastoral Guidelines for Local Churches. On this basis, the study identifies three principal dimensions of pastoral renewal: interconnectedness, synodality, and continuity. The article combines theological reflection with the findings of empirical research conducted among married couples, thereby enabling an assessment of the reception and practical implementation of these pastoral proposals. The results highlight the particular importance of systematic formation, the active involvement of spouses, and the development of community-based initiatives, while structural solutions are perceived as comparatively less significant. The analysis ultimately demonstrates that the renewal of the pastoral care of marriage should adopt a comprehensive approach that integrates formative, communal, and institutional dimensions, while giving clear priority to initiatives rooted in the everyday lived experience of married couples. Full article

Paul’s letters emerged in response to concrete community crises. Beyond theological concerns and pastoral care, they document the leadership practice of the Apostle to the Nations. Scholars have addressed this topic before, yet a systematic comparative analysis spanning the full corpus of undisputed letters and employing a formal methodological protocol has been missing. This article fills that gap. It applies Heifetz’s Adaptive Leadership Theory (1994) to six undisputed letters: 1 Thessalonians, 1–2 Corinthians, Galatians, Philippians, and Philemon. The analysis employs a three-step emic/etic protocol. The protocol formalizes the translation between ancient Pauline categories and contemporary leadership constructs and guards against anachronism. The analysis reveals a coherent pattern. The selection of distress regulation, holding environment, conflict orchestration, and work-transfer constructs depends systematically on a community’s adaptive maturity and the nature of its challenge. Less mature communities receive relational and sustaining strategies. Mature communities threatened by defection face conflict escalation and maximum work transfer. The article proposes the first formal emic/etic protocol for applying adaptive leadership theory to Pauline letters. It also provides the first systematic cross-letter analysis of this kind. The findings carry methodological implications for the broader application of contemporary leadership theories to ancient religious texts. Full article

Conflicts over natural resources reveal the inseparability of issues such as ecological degradation, structural injustice, human dignity, and peace. This article examines the Catholic Church’s pastoral role in such conflicts through the case study of Juan Antonio López, a Honduran lay Catholic leader, environmental defender, and Delegate of the Word who was killed in September 2024 after years of advocacy against extractive projects threatening local communities and water sources. Drawing on political ecology, development theory, biblical reflection, and Catholic Social Teaching, the article argues that conflicts over natural resources cannot be adequately addressed through legal, economic, or institutional frameworks alone. They also require moral, cultural, and pastoral responses capable of sustaining communities in their pursuit of justice and peace. First, the biblical narratives of disputes over wells in Genesis illuminate both the necessity and fragility of legal agreements when fear, domination, and unequal power shape access to life-sustaining resources. Then, in dialogue with the Church’s social magisterium, especially the tradition of integral human development, the article claims that the Church’s distinctive contribution lies in pastoral accompaniment: walking with vulnerable communities, defending the common good, encouraging the development of just societies by raising just individuals, denouncing structures of injustice, and finally witnessing to a just peace rooted in human dignity, fraternity, and care for creation. Full article

Despite common Pentecostal rhetoric positioning divine healing as normative and imminent, it remains rare, unpredictable, and temporary. This disconnect creates substantial pastoral and psychological challenges for Pentecostals experiencing chronic disease. Drawing on Pentecostal history, theology, and Pargament’s psychology of religion and coping, this paper employs practical theology to investigate contemporary Australian healing praxis. 17 pastoral caregivers and 8 care receivers experiencing chronic diseases were interviewed to contrast expectations and actual experiences of healing ministry. The findings reveal that, even when healing does not manifest, caregivers maintain high healing expectations founded on atonement theology and faith-motivated prayer, and their praxis tends to blame recipients for insufficient faith or unconfessed sin, appeals to God’s mysterious sovereignty, and resists re-evaluation. Using Pargament’s means-and-ends model, the analysis demonstrates that inflexible praxis hindered coping, creating guilt, self-doubt, and religious trauma. While caregivers demonstrated genuine concern and practical support, care receivers felt pressured to hide ongoing struggles and privately developed acceptance strategies. Disconnectedly, caregivers remain confused by the expectation-experience gap while receivers quietly embrace suffering as God’s will. This paper invites Pentecostals toward greater self-awareness, recommending reforms: recognising faith and suffering as compatible, honest acknowledgment of healing rarity, expanded engagement with coping resources, and person-centred care. Full article

This article contends that Western philosophical traditions and Abrahamic spiritualities, while different, are entangled in the sense that together they represent distinct discursive performative epistemologies regarding how individuals inhabit the world. More specifically, what they share are social imaginaries that are founded on epistemologies of deficiency that radically separate human beings from other species and the Earth. It is argued further that these epistemologies are implicated in Western subjects’ instrumental, reifying, and exploitative dispositions and behaviors toward other species and the Earth, which the climate crisis makes apparent. Psychoanalysis can provide reasons for the emergence of these social imaginaries and their attendant resistance to changing how we dwell with other species and the Earth. In psychoanalytic parlance, epistemologies of deficiency entail projecting onto other species existential impermanence, which accompanies weak dissociation that assuages anxiety and fear regarding the impermanence of ourselves and our significations. Once persons become aware of this, they are ideally faced with deciding whether to take accountability and to change. Quantum physics/philosophy can provide a corrective lens for both psychoanalysis and Western spiritualities—a lens that accompanies more capacious epistemologies that invite ecologically inclusive, caring, and ethical ways of inhabiting a biodiverse world upon which matter–life–consciousness depend. Full article

Background: The role of religion and faith-based organisations in public health is increasingly examined through the framework of religious health assets (RHAs), defined as resources located in or held by religious entities that may be mobilised for health and development. Within this framework, church health assets (CHAs) are conceptualised as congregationally specific expressions of RHAs, namely, the tangible and intangible resources recognised within local church settings and interpreted by church leaders as relevant to adolescent and youth sexual and reproductive health (AYSRH). Despite growing interest, there remains limited empirical work examining how such assets are perceived in relation to young people’s sexual and reproductive health, particularly from an emic perspective in sub-Saharan Africa. Aim: This study explored how pastors in South Africa’s Vaal Triangle perceive church assets relevant to AYSRH. Methods: The article presents findings from a qualitative study based on in-depth semi-structured interviews with eleven purposively selected pastors from Vanderbijlpark, Vereeniging, and Sasolburg. Data were collected between August 2019 and February 2020, prior to the COVID-19 restrictions that later altered face-to-face engagement in South Africa. Data were analysed using thematic content analysis informed by interpretive description, employing iterative coding, constant comparison, memoing, and a clearly defined audit trail. Results: The findings identified ten perceived CHAs, comprising five tangible assets, interaction spaces, community resources, normative teaching materials, networks and partnerships, and financial resources—and five intangible assets—reputation, voice on sexuality, mission and vision, a ready audience, and embodied messages. Across these themes, pastors predominantly framed AYSRH in moral and pedagogical terms, emphasising abstinence, guidance, and restoration, rather than a broader continuum encompassing information, prevention, care, rights, and service access. Conclusions: The study concludes that pastors perceive churches to possess substantial AYSRH-related assets; however, the analysis reflects perceptions rather than demonstrated implementation or measurable impact. The findings highlight both potential and limitation, indicating that the same assets may function as facilitators or barriers depending on their interpretation and application. The study contributes a pastor-centred, emic account of CHAs within a South African context and underscores the need for future multi-stakeholder research to assess how faith-sensitive AYSRH interventions operate in practice. Full article

This conceptual and spiritual autoethnographic essay proposes tendering masculinities as a framework for late-life formation that moves men from performance to presence and from control to communion. Drawing on Jungian alchemy (nigredo, albedo, rubedo) and the movements of decolonizing, queering, and befriending, the piece integrates fieldnotes with theological and depth-psychological reflection to articulate three interwoven practices for elderhood: imperfection as belonging, brokenness as illumination, and holding opposites without hardening. The argument reframes masculine strength as reliable, relational tenderness expressed through micro-practices such as grief literacy, “weaponless speech,” soul friendship (anam cara), and collaborative mentorship within families and intergenerational relationships. Implications are offered for chaplaincy, pastoral counseling, spiritual direction, men’s groups, social work, and family or community contexts, with guidance on designing rituals of lament, contemplative listening, and communities of “steady tenderness.” By bridging depth psychology, poetic theology, and lived practice, the essay suggests that tendered masculinities can help families and relational systems cultivate stronger spiritual resilience, counter patterns of domination or disconnection, and contribute to communal healing. Limitations of single-author autoethnography and pathways for applied, practice-based research are noted. Full article

Mountain pastoralism in the Pyrenees has undergone significant transformations in recent decades due to socioeconomic change, rural depopulation, and the adoption of new technologies. This study assesses the current status and management dynamics of mountain pastures in the Jacetania region, Spanish Western Pyrenees, focusing on land tenure, demographic trends, livestock management, and the integration of digital tools. Data were collected through a structured online questionnaire addressed to sheep farmers using high-altitude communal pastures (puertos). Results showed that communal grazing systems persist, seasonal transhumance remains a voluntary and culturally significant practice, and technologies such as GPS tracking are increasingly used to enhance flock management efficiency. Key challenges include predation by large carnivores, limited infrastructure, and high grazing costs, which may affect long-term sustainability. Our findings highlight the potential of technology to mitigate socioeconomic pressures and support generational renewal, while emphasizing that maintaining resilient and sustainable mountain pastoral systems requires a careful balance between traditional practices and innovation. This study provides insights for policymakers and stakeholders aiming to ensure the ecological, cultural, and economic sustainability of high-altitude pastoralism. Full article

Spiritually integrated group therapy aims to support coping, meaning-making, and existential recovery in patients receiving psychiatric care. SPIRIT (Spiritual Psychotherapy for Inpatient, Residential and Intensive Treatment) is a structured, flexible protocol implementing this approach into intensive or residential settings. This study examines (1) the impact of SPIRIT on patients’ lives and (2) their needs in terms of aftercare to determine whether and how its benefits can be sustained long term. Data were collected from multiple sources: patient evaluation forms (n = 118); in-depth interviews with patients (n = 19) and caregivers providing the therapy (n = 8); and two focus groups with both caregivers and patients. Transcripts were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Results indicate that for most participants, the therapy positively impacted their lives through increased awareness or behavioral change, highlighting the relevance of maintaining these insights after group therapy, either at home or within the treatment setting. We recommend broader training of mental health professionals, and the introduction of programs like these to the entire care team to ensure awareness and support. A ‘dual motor model’ is proposed. Addressing religious, spiritual, and meaning-related themes in ongoing therapy and the psychosocial and pastoral support network can support recovery both by reducing symptoms and by fostering a health-promoting context. Full article

Background: Local networks between General Practitioners (GPs) and Parish Ministers (PMs) have been piloted in Denmark to address the lack of collaboration between the two groups in order to strengthen existential and spiritual support in primary care. Evidence on how such collaborations are experienced by practitioners is limited. Aim: The objective was to explore the experience of GPs and PMs participating in locally established interdisciplinary networks. Design and Methods: Within a Ricoeur-inspired phenomenological hermeneutical framework, we conducted five focus group interviews with five GPs and nine PMs from four Danish localities engaged in a step-by-step, participant-validated networking manual. Data was analyzed using a three-level process, including naïve reading, structural analysis, and critical interpretation and discussion. Results: Participants described the collaboration as an educational, relationship-building process that required time and trust. Four themes emerged: (1) sharpening professional identity (GPs reframed limits of “fixing,” and PMs broadened pastoral scope); (2) building relationships (mutual prejudices surfaced and were dismantled; in-person meetings were pivotal); (3) serving the patient’s perspective better (PMs offered a non-clinical space for existential issues; early patient involvement energized groups); and (4) envisioning PMs’ role in primary care (promise of complementarity vs. value of remaining outside formal health system documentation). Conclusions: Locally grown GP–PM networks can reframe practice for both professions and open a pragmatic pathway for addressing patients’ existential concerns. Relationship-building and early, appropriate patient inclusion appear central to momentum. Further research should examine patient outcomes and feasible models for collaboration that preserve confidentiality and role clarity. Full article

This study examined how Protestant theological orientation and marginalized social identity influence attitudes toward Christian denominations and religion more broadly. We tried to test whether greater theological openness predicts more affirming attitudes and whether marginalized identity moderates this relationship. A total of 479 adults completed measures of Protestant Theological Orientation (PTS), Attitudes Toward Denominations (ATD), Attitudes Toward Religion (ATR), Defensive Theology (DTS), and Attachment to God (AGI). Regression and MANOVA analyses tested hypotheses regarding the predictive roles of theology and marginalization (non-cisgender and/or non-heterosexual status). Contrary to expectations, higher biblical literalism (higher PTS scores) predicted stronger affirming attitudes toward both denominations and religion overall. Marginalized participants expressed significantly lower ATD scores but did not differ in ATR. Interaction analyses revealed that marginalized status moderated the relationship between theology and denominational attitudes, suggesting that literalism was especially affirming for marginalized participants. Marginalized individuals also reported higher defensive theology and greater attachment anxiety toward God. Findings challenge assumptions that theological openness fosters affirmation, instead showing that biblical literalism predicts more positive denominational and religious attitudes, particularly among marginalized groups. Results show the complex interplay of theology, social identity, and spiritual resilience, with implications for counseling, pastoral care, and interfaith engagement. Full article

This qualitative single-case study examines how spirituality promotes mental health within a stigmatized occupation by analyzing an in-depth interview with “Perla,” a 62-year-old Mexican woman with decades of experience in sex work. Guided by Virginia Satir’s Transformational Systemic Therapy (STST), specifically the Self-Mandala and Iceberg Metaphor, we conceptualize spirituality as a universal human dimension of meaning, moral orientation, and relational connection that may be expressed within or beyond formal religion. Narrative thematic analysis identifies processes through which Perla cultivates congruence (alignment of inner experience and outward conduct), safeguards dignity, and sustains hope amid systemic constraints. Her Catholic practices (prayer, ritual boundaries regarding Eucharist) coexist with a broader spiritual agency that supports self-worth, emotional regulation, boundary-setting, and coherent identity, factors associated with mental well-being. Interdisciplinary implications bridge marriage and family therapy, psychology, pastoral care, and cultural studies. Clinically, we translate Satir’s constructs (yearnings, perceptions, expectations, coping stances) into practical assessment and intervention steps that can be applied in secular settings without religious presuppositions. Analytic rigor was supported through reflective memoing, a structured three-level coding process, constant comparison, and verification by a second coder. The case challenges pathologizing frames of sex workers by demonstrating how spirituality can function as a protective, growth-oriented resource that fosters agency and moral coherence. Full article

In this article, I argue that the climate crisis is a symptom of dissonant eco-subjects and relations that are, in part, produced by Abrahamic religious/spiritual traditions—traditions that function as apparatuses of the ontological rift between human and other-than-human animals. The argument begins by addressing the relation between Abrahamic traditions and apparatuses of the ontological rift. This sets the stage for explicating what is meant by spiritualities of eco-dissonant subjects. To further understand the features of eco-dissonant spiritualities, I turn to the philosophical notion of self-deception and the psychoanalytic notion of weak dissociation, which help explain our resistance to becoming aware of our contributions to the sufferings of other species and the wounding of the Earth, as well as our resistance to change. Full article

This qualitative article is informed by queer theory, and more specifically queer theology, and explores how youth ministers in various denominations care for LGBTQ+ teenagers in their congregations. Seven youth pastors from three major denominational groups were interviewed from the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship (CBF), Alliance of Baptists, and Presbyterian Church, USA (PC-USA). Participants had to identify as LGBTQ+ affirming, though their congregations could be in various states of affirmation. Thematic analysis found the following significant categories: confidentiality, implications of whole church engagement, student-led engagement, theology/image of God, and degree of support for identity development. Full article