Injustice and the Care of Souls, Second Edition 2/e

Pastoral care is often focused on individual problems, but much of what harms and impedes people stems from the larger social maladies at work in their lives. This unprecedent gathering of twenty-seven essays by a diverse group of renowned writers and experienced caregivers discusses the realities of racism, sexism, heterosexism, ageism, ableism, and classism prevalent within the church and society. Injustice and the Care of Souls supplies pastoral caregivers with the knowledge and the skills needed to respond effectively and with compassion to oppressed and marginalized persons. Part one examines first the larger issues of resisting oppression, antiracism, and engaging difference. It then speaks directly to care issues with African American women, Latinx, and Asian North Americans, and it provides Jewish, Muslim, and Buddhist perspectives on pastoral and spiritual care. Part two looks at more specific dimensions of oppression-sensitive care, including essays on ministry with the LGBTQ community, addiction, HIV/AIDS, children and youth, senior adults, disability, incarceration, homelessness, veterans, migrants and refugees, hospice ministry, and ritual care. Throughout, this wide-ranging volume helps pastors and students to reflect on the ways their own social locations affect their ministries and to gain familiarity with resources available to support pastoral and spiritual caregiving in a variety of contexts.