Abstract
I argue that the tradition(s) of pastoral care contributes to our understanding of Christian discipleship vis-à-vis political discourse. In particular, I understand pastoral care, in part, as shepherding political discourse. To care for and about political discourse involves a radical openness to the Other, which is made possible by the virtues of hospitality, compassion, humility, and forgiveness. The primary pastoral aim in shepherding political discourse is not the realization of political power or the realization of Christian beliefs through rhetorical coercion, evangelical assimilation, or consensus. Positively, the aim of pastoral political discourse is to shepherd the communicative processes such that there is a possibility of real meetings.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Arendt, H. (1958). The human condition. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Armstrong, K. (1993). A history of God. New York: Ballantine Books.
Benhabib, S. (1987). The generalized other and the concrete other: The Kohlberg- Gilligan controversy and feminist theory. In S. Benhabib & D. Cornell (Eds.), Feminism as critique: Essays on politics and gender (pp. 77–95). Cambridge, MA: Polity.
Benhabib, S. (1992). Situating the self. New York: Routledge.
Buber, M. (1958). I and thou. New York: Charles Scribner.
Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, (2000). Dominus Iesus. Retrieved March 18, 2008 http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_20000806_dominus-iesus_en.html
Corradi-Fuimara, G. (1990). The other side of language: A philosophy of listening. London: Routledge.
Farley, E. (1990). Good and evil: Interpreting a human condition. Minneapolis: Fortress.
Farley, E. (1996). Divine empathy. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress.
Goldberg, M. (2006). The rise of Christian nationalism. New York: W. W. Norton.
Gramsci, A. (1999). Selections from the prison notebooks. New York: International Publishers.
Habermas, J. (1982). The theory of communicative action (Vol. 1). Boston, MA: Beacon.
Hamington, M. (2004). Embodied care. Urbana, IL: University of Illinois.
Horsely, R. (2003). Jesus and empire: The kingdom of God and the new world disorder. Minneapolis: Fortress.
Koenig, J. (1999). Hospitality. In D. Freedman (Ed.), The anchor Bible dictionary (pp. 299–301). New York: Doubleday.
Kooy, V. H. (1962). Hospitality. In G. Buttrick (Ed.), The interpreter’s dictionary of the Bible (p. 654). Nashville: Abingdon.
Lao-tsu, Tao Te Ching, 31. Retrieved June 19, 2007 http://www.starstuffs.com/taoteching/30-35.htm.
Little, P. (1988). Simone Weil: Waiting on truth. New York: St. Martin’s Press.
Lyotard, J. F. (1999). The postmodern condition: A report on knowledge. Minneapolis, MN: University of Minneapolis Press.
Macmurray, J. (1957). The self as agent. London: Humanities Press International.
Macmurray, J. (1961). Person in relation. London: Humanities Press International.
Nelson-Pallmeyer, J. (2005). Saving Christianity from empire. New York: Continuum.
Niebuhr, H. R. (1941). The meaning of revelation. New York: Collier Books.
Nodding, N. (1984). Caring: A feminine approach to ethics and moral education. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.
Nouwen, H. (1976). Reaching out: The three movements of the spiritual life. London: Collins Press.
Pattison, S. (1994). Pastoral care and liberation theology. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Robinson, F. (1999). Globalizing care. Boulder, CO: Westview.
Sevenhuijsen, S. (1998). Citizenship and the ethics of care. London: Routledge.
Taylor, M. (2005). Religion, politics, and the Christian right. Minneapolis: Fortress.
Tronto, J. (1994). Moral boundaries: A political argument for an ethic of care. New York: Routledge.
Tutu, D. (1999). No future without forgiveness. New York: Doubleday.
Volf, M. (1996). Exclusion and embrace. Nashville: Abingdon.
Volf, M. (2006). The end of memory. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans.
Wallis, J. (2005). God’s politics: Why the right gets it wrong and the left doesn’t get it. San Francisco: Harper.
Young, I. (1990). Justice and the politics of difference. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
LaMothe, R. Pastoral Care of Political Discourse: Shepherding Communication. Pastoral Psychol 56, 467–480 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11089-008-0127-0
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11089-008-0127-0