What Is Spiritual Care?

What is spiritual care? Much has been assumed as an answer to this question within particular professional and religious silos. The contributors to this volume offer fresh answers from perspectives of different caregiving professions (medicine, nursing, public health, psychology, pastoral care, and pastoral theology), different religious traditions (Islam, Judaism, Christianity, and Buddhism), and different cultural contexts. Certain red threads become apparent: the importance of deep listening, openness to difference, willingness to recognize the importance of spiritual care as practiced in different professions and religions, respect for the inherent dignity of every person, and support for each individual's unique spiritual journey. At the same time, the diversity of voices makes clear--both by juxtaposition and argumentation--that the hegemony of a mid-twentieth-century white American Protestant "tradition" of "pastoral care" is being reevaluated, contested, expanded, and even decolonized, as voices formerly from the margins are being brought to the center, and the spiritual needs of persons from many different traditions and locations are increasingly being met on their own terms. The cumulative impact of this work emphasizes that spiritual care is finally inseparable from larger efforts toward justice and peacemaking. This is an invaluable resource for healthcare providers, chaplains, and pastoral professionals.