Classifying pastoral care as an applied theology suggests that it stems from a separate and pure theology. In this new volume, R. John Elford contends that pastoral concerns and actions are not products of theology, but in fact are the catalysts that prompt and necessitate it. Elford offers a detailed critical analysis of the relationship between theology and pastoral care and compares how different faith traditions understand the pastoral. He traces how shifting historical circumstances and perceptions of pastoral need spurred changes in theological understanding, and he asserts the need for...

This book is a sequel to the first volume of New International Studies in Applied Ethics and includes essays from some of the same contributors. Like the previous volume, the book explores the interface between medicine and theology. The essays demonstrate the complementarity evident between the two and examine how those coming from different theological traditions are able to provide helpful insights. Points of disagreement, and their crucial role in contributing to an understanding of the complexities of the debate, are acknowledged.
Much of the discussion focuses on use of the Bible....

This book is written for a generation curious about religion, largely ignorant of what it actually is and confused by signals about it in the modern world. The argument is, therefore, self-explanatory throughout. The first half explains the historic and worldwide phenomenon of religion in its major manifestations. It also discusses problems with religion. The second part focusses on Christianity, showing how it can be professed with intellectual integrity and to personal and social benefit. Whilst the author is critical of some forms of contemporary Christianity, he draws throughout on the...