Learn to reach out to these hidden Christians! Offering a wide variety of points of view from the welcoming to the traditional, Pastoral Care and Counseling in Sexual Diversity addresses one of the crucial issues facing the church in these shifting times. Pastors of all Christian churches, whatever their denomination or theology, are likely to be faced with pastoral care or counseling of someone who is lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgendered. This valuable compendium examines various ways you can meet the spiritual and psychological needs of these members of your congregation. Pastoral Care and Counseling in Sexual Diversity addresses the basic problems of sexual diversity, including definitions of sexual orientations and issues of human development. It offers wise guidance for offering pastoral care and counseling, and it provides tested solutions for the problems counselors face in dealing with these individuals. Pastoral Care and Counseling in Sexual Diversity offers thought-provoking points of view on a wide range of issues, including: changes in attitudes toward homosexuality among mental health professionals the limits of confidentiality sexual diversity in the black church a developmental model for effective treatment of male homosexuality pastoral care and the formation of sexual identity Biblical perspectives on homosexuality counseling lesbians AIDS ministries and grief counselingPastoral Care and Counseling in Sexual Diversity is an essential resource for pastors, pastoral counselors, and therapists dealing with these vexing issues facing the Christian church in the new millennium.

At his death in 1987, Paul W. Pruyser of the Menninger Foundation was widely recognized as one of America's foremost authorities on the psychology of religion. His book A Dynamic Psychology of Religion set the stage for creative dialogue on the subject. In this volume, two leading practitioners in the field present a compilation of Pruyser's seminal articles, providing an overview of the major themes in Pruyser's thought. Newton Malony and Bernard Spilka evaluate Pruyser's viewpoint and suggest how his position continues to influence the psychology of religion.

Winner of Prize for Outstanding Book in Theology and the Natural Sciences As science crafts increasingly detailed accounts of human nature, what has become of the soul? This collaborative project strives for greater consonance between contemporary science and Christian faith. Outstanding scholars in biology, genetics, neuroscience, cognitive science, philosophy, theology, biblical studies, and ethics join here to offer contemporary accounts of human nature consistent with Christian teaching. Their central theme is a nondualistic account of the human person that does not consider the "soul" an entity separable from the body; scientific statements about the physical nature of human beings are about exactly the same entity as are theological statements concerning the spiritual nature of human beings. For all those interested in fundamental questions of human identity posed by the present context, this volume will provide a fascinating and authoritative resource.

Learn to reach out to these hidden Christians! Offering a wide variety of points of view from the welcoming to the traditional, Pastoral Care and Counseling in Sexual Diversity addresses one of the crucial issues facing the church in these shifting times. Pastors of all Christian churches, whatever their denomination or theology, are likely to be faced with pastoral care or counseling of someone who is lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgendered. This valuable compendium examines various ways you can meet the spiritual and psychological needs of these members of your congregation. Pastoral Care and Counseling in Sexual Diversity addresses the basic problems of sexual diversity, including definitions of sexual orientations and issues of human development. It offers wise guidance for offering pastoral care and counseling, and it provides tested solutions for the problems counselors face in dealing with these individuals. Pastoral Care and Counseling in Sexual Diversity offers thought-provoking points of view on a wide range of issues, including: changes in attitudes toward homosexuality among mental health professionals the limits of confidentiality sexual diversity in the black church a developmental model for effective treatment of male homosexuality pastoral care and the formation of sexual identity Biblical perspectives on homosexuality counseling lesbians AIDS ministries and grief counselingPastoral Care and Counseling in Sexual Diversity is an essential resource for pastors, pastoral counselors, and therapists dealing with these vexing issues facing the Christian church in the new millennium.