A quick look at pastoral theology as a foundational activity tied pastoral care and counseling.

1. Pastoral Theology
By Robert H. Munson, ThD
Celia P. Munson, BCCC (CPSP)
Bukal Life Care, 2021

2. What is Pastoral Theology?
-Margaret Whipp. Pastoral Theology (London: SCM Press,, 2015.)

3. What is Pastoral Theology?
There are other uses of the term. For some Pastoral
Theology is another word for Practical Theology--- that is, all
forms of theology that bridge the gap between systematic
theology and practical ministry.
Some others use the term for the underlying theology of the
office of the pastor.
Rather than dispute the merits of these, or lack thereof, this
presentation will follow what we consider to be the more
“normal” understanding of pastoral theology being the form
of practical theology that underpins pastoral care and
counseling.

4. Pastoral Theology is Part of the
Process of Theology.
• It is a Form of Practical Theology, much
like Missions Theology, Worship
Theology, Homiletics, and so forth.
• It Links Systematic Theology with Actual
Ministry
• It is Contextual, Correlative, Practical,
Contingent, Anthropological, Dynamic

5. Theology Flowchart
(It is tied to other theology categories)

6. It is also tied to ministry and the
context.

7. Some Pastoral Theology Characteristics
Practical
-Pastoral Theology that is
not “usable” or practical,
is BAD pastoral
Theology
Contextual
-It is linked to the setting in
which it is used. It is not
universal
Dynamic
-It can and does change...
non-linearly

8. Some More Characterisitcs
Anthropological
-Seeks to understand what
it means to be human
and to relate to self,
others, and God, as a
human.
Iterative
-It is a repeating process of
change.

9. Comparing Systematic Theology and
Pastoral Theology
There are many similarities between Systematic
Theology and Pastoral Theology, there are
Many Many differences.
Dr. Doug Dickens uses Trees to compare and
contrast the differences.
Each branch of the Systematic Theology tree has a
comparable branch and underlying concern in
the Pastoral Theology tree.
As such, each branch in the Pastoral Theology tree
is informed by Systematic Theology, and people.

12. Pastoral Care
“The ministry of the cure of souls, or
pastoral care, consists of helping acts,
done by representative Christian
persons, directed toward the healing,
sustaining, guiding, and reconciling of
troubled persons whose troubles arise
in the context of ultimate meanings
and concerns.”
- William A. Clebsch and Charles R. Jaekle, Pastoral Care in
Historical Perspective (Upper Saddle River, New Jersey:
Prentiss-Hall, 1964).

13. Pastoral Theology Guiding
Pastoral Care
One way that pastoral theology is
foundational to pastoral care and
counseling is in what is the source(s) of
knowledge we use in informing the care
we provide.
For example, should we be guided by the
Bible? Examples of Church History?
Theology? Social Sciences? And Others?
Consider the issue of whether we focus
more on theology or more on psychology
and whether one should seek to integrate
them or keep them separate?

15. Levels of Explanation Model
Psychology deals with psychological and natural
problems in human behavior and relationships. The
Bible looks at spiritual problems and our relationship
with God. As such they are separate disciplines that
deal with unrelated problems.
Key Ideas: Perspective, “Levels of Explanation”
Example: David Myers

16. Integration Model
Psychology and biblical theology are both looking
at the same thing—human nature. Two different
tools to study human beings, “general
revelation” and “special revelation.” They give
priority to the Bible when there is conflict, but
may give science priority in common practice.
Key Phrase: “All Truth is God's Truth”
Example: Bruce Narramore

17. Christian Psychology Model
The Bible/Theology critiques psychology at a
foundational level. Foundationally, theology
dominates, but psychological techniques may
be brought in as part of the therapy. In practice,
tends to be counselor-driven rather than theory-
driven.
Key Idea: The Bible critiques Psychology
Example: Larry Crabb

18. Biblical Counseling Model
A high level of distrust of modern psychology and
psychological methodology. Psychological
insights should be used with extreme caution.
The older approach, formulated by Jay Adams,
put great emphasis on behavioral change and the
adoption of patterns of biblical living. Much
emphasis on sin, repentance, and redemption.
Key Phrase: “The Sufficiency of Scripture”
Example: Jay Adams, John Maxwell

19. Remember, Pastoral Theology is
Contextual
Instead of asking, “Which of these four
views is CORRECT?”, it may be more
useful to say, “What insights from each of
these four views are valuable to me as a
pastoral theologian and care provider.”

20. Perhaps a Minister's Pastoral Theology
Lines Up With the Red Circle

21. Pastoral Theology, Theological
Reflection, and Pastoral Care Go “Hand-
in-Hand.”
If you provide pastoral care for others,
you are a pastoral theologians whether
you know it or not... and you practice
theological reflection, whether you know
it or not.
Since you cannot avoid it, do it well.

22. Pastoral Theology Considers Why We
Care for Others, How we Care for Others,
Who we Care for, and What is our
Ultimate Goal(s)?
Consider an example from the 1800s...
The Irish “Potato” Famine of the middle
of that century...

23. Group 1 did not want to help the Irish at all.
Some of these felt that the Irish were under the
judgment of God. So to help these people
would potentially undermine the work of God.
(A similar thing happened in the 1980s with
some Christians providing such a theological
perspective to the AIDs epidemic.)
In practice, this view comes down to:
“Christians should provide care to people who
are under God's blessing, not God's curse.” Or
put another way, Christians should provide
care only to people who don't need it.
This view is flawed on MANY MANY levels.

24. Group 2 did want to help... but with ulterior
motive. They offered to feed the starving, if and
only if the people left their former denomination
(in most cases Roman Catholicism) and joined
their denomination. The care is not actually a
gift... but essentially a purchase... quid pro quo.
In practice, this view comes down to:
“Christians should help people if they become
like us.” In more extreme terms, Love your
enemies if and only if they first become your
friends.

25. Group 3 did seek to help sacrificially, seeing
their efforts not as undermining God's desire to
curse, but as active agents of God's desire to
bless. They were motivated by the example of
Christ to help driven by godly compassion.

26. Note: It might be guessed that in the Irish famine,
the desire not to give seeing the people as under the
curse of God, may not come from a deeply thought
out theology, but as a shallow reaction to ethnic
bigotry.
Or one might guess that the quid pro quo policy of
giving to the Irish only if they leave their Roman
Catholicism does not come from a nuanced
understanding of the doctrine of salvation, but rather
religious bigotry.
In the end, it doesn't matter. Pastoral Theology is an
iterative process. Regardless of whether it starts in
the Bible, or in our experiences, or in our own
prejudices... the end result is how all of these come
together.

27. References
 “Pastoral Care in Historical Perspectives,” Book. by Clebsch
and Jaekle, 1964.
 “Pastoral Theology” Book, by Margaret Whipp, 2015
 “The Art of Pastoral Care” by Robert and Celia Munson, 2016
 “Dynamics in Pastoral Care: Enhancing Transformative Soul
Health” by Robert and Celia Munson, 2019
www.bukallifecare.org