THEOLOGY AND THE PRACTICE OF PASTOR

THEOLOGY AND THE PRACTICE OF PASTORAL CARE IN THE CONTEXT OF DEATH AND DYINGIntroductionThe church’s theology in the various ages and from different perspectives has exerted a directinfluence on Christian practice. This is as true of pastoral activity as of any other aspect.Theologies of death and dying in, for example, the early Christian era, the medieval periodand the Victorian age had a direct bearing on how the church exercised care at such times oflife. Christian pastoral theology and practice is contextual: ideally, this means direct relevance to the particular situation, speaking to people’s needs and effectively communicating the love of God to their experience. This is equally so today. In this section, therefore, I explore some late twentieth century and early twenty first century approaches to pastoral care in the context of death and dying, continuing to establish the theoretical background to the study as a whole.