Page 176 - EMCAPP-Journal No. 7

The Work and Thinking of David Benner

pacity of the client. Under these anthropologi- lism, emotional coercion, or any form of moral
cal preconditions, the demand for value-free bullying, it is always destructive.
procedures can only lead to a concealed and
therefore manipulative action of factually Christ was clear about his moral framework and
present sets of values. Yet there are still many yet his dealings with people were consistently
therapists of the old school who consider psy-
chotherapy to be a value-free craft. characterized by grace and an absence of coer-
cion. His was a moral perspective that was con-

But if moral reflection has an important place sistent with genuine dialogue because it offered
in dialogue in general, it has an indispensable freedom of expression and supported freedom
place in soul care dialogue. In the earlier discus- of choice. Christian soul care is not the place for
sion of the history of soul care we noted that doing whatever has to be done to ensure that
until the rise of therapeutic psychology, soul others see and respond to the matters at hand as
care always included a moral dimension. When you do (or as you assume God does). It is, ho-
we examined the history of Christian soul care wever, an excellent place to offer an opportunity
we again noted that care worthy of being called for an examination of life from a Christian per-
Christian always operated within a moral con- spective and to consider the light which such a
text. Not only should Christian soul care be perspective sheds on life and its choices.
associated with love, forgiveness, and grace, it In his book, The Moral Context of Pastoral
should also provide an opportunity for explo- Care, Don Browning notes that a temporary
ration of how life should be lived. This is moral suspension of moral judgements is both possib-
inquiry. The presence of a moral component to le and appropriate when the moral framework
soul care does not make it the same as moral is clear. This was the case in Jesus’ dialogical
instruction or moral persuasion. What soul care encounters. Because his value framework was
offers is a context for moral reflection. very clear to all who met him, Jesus had the
Among those who offer soul care, clergy are freedom to sometimes leave his moral judge-
unique in their social and symbolic role. They ments unstated. When the moral framework is
are religious authority figures who, like it or clear, there is no need to always state the ob-
not, symbolically represent religious values. The vious; judgements can, in such a situation, often
great advantage of this is that people approach be assumed. Browning goes on to argue that it
clergy knowing that their encounter will occur is precisely because clergy work in the context
within a moral framework and that the moral of a community which is engaged in attempts
dimension of life will be a part of their dialogue. to clarify its value commitments that on many
Some people seek out clergy because they want occasions they have the privilege of temporarily
advice that flows out of this mutually accepted bracketing moral issues in their care.
moral framework. Others may seek out clergy Wolfram Soldan: In the previous section,
simply because they view them as offering a Benner speaks about ethical-moral reflec-
moral perspective on life. Such people may not tion within the framework of counselling in
want advice and may not even accept the moral the church. Of particular importance, in my
framework adopted by the cleric. But they still view, is the statement that refraining from
desire care from clergy who are recognized as explicit moral judgements is fruitful in si-
offering the possibility of moral reflection. tuations where the shared moral framework
Clergy are often avoided, of course, for preci- is clear, as one could expect among persons
sely the same reason. Experiences of emotional belonging to the same congregation. It would
manipulation by guilt motivation lead some in fact be a good thing if basic teaching were
given in the most important ethical questions,
people to conclude that a moral perspective is e.g. in the form of sermons and faith semi-
the last thing they need. They think they know nars, thus freeing the counselling dialogue
what such a perspective on their life would be itself to some extent from the necessity of ex-
and they reject it and those whom they asso- plicitly addressing them. Unfortunately, due
ciate with it. This reveals the dark side of moral to the contemporary spirit of individualism
discourse. When it is offered with judgementa- and the Post-Modern, the presupposed com-

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