This is a service for leaders in religious organizations and fellowships, such as pastors of churches and administrators and middle managers in theological seminaries. Religious leaders of all stripes are welcome to make use of this service.
The point is to assist in thinking through issues, especially ethical and hermeneutical issues. This is done by engaging in conversation and offering a fresh perspective and reaction. The point is not to contend with denominational or institutional policy, although conflicting viewpoints may be expressed, but to provoke thought in such a way that more bases are covered and judgments are sounder. Nor is the point to provide counseling or to take on responsibility invested in others; rather it is to provide an independent voice, which may challenge preconceptions, suggest possibilities, and render judicious opinions.
Ethical and hermeneutical issues that arise in pastoral counseling, in institutional policy formation, and in ecclesiastical debate are among the sorts of issues this service is designed to address. Particular specialties include: issues of marriage and sexuality; issues related to computers; issues of academic management; and (sometimes to my own chagrin) playing devil's advocate. But by no means is this service limited to those areas.
This is a FREE service being offered by a person with nearly twenty-five years of experience working in a Christian theological seminary as a librarian, which isn't to say that contributions to help keep the service going are not welcome.
If you wish to make use of this free service, please send an e-mail message to Norm at walkswithastick@comcast.net Do introduce yourself and your issue. The more detailed and specific you are, the better I will be able to respond. Furthermore, in putting the issue, it is a good idea to go straight to the heart of what you wish to have engaged.
E-mail is not particularly secure, so users of this service are advised to stick to issues and omit confidential details, such as actual names of counselees.
Furthermore, I am building a database of answers to issues, which I hope to post on the Web. If certain parts of conversations are too sensitive for posting, please inform me; and I will suppress them. The same if you would prefer not to have your own wording used in the statement of issues. All actual names, except my own, will be suppressed, unless you request that your own be retained; and I will be taking other measures as well to protect confidentiality, not only of users of this service but also of people not directly part of the conversation.
Posted, January 13, 1999; new url, January 28, 2004; last modification, Janaury 28, 2004
Copyright ©1999-2004 by Norman E. Anderson
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