The Man in the Tree
A psychiatric chaplain dwells in the silences that follow difficult questions, responding to Chris Berlin’s “A Jewel in the Lotus.” By Duncan Gasson-Gardner
Category: Autumn/Winter 2020
‘Chaplain, Can You Do an Exorcism?’
To accompany people struggling with command auditory hallucinations, the author uses a metaphorical approach and works within each patient’s own religious framework. By Jeremy D. Sher
A Story of Sarahs: Atwood’s Critique of Second-Wave Feminism
Margaret Atwood’s The Testaments resonates with the energy of dread saturating life under COVID-19 in the Trump administration. By Mara Willard
Chanting through the Spring Surge
An interview with Sarah Byrne-Martelli, a chaplain at Massachusetts General Hospital, on the quiet camaraderie and unnamed grief among hospital staff during the pandemic. By Wendy McDowell
Prayer
Poetry by Diane Mehta
Theater as Chaplaincy for the LGBTQ+ Community
Theater has been a spiritual home for many LGBTQ+ folks, providing shared rituals and stories, a sense of being part of something greater than oneself, and mutual care and support. By J. Sylvan
A Minister Cultivates Abiding
The current pandemic provides a context to learn what it means to bear witness while impotent to reverse human suffering. By Emily Click
Blessed Are the Caregivers
The authors in this issue are chaplains, faith leaders, and professors. In these roles, they lament inequities, cry out for change, and demonstrate how to “treat the people’s needs as holy.” By Wendy McDowell
People as Sacred Texts: Chaplaincy in the Margins
A hospital chaplain contemplates the First Noble Truth in response to Chris Berlin’s “A Jewel in the Lotus.” By Rebecca Doverspike
Let My People Go
Mass incarceration is Jim Crow’s most obvious descendent. Faith communities must focus on the collective work of dismantling this catastrophic system. By Raphael G. Warnock
Bedeviling Spirit Possession in Ancient Christian Texts
A Q&A with Giovanni B. Bazzana on his newest book, Having the Spirit of Christ: Spirit Possession and Exorcism in the Early Christ Groups. By Joseph Kimmel
Doing by Not-Knowing
A hospital chaplain reflects on the wonder and intimacy of not-knowing, responding to Chris Berlin’s “A Jewel in the Lotus.” By Jill R. Gaulding
Chaplaincy as ‘Tragic Improv’
Erica Rose Long describes the honest conversations about race taking place at Massachusetts General Hospital and discusses the unique challenges and joys of chaplaincy. By Wendy McDowell
Can a Buddhist Monk Become a Chaplain?
A Buddhist monastic reflects on his chaplaincy training through the lens of Theravada Buddhism, responding to Chris Berlin’s “A Jewel in the Lotus.” By Bhante Kusala
Waiting for Queer Theology
Queer Theology: Beyond Apologetics, by Linn Marie Tonstad, awaits a theology that moves beyond the narrow genres allotted to it. By Mark D. Jordan
We Are All Called to Be ‘Heroes’
Rethinking our practice of calling essential workers “heroes” in light of the debate over Dorothy Day’s canonization. By Elam D. Jones.
Two Poems by Jason Myers
Poetry by Jason Myers
A Jewel in the Lotus
The Buddha’s life, teachings, and response to human suffering inform practices of spiritual care in the hospital, and also in the classroom. By Chris Berlin
Practical and Spiritual Resources for Chaplaincy and Pastoral Care
A selected reading list from HDS faculty and chaplains offers resources for chaplaincy and pastoral care.
Plague Wisdom
Learning from queer elders who cared for the dying through the horrors of the AIDS crisis. By Cody Hooks
