The Rev. Stephen R. Harding on moving away from ‘spirituality’

Making the Case for Theology

Over the course of the thirteen-plus years that I have been involved with Chaplaincy in the healthcare setting, I have noticed a trajectory in language that has moved from a focus on the patient’s ‘religion’ to a focus on the patient ‘being spiritual’ and on ‘spirituality’.

I am wondering whether we, as Chaplains, are at a point where the term ‘spirituality’ has been over-used to the extent that ‘spirituality’ has become debased and lost its meaning.

In a recent Pain Medicine InterDisciplinary Team (IDT) meeting, the attention was focused on the physical and psychological aspects of a patient’s symptoms, which had endured for more than half this patient’s life. I asked whether she felt she was suffering, and the consensus was that not only is this patient suffering a great deal, but that she does not appear to see an end to her suffering. I asked whether there was a religious or spiritual basis for her continuing suffering, wondering whether her understanding of the Divine allowed for forgiveness (a loving G-d), or whether her understanding of the Divine required her to suffer perpetually (a punishing G-d).

There followed a discussion about the psychological aspects of this patient; we briefly considered referring her to a center where, in the words of one team member, “there were counselors, physicians, social workers, everyone who could help our patient resolve her issues.” I spoke up and said that they didn’t have a person who our patient could talk with about the spiritual issues I raised. “Social Workers and nurses can provide spiritual care. There’s lots of overlap,” was the response.

This was a very sobering and disturbing comment. [1] It has caused me to wonder whether we have given away a great deal of our authority and power in a system where anyone can be spiritual or have a conversation about spirituality.

In thinking about how to get my (our) authority back – and to be perceived as needed expert professionals in the healthcare field, I am wondering whether we shouldn’t stop using the words ‘spiritual’ and ‘spirituality’ and begin to use the word theological instead.

My question about our patient’s understanding of her suffering and her belief system is really a theological question: What is her understanding of the Divinity and how does that understanding affect her life, health, and wellbeing as she lives her own life? What does it mean to her if she gets better? What does it mean to her if she doesn’t?

As Chaplains and ordained representatives of our traditions, I believe we need to claim our areas of expertise. I believe we need our own language to describe what we do – and that once we establish it, we need to use it to inform other disciplines about the benefits of Pastoral Care for patients, families, and staff. I believe that using the word ‘theological’ in the context of caring for others will help us define our roles more clearly. I believe that using theologically based language can help us reframe the discussions in IDT rounds and can give us an authority that is our own. Theological language can clarify the distinguishing boundaries that help us, as Chaplains, live out our vocations to serve others in times of need.

My final thought is an invitation. I would like to start a discussion on the use of theological language to replace ‘spirituality’ in our profession. As a beginning, please send your thoughts and comments about evolving to a theological language to the PlainViews Editor (info@PlainViews.org.) for compilation and future articles.

[1] After IDT was over, I had a conversation with my colleague, who acknowledged that while yes, there is some overlap between social work and chaplains, chaplains have training, experience, and a perspective that no one else on the team shares – and that ‘spirituality,’ explored by a chaplain, is an important part of patient care.

Do you have thoughts about advocacy you’d like to share with your colleagues? Send an e-mail to info@PlainViews.org.