The Chaplain's Presence and Medical Power: Rethinking Loss in the Hospital System (Emerging Perspectives in Pastoral Theology and Care)

Why is loss present but rarely spoken of in the hospital system? How does such silence carry over to the practices of chaplains who accompany dying patients and grieving families? Richard Coble critically examines his experiences as a hospital chaplain to analyze the place of spiritual care in wider trends vexing healthcare today, including its persistent disparities and its related inability to reckon with human decline. Simultaneously, he offers routes for chaplains to be a force of change.

Richard Coble, PhD is associate pastor of congregational care and adult education at Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church and adjunct professor of pastoral care for Lexington Theological Seminary.