War, Masculinity, and the Ambiguity of Care

This paper makes the case that to the extent that churches and military chaplains leave the command-obedience relationship of soldiers and the state unchallenged they are complicit in structures that put their care to potentially abusive ends. The paper provides an analysis of the civil-military dis...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Tietje, Adam D. (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: Springer Science Business Media B. V. [2021]
In: Pastoral psychology
Year: 2021, Volume: 70, Issue: 1, Pages: 1-15
Further subjects:B Masculinity
B Pastoral Care
B Political pastoral theology
B Military chaplains
B Moral Injury
Online Access: Volltext (Resolving-System)
Description
Summary:This paper makes the case that to the extent that churches and military chaplains leave the command-obedience relationship of soldiers and the state unchallenged they are complicit in structures that put their care to potentially abusive ends. The paper provides an analysis of the civil-military distinction, in light of which soldiers are subject to patriarchal dynamics by the state. Thomas Aquinas’s moral psychology is used to argue that the command-obedience relationship of soldiers and the state is deeply problematic. Moral injury phenomena are perhaps best understood in this context. Churches and chaplains are unwittingly caught up in the command-obedience dynamic and potentially reinforce its abuses. This paper presses pastoral caregivers to acknowledge their fraught position and provide a prophetic witness that prioritizes obedience to God.
ISSN:1573-6679
Contains:Enthalten in: Pastoral psychology
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1007/s11089-020-00932-3