On Saying NO to People: A Pastoral Letter
A major part of a pastor's job is to teach. He teaches people what life is like and what they can realistically expect from life. He offers his insights about what people are like, what relationships are like, what groups are like, what God is like; and suggests ways to cope with difficulties a...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
1974
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| In: |
The Journal of pastoral care
Year: 1974, Volume: 28, Issue: 2, Pages: 92-98 |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | A major part of a pastor's job is to teach. He teaches people what life is like and what they can realistically expect from life. He offers his insights about what people are like, what relationships are like, what groups are like, what God is like; and suggests ways to cope with difficulties and to live a more satisfying life. This pastoral task is usually embodied in sermons. But at times the vehicle of a pastoral letter, an epistle, has been employed to teach about a Christian truth and its relevance to specific situations.Pastors in a variety of settings can find unique opportunities for this kind of teaching. The example I am offering here had its roots in a focused psychotherapy group in a mental health center. In this group patients were asked to state some specific options in living that they wanted to learn. The two most frequently stated were: (1) I want to learn to say NO to people, to be able to stand up for myself; and (2) I want to learn how to forgive myself.The following paper is addressed to the first of these concerns. It has been mimeographed and given (or read) to lots of people who have consistently commented on its helpfulness. I would suggest that papers like this can be an important part of a pastoral ministry in almost any context. |
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| Contains: | Enthalten in: The Journal of pastoral care
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1177/002234097402800204 |