Trinity, Polyphony and Pastoral Relationships

Abstract

The author explores the Christian doctrine of the Trinity to shed light on the nature of the pastoral ministry. Using the trinitarian term, "polyphony" (David Cunningham) for this purpose, he explicates unity and difference as key polyphonic categories in the doctrine of the Trinity. The author suggests that the polyphonic notes sounded by pastoral caregivers are toughness and tenderness, woundedness and health, wisdom and folly, and communion, nearness and distance.

Quality Pastoral Relationships in Healthcare Settings: Guidelines for Codes of Ethics

“…Pembroke’s (2004b, 2011) Trinitarian polyphonic conceptualization of pastoral relationships—which he develops in dialogue with the Trinitarian theology of Gunton (1991) and Cunningham (1998) and the polyphonic images of Campbell (1981/1986) for ministry—is taken as a starting point, as it both helps to crystallize and answer the questions, and lends itself to a code-style format.…”

“…3–4) implies respecting that there is a limit on this gap-bridging dynamic. A certain distance is necessary “to make room for others” (Pembroke, 2004b, p. 361), to not make people “lose” their “freedom” (Pembroke, 2004b, p. 359; 2011, p. 3).…”

“…By way of proscription, he argues that pastoral caregivers should not leave “[t]oo little space” or “too much space in the relational sphere” (Pembroke, 2004b, pp. 352, 359; 2011, p. 3).…”

“…Pastoral caregivers are responsible for managing their personal nearness to patients; their nearness should be the right kind of nearness, and, as a principle, their nearness is of the right kind when it helps patients to keep open their inner-personal spaces. It is in these inner-personal spaces that human beings are given “space to be” 5 (Pembroke, 2004b, pp. 359–360; 2011, pp.…”

“…Arguably, there are three different “types” of personal nearness: distance with nearness, nearness without distance, and nearness with distance. 10 While distance with nearness is drawing near to patients within a fundamental inter-personal distance, nearness with distance means “making space for otherness” (Pembroke, 2004b, p. 360) within a fundamental inter-personal nearness. The first two proscriptions contain an evaluation of distance with nearness, and the final proscription deals with nearness without distance.…”