Vol. 28
No.3
Fall 2005
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This issue is also available in Adobe Acrobat format.
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| PCR SESSIONS 2005 | AAR Annual Meeting See the full listing of the PCR sessions on the 2005 Meeting page. |
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| NEWS
FROM PCR MEMBERS |
Felicity Kelcourse (Christian Theological Seminary) has a trio of items to report: "Things have been a bit of a blur for me since our twins arrived last February. Here is the news in brief: 2/6/2004 - birth of Jonathan and Paul Kelcourse, fraternal twin boys born full term (7lb 14 oz and 7 1b 13 oz). Jon and Paulie join their now 14 year old sister Rosalind who thinks they're cute, at least some of the time. Twenty months post-birth Mom and Dad are still adjusting to the challenging and joyful chaos as older, wiser parents - "all the no's at once" as a friend observed. 11/2004 - Human Development and Faith: Life Cycle Stages of Body, Mind and Soul (Chalice Press, 2004) is now available for text book adoption. It is intended for introductory courses in pastoral care and counseling, for CPE groups, etc. Several members of PCR and the Society for Pastoral Theology contributed excellent chapters. Fall 2004 - I received tenure and promotion as Associate Professor of Pastoral Care and Counseling and Director of Training for Pastoral Psychotherapy. Our on campus counseling clinic is now Medicaid and Medicare approved which makes clinical supervision more challenging and tenure has naturally made me eligible for more academic responsibility as well during a time of curriculum revision. Perhaps it's true that good things come in threes. I'm looking forward to a semester leave in spring 2007 when I can catch up with my writing projects." Lee Bailey (Ithaca College) has just published The Enchantments of Technology (University of Illinois Press, 2005). The book challenges the conventional distinction between myth and machine in order to explore the passionate foundations concealed in technological culture and address its complex ethical, moral, and social implications. Drawing on the work of Jung, Heidegger, Ellul and Brun, the book shows the enchanting, seductive appeal of new technology and its ambivalent relationship to human desire. Judith W. Kay (University of Puget Sound) has recently published Murdering Myths: The Story Behind the Death Penalty (Rowman and Littlefield, 2005), which examines the moral psychology of Americans' support of capital punishment. Utilizing interviews with death row prisoners and violent criminals, the book shows how such perpetrators subscribe to the same story that the state tells to justify the death penalty. The book argues that the death penalty produces vices not only in perpetrators and practitioners intimately involved in the death penalty machinery, but also in bystanders as well. Judith also has two new articles in the works. First, "Is Restitution Possible for Murder? Surviving Family Members Speak," in Wounds That Do Not Bind: Victim-Based Perspectives on the Death Penalty, edited by James Acker and David Karp (Carolina Academic Press, forthcoming 2006). This essay is based on interviews with homicide survivors about their views of justice. Second, "Murder Victims' Families for Reconciliation: Story-Telling for Healing, as Witness, and in Public Policy," in Handbook of Restorative Justice: A Global Perspective, edited by Dennis Sullivan and Larry Tifft (Routledge, forthcoming 2006). Jon Alexander (Providence University) is preparing a new seminar for the spring semester on American Veterans' autobiographies. He would appreciate any articles or books PCR members could suggest on the POW experience from a psychological or therapeutic perspective. [email: jalexand@providence.edu] Jim Higginbotham (Earlham School of Religion) has two pieces of news to share. He has successfully defended his dissertation, "Scapegoating the Tragedy of Psychological Distress: A Pastoral Critique of the Diagnosis of Personality Disorder," a portion of which he presented at a PCR session in Boston in 1999, and thus in December he will graduate with his PhD from Vanderbilt University. Secondly, he has been hired as Assistant Professor of Pastoral Care and Counseling at Earlham School of Religion (Richmond, Indiana). Kelly Bulkeley (Graduate Theological Union) has recently published an edited volume, Soul, Psyche, Brain: New Directions in the Study of Religion and Brain-Mind Science (Palgrave Macmillan, 2005). The book includes chapters by Jim Jones, Charlene Burns, Jeremy Carrette, Lewis Rambo, Patricia M. Davis, Robert Emmons, Holmes Rolston III, and others working in the religion-and-psychology arena. Amod Lele (Harvard University) has published an essay entitled "The various forms of constructive Buddhist studies." It is a methodological piece on the application of Buddhist ideas to contemporary questions. It makes a few references to psychology, and its main idea-that there are a variety of ways to legitimately apply ideas from Buddhist tradition, many of which are neither "theological" nor (strictly speaking) "philosophical"-may be of methodological use to PCR members who are dealing with questions of applying traditions (especially non-Christian ones) in a contemporary context. It is found in Rita DasGupta Sherma and Adarsh Deepak (eds.) Contemporary Issues in Constructive Dharma, vol. II: Epistemology and Hermeneutics (Deepak Heritage Books 2005), pp. 131-40. Daniel Gaztambide (Rutgers University) has this to say about his undergraduate studies and writings: "I recently published an article on the Society of Biblical Literature's FORUM [www.sbl-site.org/] on the relationship between the undergraduate student, the professor of the academic study of religion, and the psychological struggle that can take place in-between ("If You Can't Take the Heat, Stay Out of the Classroom: Re-evaluating the Student-Teacher Relationship, Classroom Ambiance, and Religion," Sept.2005), and I've received wonderful comments from students and teachers alike. In mid-September I gave two lectures before my college peers: one on the psychological underpinnings of high pressure groups (which stirred up some interesting dialogue on the Rutgers University campus, as well as a series of newspaper articles and interviews), and another on psychoanalysis and the transpersonal Also, I recently put together an article on Psychological Biblical Criticism for Wikipedia, an online encyclopedia which people with knowledge on a variety of topics can edit articles and peer review, providing easy-to-access information to the public [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychological_Biblical_Criticism ]. Thanks go to Dr. Wayne G. Rollins and Dr. D. Andrew Kille for their input and review of the article." Daniel's essay, "Self, Transference, and Divinity: A meditation on Psychoanalysis and the Transpersonal," is available upon request [gazti@eden.rutgers.edu] Susan Easton (PCR Diplomat at Large) reports on her recent travels: "During our four month sojourn in Europe, I continued to research the life of Cardinal Adam Easton (1327-1397). A 1100 word introduction to Adam's life was just published in the newsletter of The Sarum Group, a Stanford based collective which is connected to Sarum College. Sarum College is located in the close of the Salisbury Cathedral where Adam once held a benefice. Previously a seminary, Sarum College now hosts conferences on theology, spirituality, religion and politics, music and other special events year round. Note: The religion and politics certificate course is available worldwide via distance learning." [www.sarum.ac.uk/] Judith Van Herik (PCR Masseuse at Large) has this to share: "I'm still doing the same thing, often with different people: massage in various modalities. I'm also painting. I won't be in Philadelphia, for various reasons, but I want to thank Greg Schneider for his characteristic probing honesty [in his essay in the previous issue of PCR News, 28.2]. It was a memoir, a genre for which I have great admiration. It takes courage." Christopher Ross (Wilfrid Laurier University) has two recent publications to report: "Psychological Type of Male and Female Evangelical Lay Church Leaders in England, Compared with United Kingdom Population Norms," in Fieldwork in Religion (2005) 1, 1: 69-83, co-authored with Leslie Francis, Charlotte Craig and Tony Horsfall; and "Jungian Typology and Religion," in The Handbook of the Psychology of Religion, D. Wulff (ed.) (Oxford University Press, forthcoming). Joseph George (United Theological College) calls attention to a new edited volume with forty-two articles from scholars from various disciplines across the globe, titled The God of All Grace: Essays in Honour of Origen Vasantha Jathanna (Asian Tradition Corporation/United Theological College, 2005) The volume contains material relating to pastoral care and counseling, and his article in the book is titled, "Grace as a Theological Symbol in Health and Healing: Reflections from Therapeutic Traditions." Jack Hanford's article titled "Normative Ethics In Health Care" will be published in Ethics And Medicine International Journal, Spring 2006. Also, his entry titled "Methodism" is now available in the Worldmark Encyclopedia Of Religious Practices. D. Andrew Kille (Interfaith Space) has also written a reference work article- "Psychological Interpretation" appears in the new Dictionary for the Theological Interpretation of Scripture, just released by Baker Academic Press. Franz Metcalf (California State University, Los Angeles) has provided what historical records show to be the most succinct responses ever provided to the PCR Newsletter information sheet.
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JOB OPENINGS |
Claremont School of TheologyClaremont School of Theology is conducting faculty searches in ethics and history. We have special need for faculty colleagues from underrepresented populations and for colleagues who are Methodist (or both!). If you have any nominations or other forms of guidance for us as we seek to identify such candidates, I'll be grateful if you contact me by email or telephone. Kathleen J. Greider, Ph.D. Yale Divinity School Yale Divinity School is seeking to fill a junior position in pastoral care and counseling, to begin July 1, 2006. Preference will be given to candidates with strong competence in pastoral care in diverse cultures and in systems theories. Experience as a practitioner of pastoral care in a community or institutional setting is required. Candidates must have proven ability as a teacher and must have completed the Ph.D. by July 1, 2006. Applications, a curriculum vitae, and a list of three references should be sent to Dean Harold W. Attridge, Yale Divinity School, 409 Prospect St., New Haven, CT 06511. Applications will be reviewed beginning November 1, 2005. Yale University is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer. Yale values diversity in its faculty and students and especially encourages applications from women and underrepresented minorities. |
| PCR
COMMENTARY: Neuroscience and the Dalai Lama |
Kelly Bulkeley, Graduate Theological Union Just days before this year's AAR/SBL meeting in Philadelphia, another major scholarly conference will be grappling with the issues of religion, psychology, and culture. The Society for Neuroscience (SfN) will convene its annual gathering in Washington, D.C., Nov. 12-16, with an expected audience of more than 20,000 neuroscientists. Featured speakers will discuss such electrifying topics as "Translational Models for Treating Cognitive Dysfunction in Neuropsychiatric and Neurodegenerative Disorders," "Spatial Maps in Hippocampal and Parahippocampal Cortices," "Computations and Adaptive Plasticity in the Auditory System of the Barn Owl"-and, "The Neuroscience of Meditation." It is the latter presentation, by His Holiness the Dalai Lama of Tibet, that has sparked an especially intense pre-conference controversy. A petition of protest has been circulated by SfN members calling for a withdrawl of the Dalai Lama's invitation, while a counter-petition in support of the Dalai Lama's talk has also been signed by hundreds of SfN members. A brief analysis of these petitions reveals that both sides are failing to address the real issue at stake here-what's the best way to study religion and psychology? Setting aside the political motivations of some of the ethnically-Chinese signers of the anti-Dalai Lama petition, the arguments against his presentation boil down to the following. 1) Inviting a religious leader to the SfN conference violates the organization's by-laws and mission. 2) Inviting this particular religious leader is particularly inappropriate since he advocates mind-body dualism and his legitimacy as Dalai Lama depends on a supernatural belief in reincarnation, "a doctrine against the very foundation of neuroscience." 3) The Dalai Lama's well-publicized interactions with Western scientists have been politically useful for him, but not productive of any real benefits for science. 4) The question-and-answer session following the Dalai Lama's talk will be unjustly restricted by the requirement that questions from the audience must be written on cards and passed to selected SfN leaders posted in each aisle. 5) Meditation is "a subject with largely unsubstantiated claims and compromised scientific rigor and objectivity," particularly in the case of Richard Davidson's research (a devoted Vipassana meditator and close friend of the Dalai Lama's). The petitioners in support of the Dalai Lama's talk largely ignore these points. Instead, they emphasize the fact that the Dalai Lama will be speaking under the auspices of a special type of SfN session called "Dialogues between Neuroscience and Society." While granting that it would be inappropriate for him to speak in a scientific session, the Dalai Lama is praised as "an excellent choice" for the special session. Yes, the subject of meditation may be controversial, but "such controversies are most effectively resolved by the light of reason and the free exchange of ideas." In the most dramatic portion of their petition, the Dalai Lama's supporters not only reject a sharp distinction between religion and science, they go so far as to dissolve the distinction entirely: "the very opposition to mixing religion and science may itself be a form of religious belief!" At this point it seems likely the Dalai Lama's talk will go on as scheduled, and the foundations of neuroscience will probably survive the experience. What these dueling petitions reveal is the poor quality of public discourse about religion and psychology. The pro-Dalai Lama side seems the more reasonable of the two, asking that he simply be allowed to have his say. He's unquestionably interesting and controversial, his topic is well within the bounds of SfN's mission, and he's perfect for the "Dialogues" session. No one is being forced to accept what he says, it's all part of the free exchange of ideas, right? Well, yes, but then what about those rather un-free restrictions on the Q&A session? What kind of dialogue is it when the speaker won't accept direct personal questions? And don't the anti-Dalai Lama petitioners have a point that his religious/philosophical beliefs are very much at odds with the principles of mainstream neuroscience? Is he going to directly address that disagreement, or are we simply to accept his particular vision of religion-science integration? It's easy to dismiss the anti-Dalai Lama people as hopeless materialists (e.g., Dr. Zvani Rossetti, who reportedly said, "No opportunity should be given to anybody to use neuroscience for supporting transcendent views of the world"). It's much harder, however, to What these dueling petitions reveal is the poor quality of public discourse about religion and psychology. articulate a view of human nature, psychological functioning, and spiritual growth that takes into account all the findings of contemporary neuroscience (not just a few studies by friendly investigators) with the tremendously diverse phenomenology of human religion (which of course includes more than just Tibetan Buddhism). The pro-Dalai Lama petition's glib comment about science being a form of religious belief is true only in a superficial sense, and it suggests a naïve misunderstanding of the formidable challenges faced by anyone trying to build bridges between religion and science. On this point, the anti-Dalai Lama petition's skepticism offers a more realistic appraisal of the current situation. And what about the putative subject of the Dalai Lama's talk, meditation? Unfortunately, neither side seems able or willing to do it justice. A number of high-quality, scientifically-rigorous research studies have been conducted on the brain-mind effects of meditation1, refuting the criticism that this is an inherently impossible or illegitimate topic to study. However, the findings of those studies provide no special endorsement of Tibetan Buddhism or any other particular religious or spiritual tradition. The Dalai Lama is naturally most interested in research on his tradition's approach to meditation, but of course there are many other contemplative practices in the history of human religion, and neuroscientific research is now beginning on some of those other traditions. Taken as a whole, present-day research on meditation shows that sustained contemplative practices do indeed change the normal functioning of the brain-mind system, in ways that correlate with the particular features of that practice. Those fascinating religion-psychology correlations are what must now be explored by researchers in many different fields, whatever the Dalai Lama does or does not say in his SfN presentation. 1 Reviewed in Chapter 4 of The Wondering Brain: Thinking About Religion With and Beyond Cognitive Neuroscience (Routledge, 2005). |
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| PCR NEWS Volume 28 No. 3 Fall 2005 |
Editor: Kelly Bulkeley Layout: D. Andrew Kille |