The Pastor as Moral Guide (Creative Pastoral Care and Counseling) [Paperback]

Rebekah Miles (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 1999

Adultery, divorce, racism, teen pregnancy, white-collar crime, living wills---these are among the many complex moral issues that Christians face and for which they often seek guidance from their pastors. This book is designed to assist pastors in developing their skills in providing moral guidance to their parishioners in a culture characterized by both ethical confusion and increasingly complex moral choices. Rebekah Miles, a gifted thinker and writer, guides the reader through the landscape of the moral life and offers a simple but profound map of the moral terrain along with practical tools to enable pastoral caregivers to serve more effectively as moral guides.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

"Rebekah Miles draws deeply from the richness of many intellectual streams in theology and ethics and identifies ways to tackle the hard questions of what to do when reflective listening, one the one hand, and religious absolutes, on the other, are poor responses to those in need. Many people have talked about the need for moral guidance as a critical part of pastoral care, but almost no one has put much meat on the bone. . . . Miles gives pastors lots of food for thought in a book that embodies her sensitivity and insights as a faithful pastor and her years of study and teaching in theological ethics." ---Bonnie Miller-McLemore Vanderbilt University Divinity School

"This book is excellent---a genuine contribution to the slowly growing body of literature on ethics and pastoral care. It will be appreciated." ---Don Browning University of Chicago Divinity School

About the Author

Rebekah L. Miles is Associate Professor of Christian Ethics and Director of United Methodist Studies at Brite Divinity School, Texas Christian University.

Product Details

• Paperback: 152 pages
• Publisher: Fortress Press (March 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0800631366
• ISBN-13: 978-0800631369
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 6.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #280,744 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars ...my two cents...a very good book..., April 15, 2011

By 

Kendall - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Pastor as Moral Guide (Creative Pastoral Care and Counseling) (Paperback)

Miles brings out some excellent thought processes to facilitate getting to the bottom of some issues. So often, we tend to hear what is on the surface without going deeper. My Daddy always said "any sounds true until you hear the other side". Law Enforcement people say "There are three sides to every story when investigating an accident. "Driver #1 side. Drivers #2 side of the story, and the truth somewhere in the middle."

Miles teaches how to discover the truth in the middle. I thought the book was very good. It made me rethink my "thinking processes".

Miles book was required reading for my 414 Social Ethics class at MSCOS (Mississippi Course of Study at Millsaps). I'm glad I read it.

1 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Very difficult read, March 24, 2008

By 

Matt Ross - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Pastor as Moral Guide (Creative Pastoral Care and Counseling) (Paperback)

This book was a small yet, painful read. This book is not written for the normal person. It has some good points, but is a rather short waste.