Lab advisor publishes in Journal of Pastoral Theology

April 12, 2024

Chaplaincy in the News, Lab News & Views

A new article by Lab Senior Advisor Professor Shelly Rambo (Boston University School of Theology) is now available in Journal of Pastoral Theology. You can find “Making a Case for College and University Chaplaincy: Howard Thurman as Guide” here; a citation and abstract are below.

Rambo, S. (2024). Making a Case for College and University Chaplaincy: Howard Thurman as Guide. Journal of Pastoral Theology, 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1080/10649867.2024.2323299.

Abstract

Amid shifts in religious life on college campuses, chaplains are reenvisioning the meaning of their work. Parsing a set of Howard Thurman’s 1954 university lectures, I display how Thurman articulates a vision for spiritual formation on college campuses, beginning with his descriptions of religious experience. I interpret Thurman in connection with contemporary insights from higher education religious life professionals who describe their work within the university community in similar ways. I suggest that they challenge the institution to take up their role in helping students to integrate their lives, which requires bringing feelings and intellect together. This article considers Howard Thurman’s distinctive contributions to chaplaincy and explores his vocabulary for rethinking meaning-making on campus as the work of spiritual integration.