The “Inside the PTS Curriculum” series gives you an inside look at what students are learning in their courses at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. Each article focuses on one class, its subject matter, what students can expect to learn, the required texts, and the kinds of assignments students can expect. We’ll let you know whether the course is required or available for the Master of Divinity (MDiv), the Master of Arts in Pastoral Studies (MAPS), or Master of Theological Studies (MTS). Each article will include the professor’s bio.
This week’s course is: “Pastoral Ministry and Healthcare.”
About Pastoral Ministry and Healthcare
In the fall semester of 2019, Pittsburgh Theological Seminary students learned about the relationship between pastoral care and physical health with the Rev. Dr. Ron Cole-Turner in the class “Pastoral Ministry and Healthcare.” This course was open for students in the Master of Divinity (MDiv), Master of Arts in Pastoral Studies (MAPS), or Master of Theology (MTS) degree program.
This course explored pastoral ministry in relation to the physical health and medical care of parishioners. Students were introduced to biblical and historical perspectives on medicine, to secular understandings of medical ethics, and to the pastoral needs that may arise at key transitions in human health. These critical transitions include pregnancy, childbirth, childhood, disabilities, aging, dementia, and dying.
By the end of the course, students were able to articulate a biblical/theological understanding of ministry in relation to human health over the lifespan in a way that integrated Scripture, theology, ethics, and the contemporary context of healthcare. They were able to identify how socio-cultural context shapes interpretations of tradition, thought, and practice related to health and healthcare. Finally, students were able to envision themselves as ministers to Christians who must discern how to live in light of their health situations and their encounters with healthcare providers. This future vision included being part of a wider team that includes healthcare providers who have their own spiritual needs.
Assignments included readings, classroom participation, and various writing assignments. The required text for the course was Sondra Wheeler’s Stewards of Life: Bioethics and Pastoral Care.
About the Instructor
The Rev. Dr. Ron Cole-Turner is the H. Parker Sharp Professor of Theology and Ethics, a position relating theology and ethics to developments in science and technology. Dr. Cole-Turner received a B.A. from Wheaton College and both an M.Div. and Ph.D. from Princeton Theological Seminary. He is an ordained minister of the United Church of Christ, a founding member of the International Society for Science and Religion (currently serving as vice president), and he has served on the advisory board of the John Templeton Foundation and the Metanexus Institute. He has written and edited many books about theology, science, and technology, and he is the author of the popular baptism hymn, “Child of Blessing, Child of Promise.”