Confessions of a Circuit Rider
A Marginal Chaplain’s Apocalyptic and Disjointed Journal
- Church Leadership & Ministry
- Publisher: Cascade Books (Wipf and Stock)
- Published: 2023
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Publisher's Description
Chaplaincy. Pastoral care. Ministry. The care of souls. What lies beneath that which lies beneath them? Like Virgil, chaplain Stephen Faller guides an unusual tour winding through personal disclosure about ministry, adoption, chaplaincy, and disability. Contextualized within chaplaincy and clinical pastoral education, Faller examines these "visions from a little-known country." Within the landscape are the sights of living in a post-9/11 world as they prefigure the change and uncertainty that marked American life and ministry after the pandemic of 2020. A conclusion to "a dialectical inquiry at the end of the world," Faller explores the history of philosophy and religion in order to navigate an already unusual life within strange times. Essential reading for chaplains, and helpful insights for all those within the helping professions. As ministry continues to move beyond the surrounding walls of the institutional building, Faller suggests that chaplaincy can be a meaningful space for ordained ministry as one of the great "spaces between spaces." Moreover, this confessor's confession spells a way for storytellers and story collectors to find direction when meaning is lost. Chaplaincy itself is a meaningful response to a world turned upside down.
Endorsements (3)
“Stephen Faller is like no chaplain you have ever met. I say this not because he does his demanding chaplaincy work and writes his fascinating books from a wheelchair. Rather, it is the many perspectives from which he narrates chaplaincy, life, and faith. He is a faithful curator of secrets, which is one of the burdens of ministry. More than that, Faller himself is a secret, whose gnomic take on ‘marginality’ reveals an amazing breadth and depth of learning and spirituality.”
“Marked by both whimsy and depth, chaplain Stephen Faller invites readers into the vulnerable spaces chaplains call home, spaces that are often filled with pain or plagued by contested values and perspectives. Faller, in good chaplain form, invites us to accompany him into new understanding, appreciation, and perhaps even wonder about this remarkable and often overlooked role in our society.”
“Chaplaincy is a complex but vital discipline that seeks to bring spirituality to the center in the practices of various institutions. Much has been written about chaplaincy, but much less about the theology of chaplaincy. In this book, Stephen Faller, through personal reflection and solid theological work, guides us into the theological dimensions of chaplaincy and shows us the difference theology makes. This is an interesting and timely book.”
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