The Family and Pastoral Care

Herbert Anderson presents a broad-based theology for the family. He highlights the indispensable purposes the family serves--procreation, social stability, individualization--and celebrates the attendant change, interdependence, and diversity as signs of God's continuing creativity and care. Anderson blends this theological perspective with a systems approach to family therapy that focuses not just on the individuals but on the entire unit. This results in an integrated base for pastoral care, counseling, and intervention, one that is attuned to both the realties of the modern context and the claims of Christian discipleship. This book can aid families in their lifelong agenda of helping people learn how to live together separately in ever-enlarging communities of concern and care.