Will I use this book as a text in an introductory course?

Probably not. Do I want this book on my shelf as a resource for

teaching pastoral theology? Absolutely. Whatever its shortcomings, it
is a wealth of information and references and is unsurpassed in its
dogged insistence on inclusivity and cultural sensitivity.

PASTORAL VISITATION
Nancy J. Gorsuch
Minneapolis, MN: Fortress press, 1999. Soft cover. 92 pp. $14.00

Reviewed by Kathleen J. Greider,

Claremont School of Theology,
Claremont, California

In this volume, with substance and creativity, Nancy J. Gorsuch

shows the importance of every-member visitation in congregational
care. In addition to pastoral care occasioned by a crisis or a request,
Gorsuch argues for care that is preventative. She uses pastoral
theological theory to explain why, for both members and congregations,
every-member visitation is a critical part of "fostering faithfulness":
"attending to and nurturing a personal life of faith, and inviting and
encouraging public expression ofthat faith..." (11). Beyond theory,
her use of illustrations and metaphors signals how this can be done in
practice.
Chapter one describes pastoral visitation and discusses its
importance historically and contextually. Chapter two articulates
several theological rationales for pastoral visitation. In chapter three
Gorsuch discusses appropriate understandings and uses of power and
authority in pastoral visitation given that fostering faithfulness is a
largely collaborative endeavor. Chapters four and five focus on skills
and programs that help realize the goals of this kind of every-member
visitation. In an appendix, Gorsuch outlines a model for a training
workshop.
The book's main limitation is that it does not address the
complications in visitation where persons being visited have been
wounded by religious doctrine and/or congregational life. Advance and
specific preparation for responding to damage done by the church is a
critical aspect of fostering faithfulness. Nonetheless, this book updates
and nuances the available literature on pastoral visitation. It should be

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considered for use in any course that teaches congregational forms of
pastoral care.

CREATIVE INDWELLING: EMPATHY AND CLARITY IN GOD AND SELF

Lucinda A. Stark Huffaker
Atlanta, GA: Scholars Press, 1998. Paperback. 177 pp.

Reviewed by Carrie Doehring, Boston

University School of Theology, Boston,
Massachusetts

Reading Creative Indwelling reminds me of some trails Tve

walked. I like trails with a prominent sign-posted map at the beginning.
I don't need to worry about getting lost. I can follow the trail, taking in
the sights, sounds and scents, pausing to savor attractions along the way,
until I come to the special place where the trail leads. Sometimes it's a
mountaintop vista. Other times it's a place where the stream I've been
following opens into a pool where I can take off my boots, dip my feet
into icy water and sit awhile.
Huffaker's first chapter is like a map at the beginning of the trail.
She uses feminist epistemology to describe how she will construct one
model (among many possible models) of self. She defines gender in
non-essential terms, uses post-modern critiques, and delineates her focus
on two aspects of women's experience of self: empathy and clarity in
connection. The model of self that she constructs draws upon theories
about the self-in-relationship by Judith Jordan and others involved in the
conversations from the Stone Center in Wellesley, Massachusetts. She
brings self-in-relationship theories into dialogue with process
theologians like Marjorie Suchocki. This is arichdialogue and many
voices are part of it. Huffaker focuses the dialogue on the self,
creativity, empathy, and clarity. The reader listens in on this dialogue,
like following a trail where the path is clear, and there's noriskof
wandering off into dense undergrowth, and noriskof neverfindingone's
way back to the trail. Huffaker has a gift for lucidly drawing upon
complex theory (fully referenced in extensive footnotes) while keeping
her own clear voice.
The last chapter is like reaching the trail's destination. Here
Huffaker unfolds a wonderful metaphor of dwelling, and suggests a
model of how the self emerges through a process of dwelling. Drawing
upon theologians who speak plainly, including Nelle Morton, Sharon

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