Abstract
Rogers-Vaughn describes a shift in individuals seeking counseling: a greater degree of self-blame and shame, an increased incidence of mood disorders and addictions, and a more fragmented sense of self. He attributes this shift, and an accompanying deterioration of social well-being, to neoliberal capitalism’s villainization of the less fortunate and promotion of a “survival of the fittest” mentality. This introduction provides a preview of the ways in which neoliberalism has compromised the social fabric, leading to an erosion of community and growing economic inequality. Drawing from his allegiance to the working class and commitment to the care of souls tradition, Rogers-Vaughn calls for a post-capitalist revision of pastoral care and theology that emphasizes social and political conditions, rather than individual decisions and behaviors, as the root of human suffering.
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Rogers-Vaughn, B. (2016). Introduction: Preface to a Post-Capitalist Pastoral Theology. In: Caring for Souls in a Neoliberal Age. New Approaches to Religion and Power. Palgrave Macmillan, New York. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-55339-3_1
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