Professional Chaplaincy and Clinical Pastoral Education Should Become More Scientific examines the widespread ambivalence among pastoral caregivers and educators over the growing inclusion of science in pastoral care and counselling methodologies. Twenty-three seasoned professionals in the field give candid and sometimes emotional accounts of their interest and reservations about the role scientific research plays in their profession. Some authors looked at the issue from a historical perspective; others voiced additional concerns. A few made concrete proposals on how chaplaincy can become more scientific. The result is a unique insight into the relationship between the secular and the religious. The question of whether science belongs in pastoral care and counselling is moot; pastoral care already makes extensive use of scientific thinking. But as technology becomes more dominant and health care delivery reflects a more corporate perspective, pastoral caregivers and educators are divided on whether the changes represent the significant opportunity to improve a ministry or the surrender of the ministry's very essence. This book presents a thoughtful and thought-provoking debate that is a must read for all pastoral carers and educators.