Off the Edge? A Theological Assessment of Scott’s ‘Peripheral Stance’ of Chaplaincy

Abstract

This paper examines the changing role of spiritual care professionals in NHS Scotland in the light of Tom Scott’s view that chaplaincy services should resist the temptation to be drawn into the structures of the secular institutions they support. Following a theological reassessment of Scott’s ‘peripheral stance’ (referring to, among others, Stanley Hauerwas and Robin Gill) and discussion of lessons learned from the Alder Hey scandal, the author examines Jürgen Moltmann’s ‘double strategy’ approach to reform – to be at times peripheral and at others central – as being more appropriate to chaplaincy services which find themselves in new environments.