‘Telling a past, dreaming a future’ (Walter Brueggemann) - Die essensie van die narratiewe pastoraat

Abstract

“Telling a past, dreaming a future” - The essence of narrative pastoral counselling
The article examines the possibilities of negotiating the double movement created by living towards the future and dreaming out of the future into the present. Story telling in the pastoral environment is suggested as a means of bringing together the past and the expected future. A circular approach to time can help immensely by bringing together past and future in a meaningful way. This becomes possible in the pastoral environment where there is real understanding between pastor and client through thorough communication and the reframing of the past. The importance of language in understanding and the transformative power of narrative are stressed, as well as Christian hope as the most fundamental way of finding meaning out of the future into the present.