ABSTRACT
In Chris Swift’s article, the people encountered the concern with questions of professional identity that have been a prominent feature of chaplaincy research. However, one of the most significant features of this article is the sustained attention to disciplines of reflective practice. Firstly, it allows a broad understanding of what might count as theological and, as such, reflects a view of practical theology as concerned with the full breadth of human life and experience. Secondly, it nurtures a distinctive space in which chaplains - who, it is noted, need to be ‘multilingual’ - can converse with other healthcare professionals. In terms of chaplaincy research, what this discussion highlights is the significance of the chaplain as research subject as well as object. Central to chaplaincy, the authors note, is the ‘intentional use of the self’. Reflective practice is focused on that distinctive figure of the person of the chaplain in a practical theological process that parallels other forms of chaplaincy research.
