ABSTRACT
It is a central idea of this book that chaplains occupy an unusual and interesting place in British society. I would further contend that their position has the potential to yield a depth of insight and breadth of perspective which is at odds with their significance to either medicine or the Church. It is possible that a study of chaplains presents the opportunity to do ‘keyhole theology’, entering the complexity of belief and popular imagination through the narrowest of apertures in order to understand something of what is occurring deep within. In particular, as they are paid for by the state, licensed by the Church and employed as NHS staff, chaplains know more than most about the conflicts of expectation and accountability that accompany multiple belongings. In order to situate the discussion that will follow in subsequent chapters it is necessary at this point to give a fuller consideration to the context of faith and secularity in twenty-first-century Britain. This is needed not least because chaplains are affected by a wider sense of concern/relief that society is embarked upon an inevitable path of secularization. The truth or otherwise of this analysis is seen to have a significant bearing on what chaplains now do and whether they will continue to be present in the NHS in the future. Furthermore, at a more implicit level, how chaplains view the direction of travel of society may be silently informing their activities and investments in a particular process of change. It is my contention that chaplains owe it to themselves – and to those they care for – to make explicit the beliefs which are now motivating their actions.
