by A while ago, I began to write about what I referred to as theology of nursing. Basically, I described the theology of nursing as the discussion or study of God in relation to nursing. A natural question is: “What should be included in a theology of nursing?” So this week I’ll describe what I think is appropriate to the content of a theology of nursing.
The foundation of a theology of nursing is the same as that of any theology. There is ultimate reality or God, the originator of all that is. There is also the order of being contingent on ultimate reality. Within this order of being are humanity and the notion of ultimate good, among myriad other things. As I’ve mentioned before, “ultimate reality and the ultimate good of humanity are woven together in the fabric of the universe.” They’re inextricably linked by the content of theology.
Ultimate reality or God is the fundamental element of context for all that is.
I’m fully aware that there are many perspectives on the nature and content of theology. My perspective is that of a follower of Jesus Christ, living in the American Midwest during the early twenty-first century. While I admit freely that my understanding is colored by these and many other aspects of my personal background, I know the same is true for everyone else. I take it as an axiom that ultimate reality is the fundamental element of context for all that is.
Within Christian theology at least, there are many possible organizations of knowledge, including systematic theology, historical theology, and biblical theology, to name only a few. I suppose you could include theology of nursing if such a list were to be compiled, but at this point I’m inclined to separate it from those other three, for reasons I’m sure to discuss eventually. On Morning Vitals, I hope to explore the theology of nursing according to each of these and others in turn. Granted, like anyone else in the world, I’m partial to a certain comfort zone of ideas and their organization. However, my goals are to pursue wisdom, and I’m willing to look for it anywhere its trail may lead.
I don’t think it’s a mere escape clause to say that the scope of a theology of nursing includes “God and everything else.” I’m ready to dive in and prepared to find meaningful connections between ideas that may not seem related at first glance. I pray others will join me and enjoy fruitful and life-changing interactions on these topics.
