Spirituality, medicine, and tradition. Some thoughts about Hostility and Hospitality

Abstract

Abstract This book by authors Michael J. and Tracy A. Balboni offers a critique of the direction taken by medicine in the modern age. It is critical in the sense that, first, it identifies the shortcomings of current medical, or more generally, caregiving practice and, second, it proposes various ways (training, institutional organization, research, etc.) to correct the serious deficiencies identified. I subscribe willingly to the same critical tradition as the authors. Although I will diverge from their proposals on certain points, I agree with them that the spiritual discourse generated in Western healthcare establishments deserves critical attention, backed up by the resources of theological reflection alongside the contributions made in other fields of knowledge. I also believe that a theological critique can be constructive and help illuminate the spiritual experience during illness, leading to a fairer appraisal, by clinicians, of this facet of the experience of illness. My critical appraisal will cover the following topics: the theological assumptions underlying the Balbonis’ account of the development of medicine in the modern era, the idea of a spiritual therapy, and, finally, the spiritual anthropology that supports the structural pluralism model and its institutionalization.