National Secular Society Challenge is Missing the Mark but is Welcomed by Modern Chaplains

In: Health and social care chaplaincy, Band 2, Heft 1, S. 109-122

Abstract

The contention of this article is that the campaign and challenge of the National Secular Society (NSS) campaign against chaplaincy is an excellent opportunity for modern chaplaincy within the health care setting to articulate its worth and ongoing validity. It allows for a critical reflection on the service so that its fundamental significance and value within the NHS can be affirmed. The article will first consider the key issues within the challenge of the NSS before going on to consider the purpose and core values of the NHS. The experience of hospitalisation will be discussed and the nature of modern chaplaincy described. In conclusion, the strands of the debate will be gathered together to sharpen attention and argue for the need for a clear understanding and articulation of modern day chaplaincy within the challenging environment of the NHS.