Dr. Bruce Rogers-Vaughn
Public Theologian & Scholar
Psychotherapist, Teacher
Advocate for Radical Care
Who is Dr. Bruce?
A licensed psychotherapist who thinks that the ‘mental health industrial complex’ has become a problem, and that even the best therapy cannot save the world (though it could help keep us saner in the meantime)
A Christian who grieves a centuries-old Christian imperialism that inspired colonialism, advanced capitalist globalism, and suppressed the deeper wisdom of its own origins, as well as that of indigenous faiths and other religious traditions
A straight, cisgender, white man who grew up in Alabama but is committed to dismantling white supremacy and patriarchy, and to an uncompromising love that embraces all forms of gender and sexual identity and expression
What is a Public Theologian?
Public theologians reject any clear distinction between the private and the public. Any particular faith—whether “religious” or not—has a responsibility to promote and enrich the common good. Public theologians do not simply talk to the public, much less try to tell public officials or institutions what to do. Nor do they address public concerns in an effort to convert others to their own faith tradition.
Rather, they set the historical resources of their faith into a conversation with broader social issues—be they political, economic, or cultural. This critical dialogue is intended not only to enhance public life, but also to question and reinterpret the resources of a particular faith tradition so that it remains a living, dynamic, and just faith.
Advocating for Radical Care
As I see it, we are living today in a paranoia pandemic. It is no fun living in this place, and the longer we live in this anxiety, the more depressed and addicted we become… Most of us know something is wrong, but we are not aware of what is ultimately oppressing us. Our enemy is invisible to us. We are like zombies, falling apart but not awake. The horror of the present age is that we are not horrified.
It is past time to wake up from our slumber. What is needed as an antidote to this pandemic of fear and loneliness is a genuine solidarity that binds us together in a way that not only preserves, but treasures the preciousness and uniqueness of every individual.
Caring for Souls
in a Neoliberal Age
by Dr. Bruce Rogers-Vaughn
“It is my judgment that the primary challenge for pastoral care, psychotherapy, social activism, and other approaches to caring for souls today is not the effort to fix discrete personal problems or even to redress specific social injustices.
It is, rather, to aid people, individually and collectively, in finding their footing--to articulate the deep meanings that ground their lives and to strengthen healthy collectives and social movements that hold some residue of transcendent values.”
“Rogers-Vaughn’s post-capitalist pastoral care is not a call to move up. It is about exiting the building altogether and laying a new foundation for our wounded healing.”
— Tommy Airey, Radical Discipleship
“This is an astounding book. While so many of us deal with this or that of our many problems, a pastoral counselor not only describes the ongoing destruction of human beings but also how and why it occurs. He convincingly names the enemy, neoliberalism, which too many of us serve, and points the way to real salvation.”
— John B. Cobb, Jr., Professor Emeritus, Claremont School of Theology
“This book should be required reading for everyone in a helping profession. It is clear, powerful, compelling, and revealing of the predicament of our age.”
— Tripp Fuller, Host of Homebrewed Christianity
