Introduction
Nowhere is the graying of America more evident than in churches and synagogues. The proportion of older adults among their congregants far exceeds national norms. Nowhere is the responsiveness of America to its older adults more a possibility than in churches and synagogues. Churches and synagogues are the places where older adults, younger adults, families, and children most frequently and intimately come face to face. Churches and synagogues have places, even perhaps officially recognized places, and functions for elders. Churches and synagogues are places where people have traditionally looked to make friends, to help out, and to be together for the most important moments of life. Churches and synagogues are places of responsiveness to older adults and their families.
This annotated bibliography has several principal purposes. First, it signals that pastoral responsiveness to elders and their families has been and is a notable dimension of the life of religious groups. This bibliography is a record of the richness and inventiveness of the interaction between younger and older members in communities of faith. Second, this bibliography signals the need to be more inventive, more responsive, and more comprehensive in our responses to elders and their families. In many ways it is a challenge to expand and enrich—to add service to words of care, to add strategies of empowerment to care for the frail, to add ethical inquiry to personal devotion, to add liturgical expression to religious education, to add advocacy to hospice and adult day-care. Third, this bibliography signals the need for research—theoretical, programmatic, and applied. It has become evident that work in this area is spotty and there have been far too many "reinventions of the wheel."
While this bibliography is the most comprehensive and up-to-date of its kind, it is not the first bibliography in the area of religion and aging. Other bibliographies, in chronological order, include: "Bibliography: Spiritual Well-being" [not annotated], David O. Moberg, 1971; "Summaries of Books Relevant to the Topic of Spirituality and Aging," Carolyn Gratton, 1980; Religion and the Aging: A Bibliography [not annotated], North Texas State University, 1981; Religion and Aging: An Annotated Bibliography, Vincent John Fecher, 1982. Fecher's bibliography was, until the present work, the only book-length annotated bibliography in religion and aging. It is still an important work, worthy of consultation. "Bibliography: Religion and Aging," Thomas C. Cook, Jr., 1983; "Bibliography on Aging for Pastors and Other Church Leaders," David O. Moberg, 1987; "Theology and Aging," AGHE Brief Bibliography, Henry C. Simmons, Vivienne Walaskay, Barbara Payne, 1988; "Gerontology and Religion: An Annotated Bibliography," Barbara Payne, 1989; and "Sources and Resources," Henry C. Simmons, 1990.
Other more general bibliographies have included sections on religion, ethics, church programs and services. Again in chronological order, these bibliographies include: Aging in the Modern World, Office of Aging, H.E.W., 1963; Words on Aging: A Bibliography, Office of Human Development, AoA, 1970; Where Do We Come From? What Are We? Where Are We Going?, Donna Polisar et al., Gerontological Society of America, 1988.
Within the limited scope of this bibliography, we have tried to be as comprehensive as possible.
ORGANIZATION OF THE TEXT
We began this annotated bibliography with a fairly detailed outline that, in part, guided our search for materials. The outline was logical, following a schematization which seemed clear and consistent. The outline served its purposes in our identification of materials, but it has not proved particularly useful in ordering the materials actually collected. There were materials in areas where we had anticipated none; more often there were too few materials to form a chapter in areas where logic dictated that there be a well-developed corpus. Further, as we sorted material we realized that a logic of use had its own importance. We attempt to keep in mind the reader who wants to find what has been written on a particular topic without knowing in advance the key words which have been used for organization.
Thus, the logic of division of material in this annotated bibliography is twofold: materials available and presumed use. By "materials available" we mean that we took the references we thought useful to include and tried to see patterns within that vast array. By "presumed use" we mean that we have tried to envision how the reader might choose to look for materials in this bibliography. For example, we have a separate chapter called "Death and Dying" not because this is a logically coherent collection of writings (indeed the approaches and disciplines of this area are quite disparate), but because we thought that death and dying was a point of reference a reader might well presume. We trust that our division of the materials will prove helpful to the user. We also hope that persons who choose to write in the general area covered by this bibliography will have a keen eye for areas which need development or connections which need to be forged.
The text is organized into nine chapters, very uneven in length: Church and Synagogue; Empowerment; Ethics; Personal Spiritual Life; Life Review and Written Reminiscences; Death and Dying; Theology, Bible, and Other Religions; Religious Professionals; and Special Populations.
1. Church and Synagogue
This chapter includes materials related to the pastoral response of local churches and synagogues (and in some cases slightly larger denominational bodies) to elders in their midst or in their care. The first section presents comprehensive guides to ministry with the aging; the second and third offer specific programs and models or approaches to ministry from particular perspectives (sociology, pastoral care, etc.) The fourth section addresses the response of the local church and synagogue to elders in its midst in worship and ritual. Section five looks to educational programs for awareness and enrichment (in distinction to programs for a specific issue or task). Section six inquires about the place of the church and synagogue in the community service system and in the personal networks of elders. Finally, section seven looks to the institutional care of the aged as a response of the church and synagogue and the care of those who are institutionalized.
All these sections are characterized by a sense of immediacy of the presence of elders to others in the church and synagogue and by a sense of communality in approach and relationship. Sometimes the elder is seen as one to be cared for; less often the elder is seen as agent. Thus this bibliography separates "Empowerment" from "Church and Synagogue."
Comprehensive Guides to Ministry
The principal characteristic of the items in this section is their comprehensiveness. They tend (and intend) to be complete manuals for use in congregations as these congregations plan for and engage in ministry to, with, and for older adults. These are practical manuals—what you need to know to plan and carry out older adult ministry. Typically, these books present a variety of options rather than advocating one particular approach. Articles in this section are of course less comprehensive, but they too are practical guides to older adult ministry.
Some of the issues that these materials might typically include are demographics, characteristics of the elderly, religious needs and strengths, participation and barriers to participation, categories or types of older adults (well, less active, homebound, frail, institutionalized), objectives of older adult ministries, and types of ministry (worship, education, service and volunteering, social, advocacy, personal development, cooperation with social services, religious programming, pastoral care, social service).
Denominational Statements
This section includes denominational statements about aging, arranged by denomination. The reader will note that many of them are theologically and biblically strong, and show genuine insight and compassion. Most denominations, however, have not followed through programmatically with the insights proposed in these documents.
Specific Programs and Models
This section includes two areas: programs built around specific issues and specific model programs. The first category contains a wide variety of lay training programs for specific ministries, a number of programs for adults with aging parents, and other items as specific as counseling older adults considering remarriage. The category of model programs includes a variety of programs actually run successfully, presented with great specificity (e.g. Senior Tuesdays, The Jolly Sixties, The Retired Club).
Programs from Particular Perspectives
This section includes materials that look at church programming from a particular perspective, e.g., sociology, church growth, pastoral psychology, mental health, adult development, Scripture, and cultural and social inquiry. In most cases, the distinguishing characteristic of these programs is the profession of the author: the sociologist takes a different slant from the pastoral psychologist, etc.
Worship, Ritual, Preaching, and Hymns
The material in this section encompasses worship and prayer-in-common. In most items it is presumed that people are gathered together to worship God. The settings vary from convalescent home to home to church and synagogue. Worship is usually understood to affect not only one's relationship with God but also with the community of worship. Hence worship which is sensitively inclusive can build or rebuild bonds between the generations and among elders.
Several items in this section are related specifically to the study of ritual. These are included to suggest ways in which persons planning worship might more sensitively create appropriate ways of doing what ritual accomplishes at its best—living forward into the hoped-for order.
Educational Programs for Awareness and Enrichment
This section includes educational programs whose purpose is to enrich the lives of participants. "Enrichment" distinguishes these programs from programs which are more oriented to issue or task (lay ministry training, for example). Some of these programs are comprehensive (for example, Affirmative Aging) while others are specific. There is a variety of educational materials gathered in this section: elementary and secondary school education on aging, films and videos on Judaism and aging, and Bible education with older adults.
Social Services
Items found in this section relate to the place of the church and synagogue in the community service system and the personal networks of elders. Many of these books and articles assume that the role of the religious institution is to connect with and support community service systems; others inquire about specific social service programs which can be initiated in and by a church or synagogue (adult day care or respite care, for example).
Caregiving
This section contains books and articles that assume that the older adult is either at home (the elder's own or that of an adult daughter or son) or in an institutional setting: nursing home, hospital, long-term care facility, or homes with religious affiliation. The subject is approached from a variety of perspectives: organizational behavior, pastoral care, friendly visiting, Bible study, ethics, recreation and creative activities, education, and so on.
2. Empowerment
Writings in this chapter focus on the empowerment of older adults. Empowerment may be understood as something that happens within groups of individuals; one cannot empower another, although one may facilitate the process. At the same time, most of these writings have a collective sense: they assume that although an individual might empower himself or herself, it is more likely that this will happen with the support and facilitation of a group. Issues of empowerment may deal with organizing for legislative activity, retirement home organization, personal and collective freedom, economics, ministries, facing death and life, and so on.
This section includes some resources that address issues of independence through appropriate technology.
3. Ethics
In general, ethics is concerned with what is good and right. A specific ethical question is one which asks what it is good and right to do in a particular case. The answer to a specific ethical question informs the questioner, on the basis of a practical, intellectual decision, what is to be done in the here and now. Ethics, understood in this sense, is first order discourse which provides practical guidelines. In the present bibliography, ethics includes writings that provide practical guidelines in regard to older adults.
Popular writing on ethics and aging may lead to a focus on dramatic issues in biomedical ethics, an enormously complex field of inquiry which has developed its own extensive literature. (See Bibliography of Bioethics, Washington, DC: Kennedy Institute of Ethics, Georgetown University. Volume 16 is edited by LeRoy Walters and Tamar Joy Kahn.) Some of the materials we have collected in this chapter discuss Jewish or Christian positions regarding the donation of organs, autopsy, treatment decisions for the elderly, and so on, but the scope of ethical inquiry turns out to be much broader than bioethics. Our materials have been divided into five groups.
Ethical approaches to Aging
"Ethical approaches to Aging" is perhaps the least tidy of the sections on ethics. In general, the title of this section intends to point to a variety of ways of articulating basic issues. These items deal with general ethical norms (what might be termed principles of ethics). Others, however, ask specific ethical questions (which in an earlier time would have been called quaestiones disputatae, and what we might refer to today as "hot button issues"). They are placed here because they do not fall into any of the categories which follow. The reader will note that many of these materials address questions of medical ethics. Two collections are placed in this section: some of the essays are in the area of philosophy and ethics, while others implicitly address questions of the right and good, although it would probably be clearer to group these essays under the large rubric of interdisciplinary humanities.
Ethics and Public Policy
This section groups materials on questions of public policy, the distribution of resources, Medicare and, more broadly, public images of elders and the public consequence of these images. Part of the focus of this section is on ethical issues in public policy for older adults and their families (i.e., income support programs, Medicare, long-term care, elder housing, the use of high-technology anti-aging techniques, etc.). The second part of this section focuses on the perception of elders in society and the way in which negative public perceptions qualify them for diminished access to the resources of society.
Filial Responsibility
This section inquires about the responsibility of adult daughters and sons for their aging parents in the light of a variety of factors, such as the obligation of the individual to make some preparation for retirement and old age, the legal obligations of the family towards elderly parents, the diversity of actors and roles, family decision-making, the political sphere in which these questions are decided, etc. Other materials approach the question from a growth perspective rather than the orientation of who has the responsibility for providing care. For example, what adult daughters and sons should do to understand, care for, and cope with aging parents.
Termination of Life
"Termination of life" deals with questions of suicide, euthanasia, and the prolongation of life. Some items take a historical approach to these ethical issues; others begin from specific Jewish or Christian perspectives. Materials are chosen for this section because they appeared in religious journals, are denominationally specific, and/or appeared under religion and aging in computer searches. The materials here are a mere trace of the literature written on these subjects.
Right Ways to Be an Older Adult
"Right ways to be an older adult" is comprised of books, pamphlets, and articles which have to do with a variety of realities: retirement, marriage, grandparenting, health-care, nutrition, finances, volunteering, etc. These writings are distinguished from their secular counterparts because they appeal explicitly to religious values, they appeared in religious or denominational publications, or they were produced by a religious or denominational press. We have placed these publications under ethics because in each case something prescriptive is being proposed: one should approach this or that particular reality in this or that way. In our understanding, these are ethical responses to a variety of life situations: they have to do with practical guidelines about what it is good and right to do in a specific aspect of life.
This section is divided into two parts, depending on the age of the writers. Where authors have identified themselves as seniors, we have placed their writings in the section Right Ways to Be an Older Adult: Author Identified as a Senior. Where authors have not identified themselves as seniors or their age is not known, we have placed their writings in the section Right Ways to Be an Older Adult: Authors Not Identified as a Senior. Many of these writings could also be classed as devotional. We have been attentive in assessing devotional books to ask the question whether the primary emphasis is on one's relationship to God (in which case we list the book under "Personal Religious Life") or on one's response to God's will (in which case the book is placed under “Ethics”). Some books fall without question into this latter category—religion seems only to be a veneer; prescriptions for how to live are drawn from other, secular sources, although there is usually some appeal to religious realities.
Grandparenting
This section includes a variety of works on grandparenting that have an explicit appeal to religious values. A few of these are cross-referenced to "Ethics and Public Policy." Most, however, continue the theme of the above section, because in each case something prescriptive is being proposed: one should approach this or that element of grandparenting in this or that way. In our understanding, these are ethical responses to grandparenting—they have to do with practical guidelines about what it is good and right to do in a specific aspect of life.
4. Personal Spiritual Life
This section includes books of meditations, books and articles on the devout life, materials on spiritual development and growth, and materials on spiritual well-being. Books and articles on the devout life are further divided into those in which the author is identified as a senior and those in which this is not the case. This chapter does not include church and synagogue programs for development of the spiritual life or worship and liturgy. Virtually all of the devotional material of this section is tied to a specific religion and denomination. The material on spiritual well-being tends to be broader and the section on spiritual development and growth contains material from a variety of perspectives.
Meditations
The number of items in this section indicates that this type of literature plays a significant part in the personal spiritual life of many Christians. Typically, these books stress a positive view of life, encourage service of God and humanity, and include "consolation" as one of their purposes. The titles of these books taken together give a fairly accurate picture of their thrust and orientation. Some of the earlier books are translations. On the whole—although there are clear exceptions—translated books tend to have a more substantial feel; this probably reflects their selection as worthy of translation.
The Devout Life
The materials in this section range from the commonsensical and inspirational to the literary and philosophical. Much of the material seems, with the perspective of time, to have little lasting value; yet some of the material is of such depth and clarity that it has enduring urgency. The more lightweight material is kept for its importance to the student of the subject, and some pieces are saved, frankly, as horrible examples. Almost all the materials presented are Christian and use some particular language of Christian faith to help the reader reflect on, make sense of, wonder about, and live life. Literary forms include sermons, devotional texts, pamphlets, conferences, and lectures.
We had some hesitation about dividing this block of literature on the basis of age. In the end we decided to go ahead with the decision in order to respect the self-identification of the author as being a certain age as well as to alert other researchers to inquire what specific differences, if any, age makes to content or style. We do not claim that an author is not a senior but simply that the author is not identified as a senior.
Spiritual Development and Growth
This section revolves around a concern for the increase or flowering of the human spirit at a time of life when loss is probable. We also note, although this was not a principle of selection, that most items use some metaphor which could be interpreted as spatial or visual: movement or growth, development or journey, maturity or depth. Despite communalities, this is not a particularly tidy section, partly because of the variety of disciplines involved: developmental psychology, humanistic psychology, psychoanalysis, literary analysis, theology, mysticism, philosophy, and art. It is also untidy because some items have found their way here simply because this is where they seem least out of place.
Spiritual Well-Being
The term "spiritual well-being" was used in the 1971 White House Conference on Aging and adopted by the National Interfaith Coalition on Aging with the following definition: "the affirmation of life in a relationship with God, self, community and environment that nurtures and celebrates wholeness" (James A. Thorson and Thomas C. Cook, Eds., Spiritual Well-Being of the Elderly, Springfield, IL: Charles C. Thomas, 1980, p. xiii). This section includes materials which use the term “spiritual well-being.” Some of the material relates directly to the history of the term over the past decades; some of the material uses this term as a research construct or for the construction of a scale of measurement. Other empirical studies have been placed in this section as well. Typically they inquire about the spiritual life of persons without focusing on the language of any particular denomination or religion.
5. Life Review and Written Reminiscences
This chapter of the bibliography includes materials on life-review—materials which help people find patterns in and make sense of memories and written reminiscences, including journals, autobiographies, and biographies.
Life Review
This section gathers materials that in some manner or other focus on finding patterns in and making sense of memories. Memories are key to all these writings. In them memory is understood in a dynamic way as open to reinterpretation and reintegration into the person's present. A variety of approaches emerge: story-telling, journal writing, logotherapy, structured life-review processes, and self-narratives. This section of literature is notable for its richness and its consistency.
Written Reminiscences
This section includes journals, autobiographies, and biographies. The journals and autobiographies are of interest not only for the insights one may gain into another's life but also as models for other people to follow in writing about their own lives. Thus, they may have an educational dimension.
6. Death and Dying
The logic of gathering the following references into one section is found in the topic rather than in the approach. While each item addresses death or dying, the disciplines represented include theology, sociology, poetry, philosophy, biography, literature, and devotional literature.
The inclusion of death and dying in this bibliography is problematic: death can happen in any decade of human life. Yet, in our culture death is more likely to happen in old age than at any other time of life. The more people die in old age the more likely the culture will associate advanced age with death. Thus we decided to include a very modest amount of literature on death and dying. The materials here should be considered at best a small sample of a very broad literature.
7. Theology, Bible, Other Religions
This section includes materials from two disciplines, each of which has its own scholarly methods of research and inquiry: theology and the Bible. The third item, “Other Religions,” includes materials from sources other than Judaism and Christianity.
Theology
The distinguishing characteristic of the materials in this section use of a specifically theological methodology (indeed, most, although not all, of the authors would identify themselves as professional theologians). Some of the items are systematic attempts to create a "theology of aging," while others address specific subjects (e.g. theodicy, spirituality, meaning, Rabbinic commentary).
Bible
Works in this area take as their primary focus the Bible (i.e. Jewish and Christian Scriptures), and draw from those texts Biblical views and perspectives on aging.
Other Religions
This section includes materials which are not from within the Jewish or Christian traditions. Materials here relate to world religions (Buddhism, Hinduism, etc.) and to other religious traditions (Native Americans, primitive religions, Quechua, etc.). A few items deal with cults.
Pre-1935 documents
The section gathers together documents of historical importance. The number assigned to each of these is the date of its creation. Somewhat arbitrarily, we have put the cut-off at 1935—the date of the enactment of Social Security.
8. Religious Professionals
The materials in this section focus on the religious professional, that is clergy (or clergy-in-training), religious educators, and members of religious communities. There are a variety of topics addressed. One group of materials relates to the training of seminarians and educators for future work with older adults, another to the knowledge of and training about the aging process for already-employed religious professionals. Other topics include retirement preparation for and life in and some specific issues relating to women religious.
9. Special Populations
Each item in this section approaches the question of the pastoral response of church and synagogue to elders and their families from the specific perspective of a chosen population. That is to say, some specific group has been studied (usually using social science methodologies) and the results are presented. Examples include second-generation urban Croatians, the widowed, Blacks, Cubans, American Indians, Chicanos, elderly urban Catholic ethnics, and rural Blacks.
A specific benefit of this kind of study is its ability to help the reader realize that not everyone is alike and that class, gender, ethnicity, and cohort always profoundly shape human identity.