NTT Journal for Theology and the Study of Religion - Volume 75, Issue 1, 2021

Abstract Healthy, Good and Happy: The Topicality of the Medieval Model of Wellbeing Departing from a miscellany with various do-it-yourself advice texts from the city of Deventer, this article explains the medieval model of health. It argues that medievals held an overall vision of health, involving physical, mental and spiritual well-being as well as the search for the moral good. At the end of the Middle Ages, residents of Dutch citie Read More

Abstract Attention for Meaning-Making Processes: Context and Practice of Spiritual Care in the Earthquake Area of Groningen In the North of the Netherlands spiritual caregivers have been employed to respond to the social and personal needs resulting from human induced earthquakes. In the Netherlands knowledge on spiritual care in times of disasters is limited. Central to the present study are two questions: How is spiritu Read More

Abstract Age Comes with Weaknesses and Wisdom: A Gerontological Alternative to a Transhumanist View on Life Extension Transhumanists claim that they will soon stop human aging. Although this form of human enhancement has not yet been realized, we must think about what it means for us as humans. Theologians have engaged in ethical reflection already, but usually from classical theological perspectives like creation, e Read More

Abstract The article analyses the public health policy brief From Disparity to Potential by the Dutch Scientific Council for Government Policy (WRR). It argues that the WRR brief presents a distinctive and novel brand of proportionate universalism, a theory proposed by Sir Michael Marmot (2010). The article situates the brief in the wider debate on proportionate universalism and offers an evaluation from an ethical perspective. It a Read More

Abstract One of the mechanisms by which religion promotes health and well-being is by offering frameworks of meaning. Older adults ‘story’ later life against the background of the grand narratives offered by their worldview and cultural narratives of ageing. The dominance of age-defying narratives and narratives of decline indicates the need for counter narratives of ageing. Moreover, the premature notion that one’s life Read More

Abstract As part of NTT JTSR’s series on Key Texts, the present article discusses Cicero’s dialogue Cato Maior De Senectute (44 bce). Over the longue durée of western cultural history, the dialogue has been a key cultural reference. Even today, after the rise of modern gerontology, it is frequently cited. However, prevailing interpretations are hard-pressed to offer an even-handed and plausible view of the text. On the on Read More