Emma Nash, A Pastoral Theology of Childlessness (SCM, 2021)

Emma Nash, A Pastoral Theology of Childlessness (SCM, 2021)

Emma Nash is a Baptist minister who currently works for the Methodists. In this, her first book, she offers reflections on her experience of being unable to have children. Nash addresses an issue that gets very little attention in society or church. It is very rarely, if ever, talked about. The first strength of this book is it brings it to wider attention and to the pastoral life of the church. 

In five chapters Nash explores being alone, being in pain, being powerless, being barren, and feeling guilty. The reader is given a personal insight into the journey of those seeking to have children and the struggle and trauma it brings, especially when the end result is an inability to conceive. The testimony brings light to an experience too often hidden. In each of the chapters Nash turns to scripture and finds narratives both helpful and not so helpful. 

This is a pastoral theology. It has a gentle tone and is easy to read. There were moments when I would have liked the theology reflection to have gone further. There is room perhaps for further theological and pastoral reflection to follow (something akin perhaps to the kind of work John Swinton has being doing on dementia, disability and mental illness), but this is a very helpful beginning and it lives up to its title. It is a very important read for all those involved in pastoral care and hopefully for this reason, it will sell well! Its not a book to be enjoyed, but it is one that should be read, and talked about. One of the questions Nash's book should lead us to ask is how do we foster church communities that are inclusive of the childless, when so often family, parenting, children are the focus of much our life together.