Donald Eric Capps

Donald Eric Capps
Born	January 30, 1939 Omaha, Nebraska, U.S.
Died	August 26, 2015 (aged 76) Trenton, New Jersey, U.S.
Occupation	Professor-emeritus of Pastoral Theology
Language	English
Spouse	Karen Virginia Docken
Children	John Michael Capps

Donald Eric Capps (January 30, 1939 – August 26, 2015) was an American theologian and William Harte Felmeth Professor of Pastoral Theology at Princeton Theological Seminary.

Biography

Donald Eric Capps was born in Omaha, Nebraska. After studying at Lewis & Clark College (B.A. 1960) and Yale Divinity School (B.D. 1963, S.T.M. 1965) and University of Chicago (M.A. 1966), he earned his Ph.D. also at the University of Chicago in 1970. His dissertation explored a psycho-historical analysis of the personality of the English theologian John Henry Cardinal Newman, and particularly his vocational struggles.

Capps' academic career started as Instructor at the Department of Religious Studies at the Oregon State University during the Spring/Summer of 1969. He then became Instructor and Assistant Professor at the Divinity School of the University of Chicago between 1969 and 1974. Later, he was appointed Associate Professor at the Department of Religious Studies of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, North Carolina where he lectured between 1974 and 1976. Between 1976 and 1981 he was Associate Professor and then Professor at the Graduate Seminary of Phillips University.

In 1981 he joined the faculty of Princeton Theological Seminary, where he was appointed the William Harte Felmeth Professor of Pastoral Theology. In May 2009 he retired with the status of Professor emeritus^[1] but remained lecturing as adjunct until his death.^[2] In 1989 Uppsala University, Sweden awarded him a degree of Doctor honoris causa in Theology for his contributions to the field of Psychology of Religion.^[3]

Other honors include the William F. Bier Award for contribution to Psychology of Religion, granted in 1995 by the Division 36 of the American Psychological Association; the Helen Flanders Dunbar Centennial Award, granted in 2002 by the Columbia-Presbyterian Hospital in New York; and the Joseph A. Sittler Award for Theological Leadership, granted in 2003 by Trinity Lutheran Seminary.

He was the book review editor for the Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion between 1980 and 1983 and editor for the same journal between 1983 and 1988. Furthermore, between 1990 and 1992 he was the president of the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion. He was an ordained minister of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America beginning in 1972.

Capps died on August 26, 2015 in Trenton, New Jersey as a consequence of injuries suffered in a car crash in Princeton.^[4]

Selected bibliography

Capps wrote, co-authored, edited and co-edited dozens of books and journal issues and published more than one hundred chapters, articles, and reviews in books and journals.^[5]

Books

• 100 Years of Happiness: Insights and Findings from the Experts. with Nathan Carlin. Santa Barbara: Praeger. 2012. ISBN 978-1-4408-0363-5.
• Agents of Hope: A Pastoral Psychology. Minneapolis; Eugene: Augsburg Fortress; Wipf & Stock. 2001 [1995]. ISBN 1-57910-811-3.
• Biblical Approaches to Pastoral Counseling. Philadelphia; Eugene: Westminster; Wipf & Stock. 2003 [1981]. ISBN 0-664-24388-6.
  • Penggunaan Alkitab dalam konseling pastoral [The use of the Bible in pastoral counseling] (in Indonesian). Yogyakarta: Penebit Kanisius. 1999. ISBN 979-672-150-3.
• The Child's Song: The Religious Abuse of Children. Louisville: Westminster/John Knox. 1995. ISBN 0-664-25554-X.
• Deadly Sins and Saving Virtues. Minneapolis; Eugene: Fortress; Wipf & Stock. 2001 [1987]. ISBN 0-8006-1948-X.
  • 대죄와 구원의 덕 [The virtues of sin and salvation for] (in Korean). trans. 김진영 옮김. 서울: 한국장로교출판사. 2008. ISBN 978-89-398-0387-9.
• The Decades of Life: A Guide to Human Development. Louisville: Westminster/John Knox. 2008. ISBN 978-0-664-23241-2.
• The Depleted Self: Sin in a Narcissistic Age. Minneapolis: Fortress. 1992. ISBN 0-8006-2587-0.
  • 고갈된 자아의 치유 [Depleted of self healing] (in Korean). trans. 김진영 옮김. 서울: 한국장로교출판사. 2001. ISBN 89-398-0375-2.
• The Faith and Friendships of Teenage Boys. with Robert C. Dykstra, and Allan Hugh Cole Jr. Louisville: Westminster John Knox. 2012. ISBN 978-0-664-23340-2.
• Fragile Connections: Memoirs of Mental Illness for Pastoral Care Professionals. St. Louis: Chalice. 2005. ISBN 0-8272-2331-5.
• Giving Counsel: A Minister's Guidebook. St. Louis: Chalice. 2001. ISBN 978-0-827212-47-3.
• At Home in the World: A Study in Psychoanalysis, Religion, and Art. Eugene: Cascade. 2013. ISBN 978-1-61097-969-6.
• Jesus: A Psychological Biography. St. Louis; Eugene: Chalice; Wipf & Stock. 2010 [2000]. ISBN 0-8272-1713-7.
• Jesus: The Village Psychiatrist. Louisville: Westminster/John Knox. 2008. ISBN 978-0-664-23240-5.
• Laughter Ever After... Ministry of Good Humor. St. Louis: Chalice. 2008. ISBN 978-0-8272-2141-3.
• Life Cycle Theory and Pastoral Care. Minneapolis; Eugene: Fortress; Wipf & Stock. 2002 [1983]. ISBN 1-59244-083-5.
• Living in Limbo: Life in the Midst of Uncertainty. with Nathan Carlin. Eugene: Wipf & Stock. 2010. ISBN 978-1-60899-522-6.
• Living Stories: Pastoral Counseling in Congregational Context. Minneapolis: Augsburg Fortress. 1998. ISBN 0-8006-3073-4.
  • 鮮活故事: 教會裏的牧養輔導 [Xian story: teach Club Med there Pastor 養 Counseling] (in Chinese). trans. 李金好. 香港 (Hong Kong): 基道出版社. 2005. ISBN 978-962-457-303-9. New Preface
• Losers, Loners, and Rebels: The Spiritual Struggles of Boys. with Robert C. Dykstra, and Allan Hugh Cole, Jr. Louisville: Westminster/John Knox. 2007. ISBN 978-0-664-22961-0.
• Men, Religion, and Melancholia: James, Otto, Jung, Erikson. New Haven: Yale University. 1997. ISBN 0-300-06971-5.
• Men and Their Religion: Honor, Hope, and Humor. Harrisburg: Trinity International. 2002. ISBN 1-56338-383-7.
• Pastoral Care: A Thematic Approach. Philadelphia; Eugene: Westminster; Wipf & Stock. 2003 [1979]. ISBN 0-664-24222-7.
• Pastoral Care and Hermeneutics. Philadelphia; Eugene: Fortress; Wipf & Stock. 2012 [1984]. ISBN 978-1-62032-353-3.
• The Pastoral Care Case: Learning About Care in Congregations. with Gene Fowler. St. Louis; Eugene: Chalice; Wipf & Stock. 2010 [2001]. ISBN 0-8272-2964-X.
• Pastoral Counseling and Preaching: A Quest for an Integrated Ministry. Philadelphia; Eugene: Westminster; Wipf & Stock. 2003 [1980]. ISBN 1-59244-297-8.
• The Poet's Gift: Toward the Renewal of Pastoral Care. Louisville: Westminster/John Knox. 1993. ISBN 0-664-25403-9.
• Reframing: A New Method in Pastoral Care. Minneapolis: Fortress. 1990. ISBN 0-8006-2413-0.
  • 易構: 牧養關顧的新方法 [Yi 構: Mu 養 Guan 顧 new method] (in Chinese). trans. 譚偉光. 香港 (Hong Kong): 基道出版社. 2005. ISBN 978-962-457-296-4. New Preface
• Social Phobia: Alleviating Anxiety in an Age of Self-promotion. St. Louis; Eugene: Chalice; Wipf & Stock. 2010 [1999]. ISBN 0-8272-3440-6.
• Striking Out: The Religious Journey of Teenage Boys. Eugene: Cascade. 2011. ISBN 978-1-61097-300-7.
• A Time to Laugh: The Religion of Humor. New York: Continuum. 2005. ISBN 0-8264-1641-1.
• Understanding Psychosis: Issues and Challenges for Sufferers, Families, and Friends. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield. 2010. ISBN 978-1-4422-0592-5.
• Young Clergy: A Biographical-Developmental Study. New York: Haworth. 2005. ISBN 0-7890-2670-8.
• You've Got to Be Kidding!: How Jokes Can Help You Think. with John M. Capps. Hoboken: John Wiley-Blackwell. 2009. ISBN 978-1-4051-9664-2.

Edited books and journal issues

• The Biographical Process: Essays in the History and Psychology of Religion. with Frank E. Reynolds. The Hague: Mouton. 1977. ISBN 90-279-7522-1.
• Clinical Handbook of Pastoral Counseling. with R. J. Wicks, R. D. Parsons. Mahweh: Paulist Press. 1985. ISBN 0-8091-2687-7.
• Encounter with Erikson: Historical Interpretation and Religious Biography. Formative Contemporary Thinkers. 2. with Walter H. Capps, M. Gerald Bradford. Missoula: Scholars Press. 1977.
• The Endangered Self (Monograph). 2. with Richard K. Fenn. Princeton: Princeton Theological Seminary. 1992. ISBN 1-882380-01-0.
• Freud and Freudians on Religion: A Reader. New Haven: Yale University. 2001. ISBN 0-300-08201-0.
• The Hunger of the Heart: Reflections on the Confessions of Augustine (Monograph). 8. with James E. Dittes. West Lafayette: Society for the Scientific Study of Religion (Purdue University). 1990. ISBN 0-932566-07-3.
• Individualism Reconsidered: Readings Bearing on the Endangered Self in Modern Society (Monograph). 1. with Richard K. Fenn. Princeton: Princeton Theological Seminary. 1992. ISBN 1-882380-00-2.
• James and Dewey on Belief and Experience. with John M. Capps. Chicago: University of Illinois. 2005. ISBN 0-252-07206-5.
• On Losing the Soul: Essays in the Social Psychology of Religion. with Richard K. Fenn. Albany: SUNY. 1995. ISBN 0-7914-2494-4.
• Psychology of Religion: A Guide to Information Sources. with Lewis Rambo, Paul Ransohoff. Detroit: Gale Research. 1976. ISBN 0-8103-1356-1.
• Re-calling Ministry. by James E. Dittes. St. Louis: Chalice. 1999. ISBN 0-8272-3217-9.
• Religion, Society, and Psychoanalysis: Readings in Contemporary Theory. with Janet Liebman Jacobs. Boulder: Westview. 1997. ISBN 0-8133-2648-6.
• The Religious Personality. with Walter H. Capps. Belmont: Wadsworth. 1970.
• "Special Issue: Papers presented at the first annual conference of the Group for New Directions in Pastoral Theology". Pastoral Psychology. New York: Kluwer Academic/Human Sciences. 59 (6): 657–842. 2010. ISSN 0031-2789. Retrieved 18 September 2011. With Robert C. Dykstra
• "Special Issue: Papers presented at the second annual conference of the Group for New Directions in Pastoral Theology". Pastoral Psychology. New York: Kluwer Academic/Human Sciences. 60 (3): 309–489. 2011. ISSN 0031-2789. Retrieved 18 September 2011. With Robert C. Dykstra
• "Special Issue: Tribute to James E. Dittes". Pastoral Psychology. New York: Kluwer Academic/Human Sciences. 52 (1-2): 3–189. 2003. ISSN 0031-2789. Retrieved 18 September 2011. With Robert C. Dykstra
• The Struggle for Life: A Companion to William James' The Varieties of Religious Experience (Monograph). 9. with Janet L. Jacobs. West Lafayette: The Society for the Scientific Study of Religion (Purdue University). 1995. ISBN 1-882380-02-9.

Selected book chapters and journal articles

• "Augustine's Confessions: Self-reproach and the Melancholy Self". Pastoral Psychology. New York: Kluwer Academic/Human Sciences. 55 (5): 571–591. 2007. doi:10.1007/s11089-007-0075-0. ISSN 0031-2789. Retrieved 28 September 2011.
• "Augustine's Confessions: The Story of a Divided Self and the Process of Its Unification". Pastoral Psychology. New York: Kluwer Academic/Human Sciences. 55 (5): 551–569. 2007. doi:10.1007/s11089-007-0074-1. ISSN 0031-2789. Retrieved 28 September 2011.
• "Dödssynder och narcissistiska jag: ett nytt perspektiv på omvändelsens psykologi" [Deadly Sins and the Narcissistic Self: A New Perspective in the Psychology of Conversion]. Religion och Samhalle (in Swedish). Stockholm: Religionssociologiska Institutet. 5 (43). 1989. ISSN 0283-0663. Translation of the doctoral (University of Uppsala) inaugural lecture.
• "Erik H. Erikson, Norman Rockwell, and the Therapeutic Functions of a Questionable Painting" (PDF). American Imago. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press. 65 (2): 191–228. 2008. doi:10.1353/aim.0.0016. ISSN 0065-860X. Retrieved 28 September 2011.
• "The Homosexual Tendencies of King James: Should this Matter to Bible Readers Today?". Pastoral Psychology. New York: Kluwer Academic/Human Sciences. 55 (6): 551–569. 2007. doi:10.1007/s11089-007-0077-y. ISSN 0031-2789. Retrieved 28 September 2011. With Nathan Steven Carlin
• "Identity with Jesus Christ: The Case of Leon Gabor". Journal of Religion and Health. New York: Kluwer Academic/Human Sciences. 49 (4): 560–580. 2010. doi:10.1007/s10943-009-9317-z. ISSN 0022-4197. Retrieved 28 September 2011.
• "John Henry Newman: A Study of Vocational Identity". Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion. Oxford: Blackwell. 9 (1): 33–51. 1970. doi:10.2307/1385152. ISSN 0021-8294. JSTOR 1385152.
• "John Nash, Game Theory, and the Schizophrenic Brain". Journal of Religion and Health. New York: Kluwer Academic/Human Sciences. 50 (1): 145–162. 2011. doi:10.1007/s10943-009-9291-5. ISSN 0022-4197. Retrieved 28 September 2011.
• "The Lessons of Art Theory for Pastoral Theology". Pastoral Psychology. New York: Kluwer Academic/Human Sciences. 47 (5): 321–346. 1999. doi:10.1023/A:1021306218981. ISSN 0031-2789. Retrieved 21 August 2010.
• "The Lessons of Artistic Creativity for Pastoral Theologians". Pastoral Psychology. New York: Kluwer Academic/Human Sciences. 59 (3): 249–264. 2010. doi:10.1007/s11089-009-0198-6. ISSN 0031-2789. Retrieved 28 September 2011.
• Belzen, Jacob A.; Corveleyn, Jozef, eds. (1999). "Melancholy and Motherhate: The Parabolic Fault-line in Erikson's 'Young Man Luther'". Crossing Boundaries in the Psychology of Religion. Åbo (Turku): Åbo Akademi. pp. 27–43. ISBN 952-12-0362-5.
• "Mental Illness, Religion, and the Rational Mind: The Case of Clifford W. Beers". Mental Health, Religion & Culture. New York: Routledge. 12 (2): 157–174. 2009. doi:10.1080/13674670802398543. ISSN 1367-4676. Retrieved 28 September 2011.
• "The Mysterium Tremendum: Its Childhood Origins" (PDF). Psychology of Religion Newsletter. Washington, D.C.: American Psychological Association Division 36. 20 (2): 6–15. 1995. Retrieved 21 September 2011. The 1994 William F. Bier Award Address of Division 36 of the American Psychological Association.
• Brown, Sally A.; Miller, Patrick D., eds. (2005). "Nervous Laughter: Lament, Death Anxiety, and Humor". Lament: Reclaiming Practices in Pulpit, Pew, and Public Square. Louisville: Westminster/John Knox. pp. 70–79. ISBN 0-664-22750-3.
• "Norman Vincent Peale, Smiley Blanton, and the Hidden Energies of the Mind". Journal of Religion and Health. New York: Kluwer Academic/Human Sciences. 48 (4): 507–527. 2009. doi:10.1007/s10943-009-9258-6. ISSN 0022-4197. Retrieved 28 September 2011.
• "The Parabolic Event in Religious Autobiography". Princeton Seminary Bulletin. Princeton: Princeton Theological Seminary. 4 (new) (1): 26–38. 1983. ISSN 0032-8413. Retrieved 21 September 2011. Inaugural address at Princeton Theological Seminary.
• "Pastoral Care and Psychology of Religion: Toward a New Alliance". Pastoral Psychology. New York: Kluwer Academic/Human Sciences. 26 (3): 187–200. 1978. doi:10.1007/bf01759741. ISSN 0031-2789. Retrieved 26 September 2010.
• "Relaxed Bodies, Emancipated Minds, and Dominant Calm". Journal of Religion and Health. New York: Kluwer Academic/Human Sciences. 48 (3): 368–380. 2009. doi:10.1007/s10943-009-9263-9. ISSN 0022-4197. Retrieved 28 September 2011.
• Belzen, Jacob A.; Wikström, Owe, eds. (1997). "Shame, Melancholy, and the Introspective Method in Psychology of Religion". Taking a Step Back: Assessments of the Psychology of Religion. Psychologia et Sociologia Religionum. 13. Uppsala: Acta Universitatis Upsaliensis. pp. 37–54. ISBN 91-554-4018-5.
• Childs, Brian H.; Waanders, David W., eds. (1994). "The Soul as the "Coreness" of the Self". The Treasure of Earthen Vessels: Explorations in Theological Anthropology. In Honor of James N. Lapsley. Louisville: Westminster John Knox. pp. 82–104. ISBN 0-664-25493-4.
• "Was William James a Patient at McLean Hospital for the Mentally Ill?". Pastoral Psychology. New York: Kluwer Academic/Human Sciences. 56 (3): 295–320. 2008. doi:10.1007/s11089-007-0115-9. ISSN 0031-2789. Retrieved 28 September 2011.

Secondary resources

• Dreyer, Yolanda (2005). "Reflections on Donald Capps' Hermeneutical Model of Pastoral Care". Hervormde teologiese studies. Pretoria: NHW-Pers. 61 (Part 1/2): 109–130. doi:10.4102/hts.v61i1/2.450. ISSN 0259-9422.
• Dykstra, Robert; Cole Jr., Allan Hugh, eds. (2009). "Special Issue: Tribute to Donald Capps". Pastoral Psychology. New York: Springer. 58 (5, 6): 443–693. ISSN 0031-2789. Retrieved 19 August 2010.
• Ellens, J. Harold, ed. (2002). "Special Issue: Jesus: A Psychological Biography". Pastoral Psychology. New York: Kluwer Academic/Human Sciences. 50 (6): 387–480. ISSN 0031-2789. Retrieved 19 August 2010.
• Linhares, Bruno J. (2010). "Dr. Donald E. Capps: Uma breve introdução à sua teologia pastoral. Parte 1 de 2" [Dr. Donald E. Capps: A Brief Introduction to His Pastoral Theology. Part 1 of 2]. Reflexus (in Portuguese). Vitória: Faculdade Unida de Vitória. 4 (IV): 37–64. ISSN 1982-0828.
• Linhares, Bruno J. (2011). "Dr. Donald E. Capps: Uma breve introdução à sua teologia pastoral. Parte 2 de 2" [Dr. Donald E. Capps: A Brief Introduction to His Pastoral Theology. Part 2 of 2]. Reflexus (in Portuguese). Vitória: Faculdade Unida de Vitória. 5 (V): 27–63. ISSN 1982-0828.
• Nørager, Troels, ed. (1990). Forandrigens mulighed: Essays om sjælesorg og praktisk teologi [Change is a Possibility: Essays on Pastoral and Practical Theology] (in Danish). Frederiksberg: ANIS. ISBN 87-7457-102-8. Selection, introduction and translation of previously published book chapters and articles by the editor. Afterword by Donald Capps.

References

1. "Professors Emeriti". Princeton Theological Seminary. Retrieved June 14, 2010.
2. "Adjunct Faculty". Princeton Theological Seminary. Retrieved June 14, 2010.
3. "Teologie hedersdoktorer" (in Swedish). Uppsala Universitet. Retrieved September 28, 2011.
4. "Princeton Theologian Donald Capps Dead at Age 76". Planet Princeton. August 27, 2015. Retrieved August 27, 2015.
5. Dykstra, Robert; Cole Jr., Robert, eds. (2009). "Books and Articles by Donald Capps". Pastoral Psychology. New York: Springer. 58 (5, 6): 681–693. doi:10.1007/s11089-009-0247-1. ISSN 0031-2789. Retrieved August 19, 2010.