Federation of Fire Chaplains
Advanced Studies
Theodicy and Trauma
As chaplains and pastoral care providers, we are inevitably asked why God would allow some terrible thing to happen. It is Job’s, “Why?” In the fire service, people often ask us this question as we respond to disasters, accidents, and health crisis. We often ask ourselves the same questions as we bear witness to their injuries and suffering. As chaplains, we are expected to know the answer to these questions, even as we wrestle with them ourselves.
Theodicy is the attempt to reconcile our faith and beliefs with our personal experience of pain, suffering and evil. This course conceptualizes theodicy as a process using a seven-factor model that people commonly usw to reconcile the incongruities between their faith and experience. It will enable care givers to listen for key words and phrases that indicate where individuals are in this process and to assess its potential to contribute to posttraumatic stress or posttraumatic growth.
Participants can expect to be able to identify each of the seven factors that contribute to creating a theodicy and identify helpful ways to respond to them. They will also be given opportunities to reflect and develop their personal theodicies, to assist them in using their own faith resources in response to their constant exposure to the suffering and questions of others.
Teaching Bio
The Rev Dr Edgar Hatcher is a retired Air Force chaplain with more than 40 years of pastoral experience. He is an approved instructor for more than 15 different International Critical Incident Stress Foundation courses and holds all ICISF Certificates of Specialized Training. A lifetime member of the National Organization for Victim Assistance, he also teaches courses in Psychological First Aid, Moral and Spiritual Injury, and Clergy Sexual Assault Response. Chaplain Ed Hatcher is the Associate Director of the Midwest Region of the Federation of Fire Chaplains and Secretary/Treasurer of the Missouri Fire Chaplain Corps. A Licensed Professional Counselor, Ed holds a Doctor of Education in Community Pastoral Counseling from Argosy University, specializing in trauma, EMDR, and play therapies. He serves as pastor of Peace Lutheran Church in Sullivan, Missouri, and is active in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America’s outreach to veterans and their families.
Time
Please note: The scheduled class time is Eastern Time (U.S.)
Central Time (U.S.) subtract 1 hour
Mountain Time (U.S.) subtract 2 hours
Pacific Time U.S.) subtract 3 hours
The room will be open 15 minutes early, at 8:45 AM, to insure that everyone is logged in and ready to go at 9:00 AM
Contact Information
Edgar Hatcher
1410 Whispering Pines Drive
St Louis MO 63146
e-mail: edhat@earthlink.net
(C) 618-207-9487
If you must cancel your registration, please contact Jimmie Duncan. He will cancel your registration and refund your payment. His contact information is:
Jimmie Duncan
(469) 955-1522
FFC.chaplain@gmail.com
