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Nurturing a Dreaming Spirit: Pastoral Presence during the Boyhood Years

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Abstract

The adventure stories that boys enjoy reading often depict male characters in their exposed becoming and dreaming. Boys are drawn to these adventuring characters in part because such characters portray a masculinity that feels more human than the otherwise stoic masculine norms of Western culture. Taking a cue from adventure literature, this paper addresses adventure and the dreaming spirit as avenues of self-understanding in boyhood. In adventure, this sense of exposure is not experienced in relation to shame but in relation to possibility. Adventure and the dreaming spirit are both motifs that lend themselves to Christian living. Viewing selfhood as adventure can provide boys with a self-concept that feels human. Boys do not always have friendships of mutual trust in their lives where they feel secure addressing their becoming and dreaming. Persons in pastoral roles can offer this kind of accompanying and affirming friendship to boys in their becoming.

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Acknowledgements

A special thanks to Sam, Mitchel, Peter, Curtis, and Nate for your book club recommendations used in this paper. Your voices have shaped my thinking.

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  1. Columbia Bible College, 2940 Clearbrook Rd., Abbotsford, BC, V2T 2Z8, Canada

    Chris D. Clements

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  1. Chris D. Clements
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Correspondence to Chris D. Clements.

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Clements, C.D. Nurturing a Dreaming Spirit: Pastoral Presence during the Boyhood Years. Pastoral Psychol 71, 127–139 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11089-021-00960-7

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