What legal rights and moral obligations do clergy have when the pastor-penitent relationship clashes with the demands of a court of law? Since 1964, The Right to Silence has been the major reference on this explosive issue.

Now this classic resource has been completely revised and expanded to incorporate important changes in state and federal law. Included are new judicial rulings, official positions taken by various denominations, the changing role of clergy, important discussions of child abuse and abuse of the elderly, and updated, state-by-state listings of laws that affect these issues. The volume is fully documented, with case histories, references, footnotes, and subject, author, and case indexes.