Blog
This blog explores how our medical work can align with God’s purposes. We don’t have to guess how to connect our work to the Kingdom of God. Understanding how healthcare fits into the whole story of the Bible will help us recover a sure foundation. A solid integration of healthcare and mission will help us move ahead with confidence and joy.
-
Here is an email from an American doctor couple who have been serving in Africa for the past eight years. They gave me permission to share their insights after a retreat designed specifically for medical missionaries. They are learning priceless…
-
God’s presence with us
“What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and our hands have touched, concerning the word of life—2 and the life was revealed, and we have seen and…
-
Healthcare embodies the gospel
Compassionate care for others puts flesh on the gospel. Let’s look at how Paul encouraged believers to communicate the gospel by both words and deeds. Paul instructs Timothy to “retain the standard (hypotypos) of sound words that you have heard…
-
Christian care for the sick moves outwards
God guided the churches in the third century to serve both believers and non-believers. A severe epidemic swept through the Western Roman Empire in 250 AD and lasted for 20 years. The cause may have been plague or smallpox. At…
-
Christian care for the sick in the first centuries
How has the gospel shaped Christian care for the sick? In this post, we will explore the efforts of early Christians. Later, we will expand the story beyond the church to the broader community from approximately 500 to 1500 AD.…
-
Hospital versus community?
In the past 50 years, community health care has often been done apart from individual medical care. Medical mission efforts have suffered as a result. We need to know why and what to do about it.
-
A lesson from the “secret manual”: diversity in medical missions
A Nigerian lab technician serves in Malawi, and an Indian dentist shares Christ’s love in Liberia. Missionaries are increasingly coming from new sending countries in the Global South. As God raises missionaries worldwide, the future of Christian mission will undoubtedly…
-
Healthcare and making disciples. Do they go together?
After we heard and responded to God’s good news with faith, we became part of God’s family. We did what most babies do – they grow and learn many new things. That is what being a disciple (learner) is all…
-
What does it mean to be human?
We will care for patients better when we treat them as human persons, not objects. Christians have much to contribute to this important dialogue; the gospel calls us to this task.
-
What does the church have to do with health? The answer might surprise you.
Following Jesus sends us into the public square, enabling us to love others as God loves us. The church, as God’s people, is called to love others who are suffering. The church is important for true healthcare.
