Category: Biblical Foundations
-
Social concern by evangelicals in the 1800s
Social concern by evangelical Christians was a high priority before 1900.
-
A new era in Roman healthcare
We take for granted that compassion is a natural response to the suffering of those who are ill. But compassion was not well-developed as a virtue in Roman culture. Rome had not developed a culture of compassion; “mercy was discouraged, as it only helped those too weak to contribute to society.” Family members may come…
-
Not the way it’s supposed to be
“The veins of sin interlace with most of the rest of what’s wrong with our lives — through birth disorders, disease, accident and nuisance. Thousands of Third World children die daily from largely preventable diseases: out of laziness or complacency, certain grownups fail to prevent them. Thousands of First World children are born drug addicts:…
-
Taking it in steps?
A missionary doctor, nurse or health provider in his or her first term is all enthusiasm. After all, he or she may think, “After all that preparation, let’s get on with the real work!” But those first few years show how much more there is to learn! First there is the adjustment to the new…
-
“…not merely a doctor”
“The doctor has so objectified himself that he never faces up to himself and his own life at all.” “Somewhere in Pembrokshire a tombstone is said to bear the inscription, ‘John Jones, born a man, died a grocer.’ There are many whom I have had the privilege of meeting whose tombstone might well bear the…
-
Life-risking courage in the cause of love
This audio podcast by John Piper helps us address the question of loving others. How do I love to the fullest measure? How do I ensure that my good deeds are not selfish ambition disguised as love? He says, “If you abandon your quest to be satisfied in God to the fullest measure, you will…
-
"Every Good Endeavor"
Tim Keller tackles the dualism of sacred vs secular work head on, helping us integrate our faith and work. We are not immune to this dualism in healthcare missions. One of our medical missionaries said to me that she was told ‘to get a ministry’ outside of the 70 hours-per-week that she was working in…
-
Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection and the Mission of the Church
What would the resurrection have to do with the mission of the church? NT Wright makes a plea for us to connect the two. Our modern assumptions about life after death seem to disconnect the reality of life in this world and the next, but the Bible does just the opposite. “It has often been…
-
Are we losing our compassion?
When we reflect on the reasons to come alongside those who are hurting physically and serve them around the world, compassion must be the #1 reason. It was the foundation of the early church’s response to human suffering around them, even before medical care became more professional. The prophet Malachi exhorts God’s people to “do…
-
The Cape Town Commitment of faith and call to action – – the mission of God
Here is a rich description of the mission which God calls us to as believers, expressed in the words of the Lausanne commitment at Cape Town, South Africa This is section 10 of that commitment word for word. It is an exciting and joyous mission. How are you involved? We love the mission of God…
