W hen God first spoke to him out of the burning bush, Moses' simple reply was 'Here I am' (Exodus 3:4). In Hebrew the word is [hineini]. It is with the same word that a young Samuel responded when he thought that Eli, rather than God was calling him in...
'If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.' (1) T here is great power in God's people coming...
W hen the World Medical Association (WMA) was formed in the 1940s, it was as an ethical bulwark against the extremes of Nazi medicine. It has subsequently maintained a strong support for freedom of conscience and active opposition to euthanasia and physician assisted suicide. (1) However, at the WMA General...
key points For most of the history of the West health and social care has been the preserve of family, church and local community. As healthcare has become professionalised there has been a loss of social solidarity and the marginalisation of vocation. With the NHS facing a mounting crisis of resources, Christians are...
You can hardly have missed the coverage of the 70th birthday of Britain's National Health Service (NHS) in early July (unless you are not based in the UK, in which case, bear with us). (1) As Andrew Fergusson explains in more detail in his article in this edition, the advent of...
Events in the Middle East over the last few years have challenged the long-held belief that medical services are neutrals and not to be attacked by either side. In Syria, as the civil war has headed towards its climax, bombing of hospitals has become alarmingly frequent. (1) In Yemen, a...
Key points Expected reductions in the American aid and development budget will further weaken the global response to major health challenges. Funding cuts to agencies such as Marie Stopes and Planned Parenthood may provide openings for faith-based agencies to bid for funds. War situations continue to force millions to become refugees....
In the first weeks of the New Year, the usual acute winter pressures on the NHS reached their worst crisis point in many years. (1) An alarming number of hospitals were on black alert with stories of patients waiting in ambulances for hours to be seen in A&E and the...
'I would rather feel compassion than know the meaning of it' Thomas Aquinas Sometimes we know something when we see it, but we cannot fully explain it or define it in words. Compassion is something we all recognise when we see it in practice, but pinning it down to a...
What a busy day! Three refugee families have turned up at the church centre, this in the middle of the morning drop-in, needing advice on how to get appointments with the GP and how to fill in forms. Several mums with young children and elderly parishioners have come for advice...
