June 2019
Thank you very much
to all those who sent me good wishes after my injury; I am pleased to be able
to say that the pain has gone, my ribs have healed up and I am back to full
strength.
Some have asked
about the final thought of my March letter when I said that I thanked Jesus for hospitals.
“Trace the lines back from today’s desire and ability to heal people; so
many of them go to the one who went around ‘healing every kind of disease and
sickness’”. I wrote ‘so many’ and not
‘all’ because of course there are other people and movements that have led to
our healthcare system. But think about
these four foundations:
1. Compassion. Ask the historians and
sociologists whether compassion is a universal human response to suffering and
sickness or not. The worldwide symbol of
Christian faith does not commemorate Jesus’ teaching but rather his execution,
as he willingly sacrificed his life to save the lives of others. “By his wounds we are healed” (Isaiah
53:5). Is there a more powerful
motivation for compassion?
2. Science. A scientific understanding of
the world, combined with skill in changing it, flourished in those countries
that accepted what the Bible teaches – that God is predictable, not
capricious. The workings of the world
are therefore understandable, experiments are repeatable, and medicine is
worthwhile because our lives are not ruled by chance or fate.
3. A high view of human life.
Jesus affirmed the Old Testament that teaches that every human being,
from those who are just conceived to those who are close to death, is a person
made in God’s image and therefore precious to him. No one is ‘too much trouble’.
4. Good staff relationships. In
any organisation finding a way for people to get on with each other and work
well together is nearly always the biggest challenge. Who else can rival Jesus’ teaching and
example on this? “The kings
of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who exercise authority over them
call themselves Benefactors. But you are
not to be like that … I am among you as one who serves.” (Luke 22:25-27)
I wholeheartedly
recommend this thought-provoking book by the Indian philosopher Vishal
Mangalwadi: ‘The Book That Made Your World – How the Bible Created the Soul of
Western Civilization’.
Sincerely
Graham Burrows