In what ways are followers of Jesus demonstrating God's loving character through caring for the sick, preventing disease, and even attempting to eradicate some diseases?
Photo credit: Sanofi Pasteur - Flickr
A post shared from the Roberta Winter Institute website.
There is a considerable list of diseases which we know how to extinguish, but haven’t taken the trouble to extinguish. Below are five reasons why disease eradication is worth the trouble and five reasons why the body of Christ should play a significant role.
Read Moreby Brian Lowther
“There is absolutely no evidence I know of in all the world of any theologically driven interest in combating disease at its origins. I have not found any work of theology, any chapter, any paragraph, nor to my knowledge any sermon urging us—whether in the pew or in professional missions—to go to battle against the many disease pathogens we now know to be eradicable.” —Ralph D. Winter, December 2001
This quote has inspired much of our effort here in the Roberta Winter Institute. It has also compelled us to search high and low to prove this notion wrong. In recent years a few initiatives addressing malaria have cropped up; some led by Christian groups.
Read Moreby Beth Snodderly
God is not the author of disease and suffering although he certainly uses it to bring about good things in this fallen world where humans and angels make free choices that result in the evil and suffering.
Read MoreResources compiled by Timothy Skinner
Read Moreby Beth Snodderly
Spoiler Alert: The answer is “both.” In this Reflection I compare comments by Ralph Winter in his article, “The Story of Our Planet,” with comments by philanthropist Bill Gates and psychologist Steven Pinker.
Read Moreby Rebecca Lewis
In discussing the theology of disease, there are several ways this topic can be approached. I will touch on two aspects: what we believe about God’s design of nature in relationship to disease, and what we believe we should do about disease as a result.
Read Moreby Beth Snodderly
Paul Pierson’s answer to this question gives a good description of shalom: grace, health, education, safety, well-being for all people.
These qualities flow from being in right relationship with God, as seen in Jeremiah’s prophecy that tied the concept of “prosperity” (Hebrew: shalom) to God’s forgiveness for the peoples’ “… sins of rebellion against me. Then this city will bring me renown, joy, praise and honor before all nations on earth that hear of all the good things I do for it; and they will be in awe and will tremble at the abundant prosperity and peace I provide for it” (Jer. 33:8, 9).
From this passage, it is clear that shalom is a quality that is observable.…
Read Moreby Beth Snodderly
One way to describe the overarching goal Ralph Winter had in mind for the Roberta Winter Institute (RWI) was “to prompt the theological world to begin working on a ‘theology of disease.’” He reflected on the types of inadequate responses to disease that are prevalent in the evangelical world and concluded that this was an obstacle to the spread of the gospel among thinking people in major unreached blocs of the world’s peoples.
Read MoreView videos of select presentations from the Consultation for Disease and Unreached Peoples.
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