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Copy of HEALTH AND DISEASE

Health and Disease

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

Posts tagged healing
Reflection: What Does God Want Human Life to Look Like?

by 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.…

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Editorshalom, health, disease, eradication, healingComment
Reflection: Health and Shalom

by Beth Snodderly

Recently I read a Florida State University dissertation, “Shalom and its relationship to health/healing in the Hebrew Scriptures.”* A society that is healthy and experiencing shalom, is one that is in right relationship with God’s cosmic order. In a sick society, the righteous suffer at the hands of deceitful and untruthful people. That sounds familiar. Bribery is a way of life in much of the under-developed world. This dissertation gives a biblical explanation for that under-development.

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Editorhealth, healing, culture, shalom, evilComment
Reflection: Ezekiel 47, Psalm 1, and Revelation 22: “Leaves for Healing”

by Beth Snodderly

The current Ebola crisis and many plagues throughout history have at their root a lack of good sanitation which would be present in any society following the principles of God’s Word. The Old Testament is full of instructions to Israel for national development—personal, societal, health, sanitation, spiritual, etc. The principles from God’s instructions to Israel can help any society figure out how to start getting things right—international development. Being right with God is at the root of the solution in every case, including fighting disease.

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Editorhealing, Scripture, development, ebola, sanitationComment