by Beth Snodderly
“What are viruses? Where do viruses come from?”
“In what ways do you think viruses could be a result of the Fall?”
“In what ways can Christians participate in redemptive work involving viruses?”
Photo credit: Sanofi Pasteur - Flickr
Ebola and AIDS are two deadly scourges that have killed thousands. There is good news and bad news about these pandemics.
Read MoreResources compiled by Timothy Skinner
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 MoreReviews by Rebecca Lewis
Rebecca Lewis summarizes the main thesis and gives a short author bio for each book reviewed in this article.
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
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.
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 Moreby Brian Lowther and Beth Snodderly]
The enemy we face is God’s enemy and disease is one of the enemy’s tools. What is the role of health practitioners, then, to those in harm’s way in this war-torn world? This abstract includes a link to the full article.
Read Moreby Brian Lowther
The Roberta Winter Institute responds to the problem of evil and the hard questions of why disease can exist and destroy.
Read Moreby Jim Harries
AIDS, Behavior, and Culture presents a bold challenge to the prevailing wisdom of “the global AIDS industry” and offers an alternative framework for understanding what works in HIV prevention. Arguing for a behavior-based approach, Green and Ruark make the case that the most effective programs are those that encourage fundamental behavioral changes such as abstinence, delay of sex, faithfulness, and cessation of injection drug use.
Read MoreView videos of select presentations from the Consultation for Disease and Unreached Peoples.
Read Moreby 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.
Read Moreby Michael Soderling, MD
The author reflects on the worldview aspect of the burgeoning Ebola crisis. A fascinating, though sad, look inside the challenges rooted in worldview in Liberia, Sierra Leone, and so many other African countries.
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