Here
are a few brief excerpts from a book titled “Why Jesus Matters,” by Bruce
Bickel and Stan Jantz:
“…Jesus matters in
the realm of health and medicine because he inspired compassion in people to
attend to the sick and dying. The love of Christ…has prompted scientists,
physicians, nurses, and missionaries to bring medical help to people around the
globe.”
“Under the auspices
of the Christian church (through the Council of Nicaea), the first organized
establishment of hospitals began in 325 A.D. In the United States, the
forerunners of hospitals were ‘almshouses’ started by the Quakers. The leading
historian on the creation of hospitals in America is Professor Charles E.
Rosenberg of the University of Pennsylvania, who has said early hospitals in
the U.S. were ‘framed and motivated by the responsibilities of Christian
stewardship.’”
“The predecessors of
modern nurses were women who joined convents specifically to attend to the sick
and dying. Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing was a devout
Christian woman. She began her work in a Christian commune in Germany…”
MY COMMENT:
It is
true that Christians do not always behave in a way which is consistent with the
teachings of Jesus. I have been in the church my whole life and have been a
pastor for over 20 years and I don’t think I have ever met a Christian who
would deny this reality. However, it is also true that in response to the
authentic presence of Jesus in their lives, countless Christians over the past 2000 years have reached
out with compassion, mercy, hope, and very practical help that has resulted in profound,
widespread, life-changing good in our world.
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