By Jason D Whitt This essay argues that an account of vocation that ties one’s work with divine calling stands counter to the biblical witness of calling in the New Testament. Rather than calling to a particular profession, the biblical account of calling is to a unique way of living that is to exemplify the […]

                            By Elizabeth Corey In today’s middle-class American culture, the pressure to achieve is overwhelming. Schools, both secular and religious, are seen as the primary vehicle for such achievement. We encourage students to push themselves relentlessly toward excellence in academics, extracurriculars, and […]

“It becomes every person who purposes to give himself to the care of others, seriously to consider the four following things: First, that he must one day give an account to the Supreme Judge for all the lives entrusted to his care. Second, that all his skill and knowledge and energy, as they have been […]

With gratitude to God, faith in Christ Jesus, and dependence on the Holy Spirit, I publicly profess my intent to practice medicine for the glory of God. With humility, I will seek to increase my skills. I will respect those who teach me and who broaden my knowledge. In turn, I will freely impart my […]

Medicine and Religion is the first book to comprehensively examine the relationship between medicine and religion in the Western tradition from ancient times to the modern era. Beginning with the earliest attempts to heal the body and account for the meaning of illness in the ancient Near East, historian Gary B. Ferngren describes how the […]

Gilbert Meilaender Now in its third edition, Meilaender’s Bioethics covers abortion, assisted reproduction, genetic research, suicide and euthanasia, human experimentation and much more in language that is theologically informed, straightforward, and clear. A perfect resource for those investigating these issues. From the Publisher. Get this book.

Daniel Sulmasy Sulmasy moves between the poetic and the speculative, addressing his subject in the tradition of great spiritual writers like Augustine and Bonaventure. He draws from philosophical and theological sources―specifically, Hebrew and Christian scripture―to illuminate how the art of healing is integrally tied to a sense of the divine and our ultimate interconnectedness. Health […]

Lydia Dugdale Most of us are generally ill-equipped for dying. Today, we neither see death nor prepare for it. But this has not always been the case. In the early fifteenth century, the Roman Catholic Church published the Ars moriendi texts, which established prayers and practices for an art of dying. In the twenty-first century, […]

Amos Young “Yong has done nothing less than provide the most comprehensive analysis we have of the philosophical issues surrounding Down syndrome. But more importantly, drawing on an account of the Holy Spirit, he helps us better appreciate how focusing on disability makes us re-think fundamental theological categories. I highly commend this book not only […]

James K. A. Smith A wonderful book that tries to speak to both academic and popular audiences. Addressing themes like the theology of culture, liturgy, and formation, Smith argues that what we love determines how we live our day to day lives and the “liturgies” that accompany this. Ultimately, it is these habits and practices […]

In Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church, top-selling author and Anglican bishop, N.T. Wright tackles the biblical question of what happens after we die and shows how most Christians get it wrong. We do not “go to” heaven; we are resurrected and heaven comes down to earth–a difference […]

In recent years, a movement stressing a causal relationship between spirituality and good health has captured the public imagination. Told that research demonstrates that people of strong faith are healthier, physicians and clergy alike urge us to become more religious. The religion and health movement, as it has become known, has attracted its fair share […]

In print for more than two decades, On Moral Medicine remains the definitive anthology for Christian theological reflection on medical ethics. This third edition updates and expands the earlier award winning volumes, providing classrooms and individuals alike with one of the finest available resources for ethics-engaged modern medicine. From Publisher Get this book.

Leslie Newbigin A longtime missionary to India returns to the UK to realize that a bigger missionary challenge lies in the modern West. Newbigin gives a historical account of the roots of the conflict between Christian “liberals” and “fundamentalists,” paving the way for confident affirmation of the gospel as public truth in a pluralistic world. […]

C.S. Lewis In this brief but profound essay Lewis uses a simple analogy to differentiate between two valid and complementary ways of knowing: looking at a beam of light and looking along it. He famously says, “I believe in Christ as I believe the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because […]

Marva J. Dawn Dawn summarizes the church’s teaching about principalities and powers, expanding our understanding of their modern structural equivalents and exhorting us to tame them by embracing our weakness and trusting in the Spirit’s greater power. From Ed. Get this book.

This is the original version of the famed Hippocratic Oath, which physicians 2500 years ago took. While we no longer swear by the Greek gods, notice the deeply religious overtones of this oath. In addition, one can see how in the second paragraph, medicine is very much a carefully guarded body of knowledge. Finally, notice the emphasis […]

Farr Curlin This is an excellent overview of the theology of medicine by the founding director of the University of Chicago’s Program in Medicine & Religion. Helpfully borrows and summarizes from Shuman and Volck’s work in particular. From Ed. This article was originally published in the journal Health & Development, published by the Christian Community […]

Although hospitality was central to Christian identity and practice in earlier centuries, our generation knows little about its life-giving character. Making Room revisits the Christian foundations of welcoming strangers and explores the necessity, difficulty, and blessing of hospitality today. Combining rich biblical and historical research with extensive exposure to contemporary Christian communities — the Catholic […]

Paul Tournier Tournier was a Swiss physician and author of over twenty volumes on the interface of medicine, theology, and personhood. A contemporary of C.S. Lewis, he has a similar combination of evangelical piety, brilliance, and sacramental mindset. From Ed. Get this book.

Leon Kass Provides and excellent working definition of health from one of the most well-respected thinkers of modern times. From Ed. View PDF.

Compare to the ancient version of this oath. From Ed. I swear to fulfill, to the best of my ability and judgment, this covenant: I will respect the hard-won scientific gains of those physicians in whose steps I walk, and gladly share such knowledge as is mine with those who are to follow. I will […]

Charles Williams C.S. Lewis said that this book helped him understand pride like no other.  Since pride is a malady that many of us struggle with, this little novel is particularly important. From Ed Novelist, poet, critic, and dramatist Williams uses fiction to explore how people react when the supernatural enters their lives, and how then […]

With this new book Verhey brings the biblical tradition to bear on contemporary bioethical concerns. Drawing on an unmatched depth of insight in these two realms, Verhey explores how the Bible can illuminate and guide medical ethics. He argues that churches are called to think and speak clearly about bioethical concerns, and he lays out […]

Joel Shuman and Brian Volck One of the best books dealing with the intersection of faith and medicine. Written by a Catholic pediatrician and a Methodist theologian. Very thought-provoking for medical professionals and “laity” alike, especially in its polemic against “medical Gnosticism. From Ed. Get this book.

Walker Percy A mock self-help book that pokes fun at the genre, all the while inviting us to think about our place in the universe. From Ed. Walker Percy’s mordantly funny and wholly original contribution to the self-help book craze deals with the Western mind’s tendency toward heavy abstraction. This favorite of Percy fans continues […]

Margaret E. Mohrmann Mohrmann is a pediatrician and philosopher at the University of Virginia who thoughtfully examines how Christians should approach medicine. Well worth the price of the book for her chapter on the idolatry of health and medicine. From Ed. Get this book.

In this classic work, Alasdair MacIntyre examines the historical and conceptual roots of the idea of virtue, diagnoses the reasons for its absence in personal and public life, and offers a tentative proposal for its recovery. While the individual chapters are wide-ranging, once pieced together they comprise a penetrating and focused argument about the price […]

This book is for anyone who has ever wept and wondered, “Why?” Peter Kreeft observes that our world is full of billions of normal lives that have been touched by apparently pointless and random suffering. This account of a real and honest personal quest is both engaging and convincing. Written from a deep well of […]

Boethius One of the most influential Christian philosophical books ever written, written by a 6th century Christian as he awaited execution in prison. Read this after reading “The Problem of Pain”. Not a fast read. From Ed. Get this book on Amazon or for free at Project Gutenberg. This eBook is for the use of anyone […]

Here, in this compelling assembly of writings, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Annie Dillard explores the world of natural facts and human meanings. From goodreads Get this book.

Francis S. Collins The personal testimony of the physician-director of the NIH and former leader of the Human Genome Project, detailing his own understanding of the harmony between science and Christian belief. From Ed. Does science necessarily undermine faith in God? Or could it actually support faith? Beyond the flashpoint debates over the teaching of […]

Written by G. K. Chesterton, Orthodoxy addresses foremost one main problem: How can we contrive to be at once astonished at the world and yet at home in it? Chesterton writes: He says, “I wish to set forth my faith as particularly answering this double spiritual need, the need for that mixture of the familiar […]

The President’s Council on Bioethics View PDF…

Leon Kass, ed. New York: W. W. Norton & Co. Inc., 2004. Get this book This book, curated by the President’s Council on Bioethics, is a helpful introduction to major literary works that help readers to think about bioethical issues in an accessible way. Each reading comes with a useful introduction and thought-provoking questions to spark further discussion. From Ed.