Christian Worldview Concepts

Medical Practitioners

A Dilemma for Christians

How should Christians position themselves within the medical culture today? Should we withdraw completely and attempt to establish our own system of medical care, or should we remain within the mainstream of the medical community? Neither option is completely satisfactory. The first option is not only dauntingly difficult to achieve it is ill advised. God has not called Christians to withdraw from the culture, but to engage it (1 Corinthians 5:9, 10; Colossians 4:5, 6). The second option of remaining uncritically in the mainstream and conforming to the image of the changing moral face of medicine means being absorbed and being silenced. I believe we must be present in the medical community, but present as dissidents. This does not mean we are to be belligerent or unnecessarily oppositional, but it does mean that the so-called "standards of care" accepted by the medical establishment may (and often do) run contrary to the moral principles of Christianity. On such occasions, believers must be prepared to make sacrifices for their moral and theological beliefs. It also means we must be prepared to clearly and patiently explain why we oppose certain practices or policies.