What does the Lord require?” (Micah 6:8): Christian Theological Perspectives in Global Health
Martha C. Carlough, MD, MPH, MA, Theology, Medicine and Culture Initiative,Duke Global Health Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC; D. Brendan Johnson, MD, MTS, Brigham & Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA; Rebecca A. Martin, MD, FAAFP, Westchester Medical Center, New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY; E. Parker Savage, BS, University of North Carolina School of Medicine,Theology, Medicine and Culture Fellow, Duke University, Durham, NC; and Giang Ha, MD, Theology, Medicine and Culture Fellow, Duke University, Durham, NC
Christianity, the health of communities, and practices of health care in, through and adjacent to the church have a rich and complicated history. This is evidenced and interwoven throughout both the Old and New Testaments, and well as church history and practices, in all their glorious, hopeful and sometimes broken, complexity.
The Body of Christ is not delineated by national or political borders, even though particular institutions or regulatory bodies of church structure may wish it were so. It is increasingly clear – in the light of the global COVID-19 pandemic, major shifts in population migration, disruption and displacement, and the growing impact of climate change and ecological crises – that health also transcends traditional borders.
There is a long history of Christian engagement in global health, some of which has had lasting positive impacts on the health of communities; other facets have been harmful, connected to colonial occupation and oppression, or have even promoted health practices contrary to sound medical science. Good intentions are not enough. It seems that the church, when engagement is misguided, errs either on the side of focusing only on the physical aspects of healing, or conversely, using physical healing manipulatively, as a way of garnering converts -- with neither approach faithful to the comprehensive shalom in which Christ invites His church to participate. Conversely secular global health institutions such as academic global health centers, Washington DC or Geneva-based NGOs, and transnational pharmaceutical and medical technology companies, often do not draw on the resources of the church in their efforts. This results in a neglect of essential moral and cultural resources which are important for meaningful intervention.
Matching the interdisciplinary nature of health itself, global health necessarily involves cooperation beyond direct clinical care and research, and includes addressing needs surrounding food and water security, safe migration, adequate housing and socio-political stability. There are many ways in which the local and worldwide church, anchored by faithful, Christian theology, can serve and partner in ways that secular institutions otherwise struggle to do. By standing ‘below’ these institutions (on the ground and in the community) as well as ‘above’ them (in the ability to critique the entire ecosystem in which they have grown), the church’s resources can and have served as catalyst, multiplier, tutor, student, and the very framework itself for global health efforts. These include drawing on the strength of Catholic social tradition and liberation theologies, ethics informed by theologies of suffering and justice, philosophies of disease and healing, connections between personal and social suffering, and the personal formation of health care vocations.
As workshop leaders who are all aspiring, in-training, or practicing physicians, and whose faith has motivated our pursuit of education and work in global health world in various ways, we will be designing a workshop aimed towards allowing participants to explore and deepen their understanding of theologically-informed, holistic health in and for the world, reflecting on the nature of God’s Shalom and the biblical vision of comprehensive justice, including Tzedakah (distributive justice) and Mizpah (reparative justice). The speakers will:
The Body of Christ is not delineated by national or political borders, even though particular institutions or regulatory bodies of church structure may wish it were so. It is increasingly clear – in the light of the global COVID-19 pandemic, major shifts in population migration, disruption and displacement, and the growing impact of climate change and ecological crises – that health also transcends traditional borders.
There is a long history of Christian engagement in global health, some of which has had lasting positive impacts on the health of communities; other facets have been harmful, connected to colonial occupation and oppression, or have even promoted health practices contrary to sound medical science. Good intentions are not enough. It seems that the church, when engagement is misguided, errs either on the side of focusing only on the physical aspects of healing, or conversely, using physical healing manipulatively, as a way of garnering converts -- with neither approach faithful to the comprehensive shalom in which Christ invites His church to participate. Conversely secular global health institutions such as academic global health centers, Washington DC or Geneva-based NGOs, and transnational pharmaceutical and medical technology companies, often do not draw on the resources of the church in their efforts. This results in a neglect of essential moral and cultural resources which are important for meaningful intervention.
Matching the interdisciplinary nature of health itself, global health necessarily involves cooperation beyond direct clinical care and research, and includes addressing needs surrounding food and water security, safe migration, adequate housing and socio-political stability. There are many ways in which the local and worldwide church, anchored by faithful, Christian theology, can serve and partner in ways that secular institutions otherwise struggle to do. By standing ‘below’ these institutions (on the ground and in the community) as well as ‘above’ them (in the ability to critique the entire ecosystem in which they have grown), the church’s resources can and have served as catalyst, multiplier, tutor, student, and the very framework itself for global health efforts. These include drawing on the strength of Catholic social tradition and liberation theologies, ethics informed by theologies of suffering and justice, philosophies of disease and healing, connections between personal and social suffering, and the personal formation of health care vocations.
As workshop leaders who are all aspiring, in-training, or practicing physicians, and whose faith has motivated our pursuit of education and work in global health world in various ways, we will be designing a workshop aimed towards allowing participants to explore and deepen their understanding of theologically-informed, holistic health in and for the world, reflecting on the nature of God’s Shalom and the biblical vision of comprehensive justice, including Tzedakah (distributive justice) and Mizpah (reparative justice). The speakers will:
- Describe models of health, wholeness and justice that emerge from scripture, the history of the church, and diverse Christian traditions, outlining three elements of a healthy missional framework
- Reimagine ways in which faithful global health work may be informed through contemplation on Scripture
- Sketch the history, shifts and developmental trajectories of Christian involvement in global health, along with benefits, pitfalls and challenges of that involvement
- Explore the interplay between theological ethics, global public health, community health, and human rights from different Christian perspectives
- Offer participants an opportunity to explore and narrate their own positionality in global health from a faith perspective, identifying areas of desired growth and how attention to global health might fit their vocational trajectory