The Ohio Independent Baptist, April 1964

A Christian Doctor's By Charles H. Rhodes, M.D. h )Uld n1cdi inc be an end in it lf (. r nl, the n1ean to the end of c, ang 11~ n1') Th1 qu ti n ha often n debat d and tinf rtt1nat 1) there ha " he n n1t1 h mi under tanding n the ubj t. ,,, thi que tion ha been a led thi \\Titer. How have I a a hri tian ph)· ician re olved the apparent dilen1n1a of .. erving' ' medi– cine and Chri t at the ame time? t \Vheaton thi } ear there ha been n1uch di cu ion of the topic: Chri t and or culture. Thi form the backdrop for the question which was po ed. Regardl of the academic frame\\'Ork the que tion for the Chri tian ph 1 1 sician remain the same. Often we get wrong an wer be– cau e we ask the wrong question . Thi i true of the que tion above. Let~ examine the two a ,pects of the dichotomy produced by thi que tion. Fir t, con ider medical benefits as an end in them elve . Do we mean the cultural value of easing pain, prolonging life just for their own ake? Or do we mean meeting human needs in a similar way to the way that Christ did thi ? Tho e who recognize Chri tian values beyond the mere hu– man level realize we mus,t take the econd alternative. The key is the ~ ay Chri t met human needs. How did He do thi ? Granted we have humanitarian acts of love issuing from Cbri t such as raising the dead, giving ight to the blind, and hearing to the deaf. Yet. this was done within His mis ion to mankind which was not only to serve but to give His life as a ransom for many (Mk. 10:45), to redeem men and open to them the fullne s of life. Therefore, if we as ph 1 ·sicians who are called to be Hi ambas adors only "serve ' without the balance of hGod making His appeal through us"' (II Cor. 5: 20) our medical practice and ministry is not the full-orbed life God intends for u . On the other hand, when we con- ider medicine as a means to an e, 1 angel1st1c end we are faced with the further question: What is the ultimate goal of eViangelism? Or is evangeli m PAGE 4 APRIL, 1964 DILEMMA the final aim? We mu t conclude C\ ange1 i n1 i only the door that open t n1en the fulne f life in hri t. The goal e pre cd by the apo tie Paul wa "that ,ve may pre ent every n1an mature in hrist' ' (Col. 1: 28). Thi we believe to mean the full, in– tegrated Chri tian life. Mi ionary phy ician don't to,p 1treating nation– al once they become Chri tian . either do we treat the Chri tian national and other mi ionarie only to the end th 1 ait they can be more Dr. CJiarles H. Rhodes, surgeon, is a missionary appointee under Bap– tist l\lid-1'\Iissions to lppy H ospital, Certtral African Republic, where he will join Dr. Gerald Fisher. l1i this article he clarifies the goal of 1\Iedical Alissions. Dr. Rhodes pre– sented this message at the 36t7i A1'iniial l\Jeeting of the Ohio As– sociati01i of Regular Baptist Chiirches in Toledo. effective evangelists. No, the Chris– tian physician u es his skill to en– courage health and prolong life so that every patient may enter into the full, mature Christian 'life. Converse– ly, to regard medicine as only a ervice to mankind and to divorce it from our responsibility as am– bas adors of Jesus Christ are to betray our calling. Before men and women can enjoy the abundant life in Christ they must be reconciled to God. Thi is basic. The cultural, hu– man values of medicine must be seen in view of those eternal values which the Go pel opens up to us. Christ began with the human need which all men recognized - needs for physical sight, restoration, and healing. He met the e need . But always he ought to open men's spiritual eye to eternal values. He did not stop when He sup.plied men s physical needs, but moved onward and upward to men's piritual need of reconciliation to God. Our task i the same today. ow let's look at the full implica– tion of the original question. We must not nsk: ~l,011lcl n1cdicinc be nn end i 11 i tscl f? Rn thcr we must ask: ho11ld "life· be an enc.I in itself? If it is life < ,, ,o<.i's terms, life that is available tl1rot1gl1 Jestis hrist Jife which gl rifics (,ocl. the ans.wcr i yes. f cdicinc as it contribttles to thi<; (,cx.1- ccn tcrec.1 abt1ntlant life is a valid end. We 1m111cd1atcly note that in thi c ntc t n1c<.11cine is not an c11d in I t".)c) f. J., ikcwise, medicine tran ccnds being a tool to cvangcli m. Merely introducing men to hri t is not our final goal a hri tians. The hris– tian doctor i working toward the an1e goal a the mini ter or mission- ary of hri t ' 'That we may prc- cnt every man mature (complete) in hrist." God's Mercy at work One more aspect of medicine hould be noted. Dr. Paul Tournier points out most clearly that medicine i a mean in God's hand of patiently extending Hi mercy and grace. Man's rebellion against God has brought on uffering and death as its conse– quence. The Chri 'lian sees God's mercy at work through modern medicine. Longer life expectancy, the re toration of health, and allevi– ation of suffering are a partial miti– gation of the con equences of sin. Grace and mercy are extended to us alway that He mighit reinstate us into that living, vital, relation hip with Him elf. "And so,' ' as Professor Cour– oi er write , "the vocation of medicine i a ervice to which those are called who through their studies and the natural gifts with which the Creator ha endowed them . . . are especially fitted to tend the ick and to heal them. Whether or not they are aware of it, whether or not they are be– lievers, this is from the Chri tian point of view fundamental, that doc– tors are, by their profe ion, fellow workers with God . . . beeau e their activity is itself a sign of God's patience. It is not Hi will that men hould be lo t, but that they hould all come to the knowledge of Hi Son and of His alvation." How do the e principles apply in the practice ' of medicine? Three critical areas of our lives if properly committed to God re olve the ap– parent dilemma that eems to be f ac– ing u . The e area - which must be con idered regardle of our voca– tion or profes ion - are the call of God for our life work, our moti– vation a Christian , and our com– mi ion by Christ. When we are convinced God has THE OHIO INDEPENDENT BAPTIST