CMDA Today - Spring 2024

CMDA TODAY

Volume 55 • Number 1 • Spring 2024

What Does It Mean to Be

Entrusted with the Gospel “My Masters in Bioethics from TEDS gave me critical knowledge that enabled me to do hundreds of media interviews each year, train healthcare professionals, write for publications, and affect public policy decisions at the state and federal levels.”

DR. DAVID STEVENS ’02

The Master of Arts in Bioethics How should we think about moral and ethical issues related to healthcare, scientific research, and emerging technology? The Master of Arts in Bioethics from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (TEDS) will provide you with the ethical and theological understanding you need to approach these questions with skill and care. Our program will equip you to work in healthcare, science, law, advocacy, clergy, and more.

• We offer the MA in Bioethics in several delivery formats and it is designed to be flexible with busy professionals in mind.

• Complete the program in person or online (with one or two weeklong summer courses).

Why Earn a Master of Arts in Bioethics at TEDS? At TEDS, you’ll not only study bioethics from a rigorous academic perspective but also explore how Christian faith informs and influences the field. We’ll give you the framework and tools to understand and navigate these issues with clarity and compassion.

Get access to The Center for Bioethics & Human Dignity (CBHD), Trinity’s world-class Christian bioethics center The Center engages in research and cultural-engagement initiatives. As a student, you’ll be able to attend CBHD events, including their annual conference.

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CEO Editorial Mike Chupp, MD, FACS

On The Frontlines for The Battle of Truth

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had the privilege of hosting author and speaker Rosaria Butterfield several weeks ago on our weekly podcast, CMDA Matters. Her new book, The Five Lies of Our Anti-Christian Age, is a must read if you or a family member are struggling with the deceptions of LGBTQ-ism or radical feminism, or if you are pursuing a God honoring balance of truth and love in your family or professional spheres on these issues. Rosaria, as a former lesbian and feminist activist professor at Syracuse University, is a formidable truth speaker in our culture.

Something she said to me at the outset of our conversation was sobering and yet inspiring: “Dr. Chupp, I love CMDA because you serve as a greatly needed resource and support for those who are battling on the frontlines of these issues.” She is not the only non-medical professional to come to this conclusion. I have heard similar comments from leaders at the Colson Center, at Dallas Theological Seminary, at the Heritage Foundation, from state legislators and from faith-based legal advocates working at Alliance Defending Freedom, the Beckett Fund and the Christian Legal Society.

“Dr. Chupp, I love CMDA because you serve as a greatly needed resource and support for those who are battling on the frontlines of these issues.”

Do you see yourself as Rosaria Butterfield and other U.S. Christian cultural influencers see you—as a soldier “on the frontlines” and in the trenches for truth, justice and the kingdom of God? As a healthcare professional, I am quite sure you have accepted your role as advocate for patients, their families and for healthier communities, and you may have even supported healthcare colleagues who are burnt out or “on the ropes” in their practices.

Being on the “frontlines” in our current context reminds me of the huge challenges that faced the Jewish exiles who returned from Babylon under Nehemiah’s leadership. Finding Jerusalem in ruins, they attempted to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem in record time to ensure the safety and security of the returned remnant. In the process, they had to wield weapons of war in one hand while holding building tools in the other. I am guessing sleep was at a premium and stress

levels were off the charts for this Jewish remnant. I wonder how many second-guessed their choice to leave the relative comfort of their lives back in Babylon and maybe even resented the fact that Nehemiah and his leadership team were asking so much of them. Do you ever feel like a wall-builder tasked to add a responsibility you never signed up for? Your professional responsibilities can stretch you to the max, leaving little to no margin for anything else. The very notion that you, as a Christian in healthcare, should engage in advocacy for truth “on the frontlines” might seem impossible or unfair.

Culturally Relevant is one of eight guiding core values of your CMDA, including Christ-like, Compassionate, Committed to Scripture, Communing in Prayer, Controlled by the Spirit, Courageous and Competent. I am convinced that protecting our patients and our society from the consequences of distorted truth in our U.S. healthcare context (including truth related to the sanctity of life, gender and sexuality, addictions, conscience freedoms and the impact of faith upon health and well-being) makes our efforts and those of our members more culturally relevant than ever.

I looked up the definition for the word “relevant” and found the word comes from the medieval Latin word “relevare,” which means “to raise, lift up.” Our 2024 CMDA National Convention will take place at Ridgecrest Conference Center near Black Mountain, North Carolina on May 2-5. Our theme this year is “Raising His Banner” from Isaiah 11:10-12. Could there be a more relevant truth to raise as Christians in healthcare than the message of the cross of the Root of Jesse, a “…banner for the nations…” according to Isaiah 11:12?

I hope you will join us for our annual convention in May and choose to be one of those Christ followers who is willing to accept the responsibility of taking up the sword of the Word of Truth in one hand, while diligently performing the professional tasks that the Great Physician and your patients have entrusted to you in 2024. CMDA is here to educate, encourage and equip you for those very tasks in 2024 and beyond!

Mike Chupp, MD, FACS, is the CEO of CMDA. He graduated with his medical degree from Indiana University in 1988 and completed a general surgery residency at Methodist Hospital in 1993. From 1993 to 2016, he was a missionary member of Southwestern Medical Clinic in St. Joseph, Michigan, while also serving as a career missionary at Tenwek Mission Hospital in Kenya.

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VOLUME 55 | NUMBER 1 | SPRING 2024

EDITOR Rebeka Honeycutt

EDITORIAL COMMITTEE Gregg Albers, MD John Crouch, MD Autumn Dawn Galbreath, MD Curtis E. Harris, MD, JD Van Haywood, DMD Rebecca Klint-Townsend, MD Debby Read, RN

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All Rights Reserved. Distributed free to CMDA members. Non-doctors (US) are welcome to subscribe at a rate of $35 per year ($40 per year, international). Standard presort postage paid at Bristol, Tennessee.

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CHRISTIAN MEDICAL & DENTAL ASSOCIATIONS P.O. Box 7500, Bristol, TN 37621 888-230-2637 main@cmda.org • cmda.org If you are interested in submitting articles to be considered for publication, visit cmda.org/publications for submission guidelines and details.

Articles and letters published represent the opinions of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy of the Christian Medical & Dental Associations. Acceptance of paid advertising from any source does not necessarily imply the endorsement of a particular program, product or service by CMDA. Any technical information, advice or instruction provided in this publication is for the benefit of our readers, without any guarantee with respect to results they may experience with regard to the same. Implementation of the same is the decision of the reader and at his or her own risk. CMDA cannot be responsible for any untoward results experienced as a result of following or attempting to follow said information, advice or instruction.

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What Does It Mean to Be Human?

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Going on Mission Without Leaving Home Sharon A. ("Shari") Falkenheimer, MD, MPH, MA, PhD

Professor John Wyatt

The impact of artificial technology on the

future of healthcare

Following God’s calling to serve others anywhere you are located

Pursuing Truth

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Brick Lantz, MD

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The Dr. John Patrick Bioethics Column

Live as Children of The Light Learn how you can join the Colson Fellowship to be equipped with the knowledge of truth

A Contemporary Examination of the Death and Resurrection of Jesus

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John Patrick, MD

How seeking truth to guide our morals allows cultural flourishing

See PAGE 34 for CLASSIFIED LISTINGS

Allan T. Sawyer, MD, MS, MATS

Detailing the brutality of Roman crucifixion through the lens of a physician

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REGIONAL MINISTRIES

Connecting you with other Christ-followers to help better motivate, equip, disciple and serve within your community Western Region: Wes Ehrhart, MA • 6204 Green Top Way • Orangevale, CA 95662 • 916-716-7826 • wes.ehrhart@cmda.org Midwest Region: Connor Ham, MA • 2435 Lincoln Avenue • Cincinnati, OH 45231 • 419-789-3933 • connor.ham@cmda.org Northeast Region: Tom Grosh, DMin • 1844 Cloverleaf Road • Mount Joy, PA 17552 • 609-502-2078 • northeast@cmda.org Southern Region: Grant Hewitt, MDiv • P.O. Box 7500 • Bristol, TN 37621 • 402-677-3252 • south@cmda.org

THE CHRISTIAN MEDICAL & DENTAL ASSOCIATIONS ® Changing Hearts in Healthcare . . . since 1931.

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Ministry News MEMBER NEWS

CMDA Members Win Awards Bill Sasser, DMD, a long-time CMDA member from South Carolina, was awarded the 2024 ADA Humanitarian Award by the American Dental Association (ADA), an award recognizing extensive and selfless service. Dr. Sasser is the executive director of Dental Community Fellowship as well as the founder of North Charleston Dental Outreach clinic in South Carolina. He has participated in numerous mission trips with CMDA’s Global Health Outreach (GHO), and he as served on the CMDA Board of Trustees.

Dr. Sasser earned a degree in pharmacy from Samford University and served three years as a U.S. Navy pharmacy officer.

He later earned his DMD from the Medical University of South Carolina and completed a periodontics residency at the University of Alabama. He has dedicated more than 30 years to private practice, full-time and part-time, while spending several years in between dedicated to full-time mission service at home and abroad. In addition, Dr. Sasser serves as a mentor to dental students who volunteer alongside him in the North Charleston Dental Outreach Clinic. His love for God is reflected in several years of caring for the underserved and inspiring others to do the same.

CMDA members Drs. Bob and Andrea Parker were awarded the 2023 American College of Surgeons (ACS)/Pfizer Academic Global Surgeon Award in recognition of their contributions to surgical research and caring for the underserved through training. Drs. Parker have spent nearly one decade educating and mentoring general surgery residents at Tenwek Hospital in Bomet, Kenya. They attended the ACS Clinical Congress in October 2023 to receive their award.

Both Drs. Parker began working at Tenwek Hospital after completing general surgery residencies at Brown University.

While in medical school, they each completed multiple shortterm healthcare mission trips. They are both passionate about serving the disadvantaged and advocating for the importance of surgical education. This passion is certainly led by their love of God.

WPDC Celebrates Anniversary Women Physicians & Dentists in Christ (WPDC), a ministry of CMDA, is celebrating their 30th anniversary in 2024.

WPDC first began in 1994, and since then it has grown exponentially to the glory of God. WPDC provides support for Christian women physicians and dentists, as well as equipping them to handle the unique challenges faced by Christian women in healthcare. To learn more and get involved, visit cmda.org/wpdc.

Senior Vice President Announces Retirement We are beginning the search process to replace our Senior Vice President of Bioethics and Public Policy as Dr. Jeff Barrows approaches retirement. This is a critical role within CMDA requiring a physician with a background in public policy and in-depth knowledge of Christian ethics. For additional information, please contact advocacy@cmda.org.

Upcoming Events Dates and locations are subject to change. For a full list of upcoming CMDA events, visit cmda.org/events.

501 Foundations in Coaching April 4-5, 2024 • Online 2024 CMDA National Convention May 2-5, 2024 • Black Mountain, North Carolina Marriage Enrichment Weekend May 10-12, 2024 • New Orleans, Louisiana Voice of CMDA Media Training August 9-10, 2024 • Bristol, Tennessee WPDC 2024 Annual Conference September 5-8, 2024 • Branson, Missouri The Convergence Conference with Dallas Theological Seminary September 19-21, 2024 • Virtual Greece Tour – In the Footsteps of Paul September 21-27, 2024 • Greece Italy Tour – Following Paul to Rome October 5-15, 2024 • Italy

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Ministry News

In Memoriam Our hearts are with the family members of the following CMDA members who have passed in recent months. We thank them for their support of CMDA and their service to Christ.

•

• • •

Daniel G. Earl, PT, DPT – Lookout Mountain, Georgia Founder of Christian Physical Rehab Professionals, formerly Christian Physical Therapists International Member since 2003 Gertrude J. Frishmuth, MD – Albuquerque, New Mexico Member since 1970 Lloyd August Lovegren, MD – Nolensville, Tennessee Member since 1969 Tom H. West, MD – Clemson, South Carolina Member since 1978

Memoriam and Honorarium Gifts Gifts received October through December 2023 r. and Mrs. Thomas F. Titkemeier in memory of M Michael J. McMahon Fairview Presbyterian Church in memory of Toshiko Chiba Mr. and Mrs. Thomas F. Titkemeier in memory of Craig Kleine Annonymous in honor of Emily Ferrara Mr. Robert Handwerker and Family in memory of Dr. John Pierre Plankeel Mr. and Mrs. Lloyd Schwarz in memory of Dr. Tom West Ms. Deanna J. West in memory of Dr. Tom West Dr. and Mrs. Marvin R. Jewell, Jr. in memory of Dr. Gerald Swim For more information about honorarium and memoriam gifts, please contact stewardship@cmda.org.

RESOURCES

CMDA Launches New Podcast As Christians in healthcare, we glorify God by serving as a voice for the vulnerable. CMDA Advocacy is pleased to introduce The Voice of Advocacy. This monthly podcast is hosted

by Senior Vice President of Bioethics and Public Policy, Jeff Barrows, DO, MA (Ethics), and it will feature members of the Advocacy team as well as special guests. Listen to learn more about Advocacy’s grassroots efforts at the state and federal level, legal and legislative victories, and how CMDA members can be involved in achieving justice for the vulnerable. To listen to the latest episode, visit cmda.org/advocacy.

Legal Assistance for CMDA Members With a partnership between CMDA and Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), we are offering free legal consultations for CMDA members who may be experiencing conscience freedom issues in the workplace. Exclusively available to CMDA members, this program helps members who feel they are being discriminated against in the workplace due to their firmly held moral and religious beliefs.We believe conscience freedoms have profound ethical and religious importance within the healthcare profession, and we encourage colleagues, institutions and governments to respect these freedoms. If you feel your conscience freedoms are at risk, please visit cmda.org/legal.

Ebenezer Stone

MINISTRY

Coming in 2024:

A unique destination retreat for Christian physicians in Branson, MO. called Ebenezer Stone Ministry. Our goal is to enhance the faith of Christian physicians and their spouses by using Biblical principles and the example of the Great Physician, Christ Jesus our Lord.

For more information, please go to our website at ebenezerstoneministry.org

Our hope is that every physician at the conclusion of His/Her career will be able to say “Thus far the Lord has helped us” 1. Samuel 7:12 Paid Advertisement

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Ministry News

Standing Strong in Training

CMDA Learning Center

As the latest addition to CMDA’s long list of resources for our members, Standing Strong in Training is a new ondemand video series that helps healthcare students and residents stand up against the cultural pressures facing Christians within healthcare today.

The curriculum’s seven modules are designed for group settings, allowing attendees to solidify their foundational worldview beliefs regarding important issues, such as the beginning of life, end of life and biblical sexuality. Each module also offers ideas of how to winsomely defend biblical values and positively interact with others in developing their worldview beliefs.

For more information and to access this new study, visit cmda.org/standingstrong.

The CMDA Learning Center offers complimentary continuing education courses for CMDA members. This online resource is continuing to grow with new courses to help you in your practice as a Christian healthcare professional. Plus, we are making improvements to the user interface to make it easier for you to download courses. All continuing education courses are available at NO COST to CMDA members.

For more information and to access the CMDA Learning Center, visit cmda.org/learning.

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Ministry News

CMDA Go App

Have you downloaded CMDA Go yet? Our mobile app, CMDA Go, is now available to download on Apple and Android mobile devices. Visit your device’s app store to download it today.

In the CMDA Go app, you can set up your personal CMDA profile, check out the latest news from CMDA, listen to CMDA Matters and other podcasts, renew your membership and make your dues payments, access a variety of downloadable resources, interact with other members through the discussion forms and join group chats.

For more information, visit cmda.org/app.

CMDA Matters Are you listening to CMDA’s podcast with CEO Dr. Mike Chupp?

CMDA Matters is our popular weekly podcast with the latest news from CMDA and healthcare.

A new episode is released each Thursday, and interview topics include bioethics, healthcare missions, financial stewardship, marriage, family, public policy updates and much more. Plus, you’ll get recommendations for new books, conferences and other resources designed to help you as a Christian in healthcare.

Listen to CMDA Matters on your smartphone, your computer, your tablet…wherever you are and whenever you want.

For more information, visit cmda.org/cmdamatters.

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Faith Prescriptions Now available exclusively for CMDA members, Faith Prescriptions is a 25-part video series that provides training on everything from LGBTQ issues in the healthcare arena, to praying with your patients and sharing your faith in ethical and appropriate ways with colleagues and patients.

Faith Prescriptions is a revision of the program Grace Prescriptions, which has been in circulation for several years on DVD, but this updated and improved series is available video-on-demand. It is free to CMDA members and simply requires your member login and password to access all sessions, as well as all video training sessions, within the CMDA Learning Center.

For more information, visit cmda.org/learning.

Bridging the Gap As Christians, we are called to speak truth into ethical issues and courageously stand up for what’s morally right according to our beliefs. However, in order to engage others in these discussions with grace and kindness, first we need to arm ourselves with knowledge and understanding of each of these topics.

Bridging the Gap: Where Medical Science and Church Meet is a small group study developed by expert healthcare professionals. The curriculum is designed to ask difficult, thought-provoking questions as we seek the truth found in God’s Word about the ethical issues facing Christians today. Topics include addictions, beginning of life, end of life, gender identity, right of conscience and sexuality.

For more information, visit cmda.org/bridgingthegap.

Ministry News

Why Are We Suing the FDA? Jeffrey Barrows, DO, MA (Ethics)

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f you’ve been paying attention to the news the last several months, you’ve likely heard about a lawsuit entitled AHM vs.

FDA, in which a group of pro-life healthcare professionals is suing the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) over removal of safety standards for the abortion drug mifepristone. The lawsuit was in the news again in December 2023 because the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear the case. That group of pro-life healthcare professionals includes CMDA. AHM stands for the Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine, and CMDA is one of five founding members of AHM, along with the Catholic Medical Association (CMA), the American Association of Pro-life Obstetricians and Gynecologists (AAPLOG), the American College of Pediatricians (ACPeds) and the Coptic Medical Association of North America (CMANA).

The complaint, which can be found online,1 was initially filed in November 2022 in the U.S. District Court of Northern Texas and has worked its way through the federal court system to reach the point that the Supreme Court has agreed to hear the case, with oral arguments scheduled for March 26, 2024. They will likely issue their decision in the latter part of June 2024. This article will focus on the case’s merits rather than the convolutions of the legal journey to arrive where we are today.

When the FDA initially approved mifepristone in 2000, the agency recognized the inherent dangers associated with the drug and included safety standards for its use. However, starting in 2016, the FDA removed many of these safeguards for mifepristone. These major changes included removing the requirement for an in-person follow-up examination after the abortion, allowing non-physician healthcare professionals to prescribe mifepristone, increasing the permissible gestational age during which mifepristone could be prescribed from seven to 10 weeks’ gestation and altering the dose of mifepristone to be prescribed. Finally, despite removing these safety standards for mifepristone, FDA removed the requirement that prescribers report ANY serious non-fatal complication from mifepristone.

The FDA made these major changes without including a single study that evaluated the safety and effectiveness of all the conditions outlined in the 2016 changes concurrently. Instead, the FDA relied on data from studies in which only one or a few of the changes were evaluated to provide evidence to support their new relaxed safety standards. What’s more, the FDA ignored the fact that several of their cited studies screened their patients with ultrasound to establish accurate dates and rule out an ectopic pregnancy, thus evaluating a screened population that was very different than the patient population that would be exposed to mifepristone under their new

regulations—since the FDA never required prescribers to perform an ultrasound before giving out the drug. Further problems with these studies included significant loss to follow-up, small size and bias, detailed further in the original complaint.1 And then in December 2021, the FDA permanently removed the in-person dispensing requirement for mifepristone. In the epitome of duplicity, one of the FDA’s justifications for this nonenforcement was the lack of reported adverse events from mifepristone, failing to acknowledge that the agency had eliminated the reporting requirement for nonfatal adverse events in its 2016 major changes. The FDA’s collective actions on mifepristone led to the current prescribing regime, which allows abortion drugs to be prescribed via telemedicine and dispensed through the mail without the patient ever personally encountering a healthcare professional at any point in the abortion process.

Healthcare professionals with expertise in the care of early pregnancy recognize the inherent inaccuracy of pregnancy dating based on menstrual history, thus leading to mifepristone administration beyond the approved gestational age, resulting in significant failure rates and subsequent harm. Further, one in 50 pregnant women experience an ectopic pregnancy, and they are in grave danger that the symptoms of a ruptured ectopic pregnancy will be attributed to the cramping and pain caused by mifepristone, delaying the diagnosis of a life-threatening complication. In other words, the lives of pregnant women who contemplate using abortion drugs are at far greater risk under these lax and reckless safety standards. To protect these women and young girls, we had little choice but to sue the FDA. Endnotes 1h ttps://adfmedialegalfiles.blob.core.windows.net/files/ AllianceForHippocraticMedicineComplaint.pdf

Jeffrey Barrows, DO, MA (Ethics), serves as Senior Vice President of Bioethics and Public Policy for CMDA. Dr. Barrows is an obstetrician/gynecologist, author, educator, medical ethicist and speaker. He completed his medical degree at the Des Moines College of Osteopathic Medicine and Surgery in 1978 and his residency training in obstetrics and gynecology at Doctors Hospital in Columbus, Ohio. In 2006, he completed a master’s in bioethics from Trinity International University in Chicago, Illinois. Dr. Barrows served as the director of CMDA’s Medical Education International (MEI) from 2002 to 2005 before transitioning into the fight against human trafficking. He dedicated 15 years of his career to fighting against human trafficking within the intersection of trafficking and healthcare, as well as the rehabilitation of survivors of child sex trafficking. In 2008, Dr. Barrows founded Gracehaven, an organization assisting victims of domestic minor sex trafficking in Ohio. In 2020, Dr. Barrows published a novel entitled Finding Freedom that realistically portrays child sex trafficking in the U.S. www.cmda.org | 9

What Does It Mean to Be

Professor John Wyatt

This article is an excerpt transcribed from an interview recorded for a CMDA Matters podcast episode released in November 2023 with CMDA CEO Mike Chupp, MD, FACS; CMDA Senior Vice President of Bioethics and Public Policy Jeff Barrows, DO, MA (Ethics); and Professor John Wyatt. During the conversation, they discussed what it means to be human in the age of artificial intelligence (AI), especially how it relates to healthcare. To listen to the full episode, visit cmda.org/cmdamatters.

ike Chupp, MD, FACS: Jeff and I were introduced to one of your M newest books entitled The Robot Will See You Now: Artificial Intelligence and the Christian Faith. And you joined Stephen Williams, a theologian, to write it. What goals did you have as you wrote that book? What have you seen come from this project since 2021?

Professor John Wyatt: Together, Stephen and I helped lead a project at the Faraday Institute at Cambridge where we called together computer scientists, theologians, thinkers and philosophers to have a conversation about what artificial intelligence is doing and what it means to be human. The book is the product of that research collaboration, and I wanted to make it more accessible to general readers. It’s a preliminary contribution. One of the challenges of this area is the speed with which things are changing. This research project came to an end just before the pandemic started in 2020, then was published in 2021. It’s already massively out of date, and that’s part of the challenge, isn’t it? The fundamental issues are unchanged and very, very troubling.

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J effrey Barrows, DO, MA (Ethics): I know the introduction of the book examines distinctions between various things, including information technology (IT), artificial intelligence and road robots. Could you help us understand the difference between these various things within your book?

Professor Wyatt: I nformation technology is a broad phrase which covers anything to do with the storage, processing and transformation of information by computers. IT has been around us for decades. Artificial intelligence is a very poorly defined phrase. Many computer scientists don’t like it. It’s a bucket term, but in general it means developing computer systems to do tasks which until now only the human brain could do. Now the idea is to make computers take over as many tasks as possible that human beings previously did, including speech, language and visual processing. Increasingly, whereas before the previous generation of AI systems had largely to do with taking in information and processing it, there are astonishing new developments in what is called generative AI. These are AI systems that can generate text, images, music, videos and so on. They can generate a stream of new information, and this feels like science fiction. I can have a conversation with a computer system and instantaneously it responds in an apparently intelligent, thoughtful and incredibly well-informed way. This is like science fiction, and yet it is becoming part of our commonplace experience. r. Chupp: S D everal prominent folks—Elon Musk, Stephen Hawking—have called for a halt to progress within AI because of concerns of what’s coming. What’s your perspective on those concerns coming from folks who seem to stand to gain a great deal from development of AI, including within healthcare?

history of the world, technology came first and then all the authors, writers and creators came along. You have the Industrial Revolution, then along comes (Charles) Dickens writing novels about the Industrial Revolution and the impact it’s having on families. What is completely unique is that for 100 years, science fiction writers have been imagining a science future in which the machines take control; in which the few machines become as intelligent as we are. The fascinating thing is, nearly all these science fiction stories end badly. Once the machines start to become as intelligent as human beings, you can pretty well guarantee you know the ending of this story and it’s not going to be good.

The second thing is that the guys in Silicon Valley and the technologists who are making this come through, they’ve all been reared in science fiction since their mother’s knee, and many of them, including Elon Musk, are trying to make it come true. At the very same time they are trying to make it come true, they also know how science fiction ends and they’re frightened.

r. Barrows: O D ne of the chapters you wrote in this book is entitled “Being Human in a World of Intelligent Machines,” and you spend a good portion of the chapter discussing modern controversies and various topics of anthropology, intelligence and personhood, then you conclude with this quote: “The ubiquity and effectiveness of various forms of machine intelligence have created a distorting lens through which our humanity is being perceived in new ways. The dangers seem obvious…but perhaps this time in history represents a unique opportunity for creative thought and engagement as a Christian community to deepen

Professor Wyatt: I think it’s important to understand science fiction plays a huge role in all this, so it’s a very unusual situation. Previously in the

GET INVOLVED To get your copy of The Robot Will See You Now by Professor John Wyatt, please contact communications@cmda.org.

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and enrich our understanding of what it means to be human, of the extraordinary possibilities of the tools we are creating, and of the strange new world in which we find ourselves.” I’d like you to expand on how the Christian community should use the societal turmoil being brought about with AI and robots to deepen and enrich our understanding of what it means to be human.

Professor Wyatt: “ What does it mean to be human?”, is a question I hear more and more people asking. That question is being asked in chat shows and by scientists, technologists, thinkers and philosophers, because the technology raises that question again. It says, if we can make a machine that seems to perform all the things human beings do, then what does this tell me about myself, about what it means to be a human being? Perhaps I really am just a computer made of meat. But, number two, what are human beings for?

I think this gives us, as Christians, a unique opportunity. As Christians we have a unique understanding of what it means to be human, that we are these embodied, vulnerable, fragile biological creatures created in God’s image; created to reflect the very being and character of God. There are numerous people in our secular society watching this rush of AI who feel deeply, intuitively, this can’t be right; this cannot be the future; this is not the kind of world I want my child to grow up in. They can’t give you a reasoned and logical and philosophically robust answer for why it’s not right. I think we as Christians do.

We have a deep understanding because of our faith and revealed in the Scriptures of what it means to be human, which provides an alternative to this technological, computer-based understanding of what the future holds.

r. Barrows: You also wrote a chapter entitled “The Impact of D AI and Robotics on Health and Social Care” and you state: “It seems likely that AI technology will become ubiquitous within healthcare across the world, although its pervasive role will be largely hidden from view.” What are some examples that stick out to you today, and what are the potential negatives for us in the healthcare profession?

Professor Wyatt: W hen I was brought up, we were told science was going to be so amazing. We were going to have hover cars and colonies on the moon, and the biggest problem for modern people in the 21st century would be spending all their free time. You know, because the machines would do everything, and it would be a real problem. Everybody would sit around wondering how to fill the endless hours. Well, they got that a bit wrong, didn’t they?

CMDA Matters is the premier audio resource for Christian healthcare professionals. Hosted by CMDA CEO Dr. Mike Chupp, MD, FACS, it is a weekly podcast that includes interviews with experts from Christian healthcare professionals. Topics include bioethics, healthcare missions, financial stewardship, marriage, family and much more. Listen to CMDA Matters on your smartphone, your computer, your tablet… wherever you are and whenever you want. For more information, visit cmda.org/cmdamatters.

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When I think of those kinds of predictions and then I predict how healthcare is going to develop in the next 20 years, I find I’m very cautious about it. I suspect there are several areas where it is going to make a big difference. I think the whole issue of diagnostics and interpretation of records, from interpretation of scans to analysis of blood work is going to be transformed. We’re all going to have available a review of world literature up to date and instantaneously on your smartphone or laptop. In the middle of a consultation, you may want to know the latest and most authoritative perception on anything you like, and it will be instantaneously available.

Where I am most troubled is in the human interface. There are already technologists and physicians saying kinds like ChatGPT—ChatGPT is just the very first version—are already massively improving. Give it another year or two and they’re going to be so much better.

What is being suggested are these being the interface between physician and patient. Instead of the two-phase process like meeting with the patient and having face-to-face conversation, what’s going to be new is a three-way process. There’s going to be a third “person” in the room, and it’s the AI. Interestingly, AI is interacting simultaneously with the physician and patient. There is this three-way exchange of information going on with human language. Yet, this third “person” sitting in the room is the most experienced, profound expert in any field.

How does that change the nature of healthcare? It makes me think about medical education. For instance, do you, to be involved in that three-way process, really need to do all that anatomy and physiology, dissecting the human body, learning the Krebs cycle, pharmacology, you name it? Does it really take six, nine or 12 years to train a health professional to sit in that room with AI and provide expert, quality healthcare? I’m not sure it does. Interestingly, this is one of the things this kind of automation technology does. It takes a traditional professional role, like a lawyer, banker, accountant, physician and so on, and it decomposes 14 | CMDA TODAY | SPRING 2024

that role. It looks at what those individual tasks are and then it divides them off saying, “Well, actually this box can do that, and this box can do that and where we need the human being is here.” I think that’s what’s going to happen to the physician.

I can see both great positives and negatives.

Dr. Chupp: Th at makes me think of the transition in electronic medical records and how we were told this was going to make things go so much faster. Dr. Eric Topal, you mentioned, in his 2019 work, wrote how AI can make healthcare human again and vastly improve efficiency giving human physicians more time for human-to-human interaction. I’m just a little bit skeptical.

Professor Wyatt: I’m with you. So often it seems in the real world whatever is designed will achieve exactly its opposite effect. I do fear this new world. To me, I try to distill the essence of the physician’s role, particularly with people facing terminal illness or catastrophic health problems.

The role of the physician is to be a wise friend who says, “I am a human being like you. I know what it means to suffer. I know what it means to be terrified of death. I know what it means to be in pain and frightened, and I’m here to walk alongside you and promise we won’t abandon you.” No machine can ever say that and mean it.

Dr. Chupp: I finally signed up and did a test asking ChatGPT, “What are the bioethical concerns we should have within healthcare because of artificial intelligence?” Within less than a second, a list of 10 things generated, which I shared with you just a few days ago.

What do you think about that list AI generated about itself ? Did AI leave anything out of that list of bioethical concerns?

Professor Wyatt: It’s brilliant. It’s a comprehensive survey of a very complex and rapidly developing field. Somehow it has managed to extract the major headlines across a huge range of issues, from data privacy, informed consent, bias, fairness, transparency, accountability, equity, patient autonomy and regulation, with the ability

to create this instantaneously at the touch of a button. What’s more, you could take each of these, push it back and you would then get a detailed paper on each issue. It is extraordinary technology, but I’m afraid all these ethical issues are very real and very problematic.

Behind this apparently human language, there is a mind bogglingly complex series of probabilistic equations churning away and coming out with text. Therefore, accountability for what is said is extremely problematic. What are the hidden biases? What’s been twisted to give an impression not entirely truthful, or which has hidden ethical, philosophical, even spiritual bias? All these things are hidden and, therefore, for me they come with an immense health warning. I think any Christian who is using AI generated text without the most scrutiny and reflection is potentially opening themselves and anybody they send it to quite significant and hidden forces and biases.

r. Barrows: I’m curious about your thoughts in terms of D other authors that have made significant contributions in this whole field of study, especially relating it internationally as well as to healthcare. rofessor Wyatt: I have to say, sadly, I think Christian P thinking is way behind the curve. It’s one of the things that really troubles me, when I think about, for instance, the amount of energy and effort which is being quite rightly spent on issues like sexuality, abortion and so on. I have been involved very much in debates like that; yet, I think of this new AI technology but also, human enhancement, transhumanism, brain machine interfaces and so on—these are issues Christians need to be engaged in and trying to work out how can we be salt and light in this astonishing place God has put us. Of all the time in world history to be serving Christ. There were physicians in the time of Christ like Luke and the physicians in the age of the great missionary expansion. They were going out to Africa and taking their coffins with them, but God, in His sort of providential purposes, has placed you and me as healthcare professionals in a very unusual time of world history. How can we be faithful? How can we be salt and light in this time at this place? r. Barrows: Are there any specifics that come to mind from D your research of how individual healthcare professionals can make a difference by, for instance, speaking to their elected representatives, or are there things they can ask for? Are there specifics in terms of advocacy efforts we can undertake that will have a positive impact in directing how the whole realm of AI unfolds? rofessor Wyatt: There are several different things I’d want P to say. Number one is I think we have a responsibility to be in-

formed. There’s a tendency to think sometimes, “This is just all too much, it’s all too complicated. I don’t want to go there. I just want to carry on in my little corner.” I think that’s not a responsible Christian response. I think of the phrase Jesus said, “Much is required from those to whom much is given.” If we’re healthcare professionals, God has given us a great deal, and much is required. We owe it to our Christian brothers and sisters to try to inform ourselves as much as possible, to read and to listen, to keep up to date and to use all the tools that are out there to do so.

Number two, it’s about being salt and light. Salt is about preserving, minimizing corruption and evil. Light is about doing good and shining truth into dark places. If all of us, as Christian believers, are acting as salt and light in the world of healthcare and in the world of AI, then I do believe by God’s grace we can really have an influence. To change the metaphor, it seems to me a lot of this technology has this fundamental twist towards the dark side.

It’s ultimately about power, about human power using machines for human power, and because human beings are fallen, this technology contains within itself the seeds of the fall, the seeds of evil. But by faith, I believe this technology can be redeemed. It can be brought out of the hands of the evil one and used for good, for the kingdom and for human flourishing. That’s the challenge, isn’t it? How do we redeem this technology? It’s not that we’re opposed to it, that we are Luddites that we say, you know, take me back, I want to go to the agrarian past. This is the future. I think it is inevitable. It’s almost like a new tower of Babel is coming in, but in the age of grace. It’s coming into reality out of the coming of Christ after the resurrection, in the age of the Spirit, and it’s all part of God’s ultimate purpose. The question is, how can we who’ve been called to be servants at this extraordinary time learn to redeem this technology and use it for God’s purposes?

Professor John Wyatt is Emeritus Professor of Neonatal Pediatrics, Ethics and Perinatology at University College London and a Senior Associate at the Faraday Institute, Cambridge. He has a clinical background as a neonatologist and as a medical researcher in applied neuroscience, developing new methods for the prevention of brain injury in newborn babies. He has a long-standing interest in ethical dilemmas raised by advances in medical and digital technologies and has frequently engaged in public and professional consultations and debates on complex ethical issues concerning the beginning and ending of life. His book Matters of Life and Death: Human Dilemmas in the Light of the Christian Faith has been translated into more than 10 languages. He co-edited a new book on the ethics of artificial intelligence called The Robot Will See You Now published in 2021, and he is currently writing another book on artificial intelligence to be published by IVP. He is married to Celia, and they have three grown-up children and four grandchildren. To learn more, visit johnwyatt.com.

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Pursuing Truth Brick Lantz, MD

LEARN MORE Bridging the Gap: Where Medical Science and Church Meet is a small group study developed by expert healthcare professionals. The curriculum is designed to ask difficult, thought-provoking questions as we seek the truth found in God’s Word about the ethical issues facing Christians today. Topics include addictions, beginning of life, end of life, gender identity, right of conscience and sexuality. For learn more, visit cmda.org/bridgingthegap.

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W

hat is the most extravagant meal you have ever had?

Mine was a lavish Christmas day banquet after scuba diving on Heron Island in the Great Barrier Reef. If you are a “foodie,” you will remember certain amazing meals.

Are you a “truthie?” Do you desire truth, to know truth, to discover truth, to discuss truth, to live truth? I am a “truthie,” and I cherish the insights, admonishments and practical realities of truth presented by the Colson Center. That is why I am recommending the Colson Fellowship. I completed the 10-month program in 2022. With a deep dive into cultural relevant truth, using the Bible to guide your worldview, this fellowship will enhance your healthcare practice no matter your specialty. When I began overseeing the development of CMDA’s Bridging the Gap curriculum in 2018, I sought advice from the Colson Center, knowing they had an abundance of practical material that was pertinent to all healthcare professionals, specifically regarding bioethics. I sponsored a CMDA booth at their national conference in 2021. That was a delightful time sharing the benefits of CMDA membership and promoting CMDA’s Learning Center including Bridging the Gap. The conversations were a blessing and new relationships were formed.

Colson Center staff at the event convinced me I needed to complete the Colson Fellowship. Like a typical physician, I told them I did not have time. I looked at the reading list, and of the 12 books, I had read half of them and owned all but one. The book list for our cohort included classics such as Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis and Knowing God by J.I. Packer.

They are worth reading more than once. I had books on my shelf I wanted to read but simply had not yet. Two books I had planned to read included Christopher West’s Our Bodies Tell God’s Story and Greg Koukl’s Tactics. I was encouraged while reading Christopher West’s book, in that it correlated well with the sexuality module in Bridging the Gap. I knew they would be extremely valuable and found them incredibly enjoyable and meaningful. The camaraderie of the fellowship, including discussion of books, podcasts, lecture series, daily Bible reading and joint webinars, was quite valuable. I look at my fellowship program not only as a positive impact in my vocation as a physician, but also in my service to the community. You will be educated with a wealth of information regarding worldviews, cultural trends, bioethics and scriptural relevance. Prior to com-

pleting the fellowship, you will be encouraged to develop a project for your community.

During the fellowship, you will be asked to guide and facilitate one or more discussions. You will have options including assigned books, papers, a current event or social issues. I am too old to remember what homework was like, but the lessons online are enjoyable and are to be completed in a timely manner.

They are valuable and stimulate rich thinking, with the option of sharing via a chat function. My local cohort included folks from various walks of life, including pastors, stay at home parents, grandparents, other ministry leaders and business people. I am fascinated and intrigued by the unity the Holy Spirit facilitates among fellow believers. There is no other group of people in which that unity is immediate and observable. It reminds me of Jesus’ prayer for His disciples in John 17:20-21: “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.” Jesus’ prayer was not only for His disciples but for those who believe in Him through their message. That is us! The other fascinating aspect of this unity is that it is a witness to the world that “the world may believe.” Jesus also prays, “Sanctify them by the truth; your www.cmda.org | 17

word is truth” ( John 17:17). We are to be sanctified in truth, in God’s Word. We are blessed today to have organizations such as CMDA and the Colson Center that are an answer to Jesus’ prayer for truth and sanctification.

The Colson Center and CMDA are like-minded organizations with godly leadership. The Colson Fellowship will grow your faith, grow your community and grow your wisdom. I believe there are three keys to be prepared to live in our culture as an ambassador of the King of Kings. First is to pray. Prayer is vital to the ministry of both CMDA and the Colson Center.

Second is to be educated. If we want to speak with love and truth in our culture, we need to be educated on the issues and relevance of Scripture, rationality and medical science. Third is to be in relationships with like-minded people. That is true if you are a CMDA member as well as doing a Colson Fellowship. You will develop relationships with fellow believers from all walks of life.

Prayer is essential if our healthcare profession is to be part of our mission. Each module in Bridging the Gap begins with the prayer, “Pray for the Holy Spirit to empower both you and the group to understand truth, to articulate truth accurately, to live truth with relevance according to Scripture and to be a light in

this dark world.” This prayer is also extremely practical for the Colson Fellowship.

My books and reading changed in the last year following the death of my son by suicide. I have focused on grief. I am writing and journaling some of this, and I am not certain which direction God will take me with it. I want to address the hopelessness, purposelessness and meaninglessness that is so rampant in our culture. The reason it is rampant is because people are following a truth our culture is teaching, which is not the truth.

That is what happened to my son. So, not only do I believe this on a cultural basis, but it has also become deeply personal to me.

We must, as the church, not only stand for truth, but we must also pray for truth, we must espouse truth and we must insist the truth be taught, because it is going to save lives.

If you want to make a difference in your community, please check out the Colson Fellowship. You can make the time. If you do make the time, you will be pleased with your decision and understand the value of being a “truthie.”

John Stonestreet, president of the Colson Center, is an amazing chef for us “truthies,” and he has amazing sous chefs on staff. To learn more, visit colsoncenter.org.

“Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” ( John 8:32).

Brick Lantz, MD, is near retirement as a private practice orthopedic surgeon in Eugene, Oregon. He received his bachelor’s degree from Stanford University and his medical degree from University of Oklahoma, then he completed residency at University of Arkansas and a fellowship in sports medicine in Australia. He has published more than 19 scientific articles and given multiple scientific presentations. He has participated in multiple Medical Education International (MEI) trips, led orthopedic mission trips for 14 years to Haiti and participated in short-term missions all over the world. He became a lifetime member of CMDA in 1982 and currently serves on the CMDA Board of Trustees. He has been the Oregon State Representative for CMDA for many years. He was the leader of the Church Commission which oversaw the development of Bridging the Gap: Where Medical Science and Church Meet. He is medical director of a local pregnancy resource center. He leads a CMDA undergraduate student club at the University of Oregon. He is board chair of Slocum Research & Education Foundation. He is married to Lissy and they have two adult children, Zach and Ally.

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H

ow certain are we that Jesus died on the cross?

Could His resurrection have been a hoax?

These are critical issues to the Christian faith.

The apostle Paul admonished the Corinthian church, “And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins” (1 Corinthians 15:17, ESV). This is a 21st century medical examination of the crucifixion of Jesus.

“The three most brutal forms of execution known to antiquity were judged to be crux (crucifixion), crematio (burning) and decollatio (decapitation), in that order.”1 Of these, none are in practice in the United States today. The cross of Roman crucifixion “was characterized by an upright post (stipes) and a horizontal crossbar (patibulum).”2 The weight of the entire cross was prob-

Roman Crucifixion Roman crucifixion typically was preceded by taunting the person to be crucified along with exceptionally cruel scourging.

Once or twice per year, an entire legion of Roman soldiers was invited to make a sport of the process of scourging, humiliating the victim as a specter in front of hundreds of men.

The starting point of Roman scourging began with the use of a flagrum (a short whip with sharp pieces of sheep bone and lead balls woven into the thongs) and the victim whipped across the back, buttocks and legs. The wounds that ensued were equivalent to third- and fourth-degree burns.5 A fourthdegree burn is one in which the layers of skin and underlying tissue have been torn away exposing bones, muscles and inter-

A Contemporary Examination

D eath & Resurrection of the

Allan T. Sawyer, MD, MS, MATS

ably well over 300 lb (136 kg).”3 “To prolong the crucifixion process, a horizontal wooden block or plank, serving as a crude seat (sedile or sedulum), often was attached midway down the stipes. Only very rarely, and probably later than the time of Christ, was an additional block (suppedaneum) employed for transfixion of the feet.”4 The iron nails used in crucifixion were typically 3/8 of an inch in size at the head, leading down five to seven inches to the point of the nail. The placement of the nails into the forearms and feet was such that they would not break bones or pierce blood vessels, both of which may hasten death. The placement of the nails into the feet of the victim were either placed through the large bone of the heel (calcaneus) or between the second and third metatarsals, both sites which could support the weight of the victim while exacting excruciating pain.

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nal organs. The scourging process exposed ribs, lungs, spine, liver, kidneys, psoas and gluteal muscles and intestines. It was common for the victim of scourging to die as a direct result of the scourging.6 Following this torment, if still alive, the victim to be crucified was typically required to carry the patibulum to the site of crucifixion.

If death was deemed to be accelerated, the soldiers would break the long bones of the legs, as this would cause acute massive internal hemorrhaging and fat emboli. Hemorrhagic shock and pulmonary emboli would result, leading to a hastened death.

The Roman soldiers, and particularly the main executioner, were experts at recognizing death. Roman guards could only leave the crucifixion site after death had been verified.7 To con-

firm that death, the Roman executioners could take a spear, thrusting it upward on the left side of the victim through the diaphragm, pericardium and heart. The clear fluid of the pericardial effusion appeared as water, followed by the piercing of the heart, resulting in the appearance of blood.

Creeping from the Tomb – the Apparent Death Theory There are still infrequent opinions that Jesus did not die from the scourging and subsequent crucifixion. These opinions, however, are purely based on wild speculation, as there are no historical documents to support these conjectures. To theories like these Professor Gary Habermas responds, “In other words, after having been beaten, flogged, and nailed to a cross, if Jesus were to have

fixion—culminating in a spear piercing through His diaphragm, pericardium and heart—had occurred in the 21st century, it is medically impossible that Jesus had just swooned and then be fully recovered a few days later to eat, walk and talk with His disciples and hundreds of others. With this information that we have today about crucifixion and about medical science, it is time to put the “apparent death theory” to death and nail its coffin closed.

Not If, But Rather How, Did Jesus Die? Despite scholarly research, by physicians, historians, theologians and philosophers, there still exists “insufficient evidence to safely state exactly how people did die from crucifixion in Roman times.”10 Many medical journal articles over several centuries have been published on this topic. Physicians notoriously

of

been able to make his way out of the tomb, while also bleeding, swelling and limping, the disciples would not have called Jesus victorious over death, but rather would have called a doctor.”8 There is near-unanimous agreement that first-century survivability of crucifixion was impossible.9 Even in the one isolated case where the crucifixion of three individuals was halted in the process of crucifixion and all three given first-century medical care, only one of the three survived. It is important to remember that there were no 21st century trauma centers or intensive care units near Golgotha around AD 33. That means there was no intravenous access, no central lines, no cardiac monitors, no vasopressor or inotropic drugs, no supplemental oxygen, no anesthesiologists and no trauma surgeons, nor were ultrasound, x-ray, CT or MRI imaging available anywhere. Yet, even if Jesus’ scourging, torture and cruci-

have a penchant for disagreement. But whether Jesus died from multisystem organ failure, acute hemorrhagic shock, hypotension, asphyxia, syncope, acidosis, cardiac arrythmias, suspension trauma, disseminated intravascular coagulation, psychologic factors or a combination of these, we simply lack enough information such that we can only speculate as to what led to the death of Jesus.11,12 To this point, however, it appears these scholarly researchers are missing the point. The ultimate physiologic function that failed and caused the demise of Jesus is not the issue. The point is that Jesus was dead. Period!

The Crucifixion of Jesus Men condemned to death suffer tremendous anxiety in the days leading up to their execution, and such was the case with Jewww.cmda.org | 21

sus. “Apparently knowing that the time of his death was near, ( Jesus) suffered great mental anguish, and, as described by the physician Luke (Luke 22:44), his sweat became like blood.”13 Hematohidrosis is a rare phenomenon where a highly stressed person can hemorrhage into the sweat glands causing the person to sweat blood. 14,15 Matthew and Mark record that, when Jesus was led away to be crucified, an entire battalion, approximately 600 Roman soldiers (a tenth of a legion), were assembled (Mark 15:16, Matthew 27:27). Based on what is known about Roman crucifixion, the visual image of 600 Roman soldiers gathered to torture and scourge one man, Jesus, is horrifying. This type of massive gathering of Roman soldiers for a crucifixion only occurred about once a year, where the victim being crucified was viewed as sport. Collectively the Roman soldiers struck Him and mocked Him (Mark 15:19, Matthew 27:29). These soldiers would have been experts at inflicting pain while evading death. A crown of thorns was placed on Jesus’ head and His clothes removed and substituted for a purple cloak.

Jesus was weakened so much by the scourging that He was unable to carry His own patibulum (Luke 23:36), so Simon of Cyrene was seized and required to carry the patibulum.

At Golgotha, Jesus was hung on the cross between two other condemned men. Because it was the Friday before Passover, it was ordered that the executioners break the legs of the three men to hasten death. However, when the Roman executioners examined Jesus, they found that Jesus was already dead. To confirm death, John records, “…one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and water” ( John 19:34, ESV ). The piercing of Jesus’ side appears to have been done just to further verify that Jesus was dead, or perhaps just out of shear hatred for the man who was called the King of the Jews.

Scripture records that Joseph from the town of Arimathea, who was a good and righteous man and a disciple of Jesus, with the consent of Pilate, took Jesus down and wrapped Jesus’ body in a linen shroud and laid Jesus in a tomb (Matthew 27:57-61, Luke 23:50-52, John 19:38-42).

The historical information contained in the New Testament gospels is consistent with historical information about Roman crucifixion. The account of an entire battalion of Roman soldiers is testimony to the severity of the scourging Jesus received. Not only was Jesus crucified, but He was crucified after having been scourged in such a way that He would suffer severely but not avoid the suffering of crucifixion. From a medical standpoint, one can hardly imagine a more horrific death. From a theological standpoint, the amount of torment and suffering would be consistent for a penalty being exacted on one who was taking on the sins, past, present and future, of the entire world.

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Conclusion Researching the awful details of Roman crucifixion through the lens of a physician makes one wonder how anyone could survive more than a few hours, let alone days, hanging on the crucifixion cross following Roman scourging. Furthermore, with the knowledge of a 21st century physician reading about firstcentury crucifixion, the common denominator of crucifixion is certain death.

It is essential that the Christian understand the certainty of the death and resurrection of Jesus. Understanding these facts is foundational to the Christian faith (1 Corinthians 12-16). Dead men stay dead. However, if Jesus, after being severely scourged and crucified and buried in a tomb, then appeared three days later, fully functional, and in apparent excellent health, the only explanation is that this was achieved through a divinely inspired medical miracle. Of this fact we can be certain. “Love’s redeeming work is done.”16 Endnotes 1 Francois Retief and Louise Cilliers, “The History and Pathology of Crucifixion,” South African Medical Journal (Suid-Afrkaanse Tydskrif

vir Geneeskunde) 93, no. 12, (Feb. 2007): 938.

15 Edwards, “On the Physical Death of Jesus Christ,” 1456.

2 Williams Edwards, Wesley Gabel, and Floyd Hosmer, “On the Physical Death of Jesus Christ,” Journal of the American Medical Association 255, no. 11 (March 21, 1986): 1459.

16 Charles Wesley, Christ the Lord has Risen Today, United Methodist Hymnal, 1989.

3 Ibid.

4 Ibid.

5 Lloyd-Davies, Margaret and Trevor Lloyd-Davies, “Resurrection or Resuscitation?” Journal of the Royal College of Physicians of London 25, no. 2 (April 1991): 167.

6 Retief, “The History and Pathology of Crucifixion,” 940.

7 I bid., 938.

8 Gary Habermas and Jonathan Kopel and Benjamin Shaw, “Medical Views on the Death by Crucifixion of Jesus Christ,” Proceedings (Baylor University Medical Center) 34, no. 6 (2001): 749.

9 Maslen, “Medical Theories on the Cause of Death in Crucifixion,” 185.

10 Maslen, “Medical Theories on the Cause of Death in Crucifixion,” 188.

11 I bid., 185.

12 McGovern, “Did Jesus Die by Suffocation?” 65.

13 Williams Edwards, Wesley Gabel, and Floyd Hosmer, “On the Physical Death of Jesus Christ,” Journal of the American Medical Association 255, no. 11 (March 21, 1986): 1456.

14 Hemangi Jerajani, Bhagyashri Jaju, Meghana. Phiske, and Nitin Lade,” Hematohidrosis – A Rare Clinical Phenomenon,” Indian Journal of Dermatology 54, no. 3 (July-September 2009): 290.

HELPING YOU NAVIGATE DIFFICULT ETHICAL SITUATIONS CMDA Position Statements CMDA Positions Statements are specifically crafted and designed to provide you with biblical, ethical, social and scientific understanding of today’s healthcare issues through concise statements articulated in a compassionate and caring manner. They are drafted by the CMDA’s Ethics Committee, and the final version is approved by the Board of Trustees and then the House of Representatives representing the CMDA membership. They are not binding on CMDA members, but they are the official policies of CMDA and are represented to the media, church and government authorities. We encourage you to share them with your colleagues, pastors, church leaders and others. Visit cmda.org/ethics for more information.

Ethics Hotline In today’s culture, we know our members are looking for resources on today’s top bioethical issues, and we’re here to help. Have you encountered a difficult patient care decision at your hospital? Do you have a question about how to maintain Hippocratic traditions within your work as a healthcare professional? CMDA’s Ethics Hotline is an on-call program assisting members who are facing these difficult patient care decisions or questions. The hotline is provided by a panel of Christian ethicists who also formulate CMDA’s ethical position statements that are based on scientific, moral and biblical principles. You can reach the hotline by calling 423-844-1000 or by visiting cmda.org/ethics.

Legal Inquiries As a result of a partnership between CMDA and Alliance Defending Freedom, we are now offering free legal consultations for CMDA members who may be experiencing conscience freedom issues in the workplace. Exclusively available to CMDA members, this program is designed to serve members who feel they are being discriminated against in the workplace due to their firmly held moral and religious beliefs. If you feel your conscience freedoms are at risk, please visit cmda.org/legal to learn more about how we can help.

Allan T. Sawyer, MD, MS, MATS, is an obstetrician/ gynecologist who has a BS and MS from Stanford University in biological sciences, an MD from Oral Roberts University School of Medicine, a master of arts in theological studies from Liberty University and currently is working toward a Doctor of Ministry from Liberty University’s Rawlings School of Divinity. He serves overseas with Samaritan’s Purse with World Medical Mission and is a member of their Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART). He is also a Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA) Rapid Response Team (RRT) Chaplain. Dr. Sawyer has been the Arizona State Director of the American Academy of Medical Ethics and the Arizona Representative to CMDA.

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Mission on

W ithout Lea ving Home Shari Falkenheimer, MD, MPH, MA, PhD

A

high number of CMDA members want to go on or have served on an international mission trip. Why? Hopefully, not to just see another country, but to bring the love and message of Jesus to those who don’t know Him. Do we need to leave home to do this? Should we leave home to do this if we aren’t already reaching out to those around us who don’t know the Lord? A number of those living around us are from unreached people groups and nations with few believers. International missions is all around us! It is not geographic but cross-cultural.

Historically, God has used four ways to spread the gospel. He may send believers to the unreached voluntarily, as with missionaries and mission-minded tentmakers abroad. He may send believers to other people groups involuntarily, as happens when believers are kidnapped or captured in wars. He may also send the unreached to believers either voluntarily such as through immigration, or involuntarily escaping a crisis or persecution in their country. God wants us to reach out to those He sends us right where we live and work, whether it is at home or abroad.

I once met two missionaries born in countries with few Jesus followers—Japan and Iran. They had not heard the gospel through missionaries to their country. Interestingly, both came to faith while international students in the U.S.! Now they are taking the love and message of Christ overseas to others. The Japanese believer, a gifted evangelist, reached out to an unreached people group in his own country and eventually returned to Japan as a missionary to his own people. The Iranian believer worked in the same unreached region, discipling and teaching Iranian Christian leaders who traveled there for the training. That’s what can happen if we reach out to internationals around us!

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Who is God sending to live or work among us? These people may be international students, immigrants, refugees or foreign workers and diplomats.

For years, the U.S. has been the top destination for international students—nearly 950,000 from 200 locations were studying here from 2021 to 2022.1 A significant percentage of these will become leaders in their countries. As Figure One on the following page shows, many are from nations where missionaries are unwelcome, like China, India and Saudi Arabia. And these students are in every U.S. state and territory!

As with international students, the U.S. has more immigrants than any other country —nearly 15 percent of the U.S. population, or over 40 million people. Only about half are proficient in English, a fact that hints at one of the ways we can reach out to them. Many are also from countries where missionaries are not welcome, as shown in Figure Two on the next page. In 2021, 68 percent came from Syria, Venezuela, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Myanmar.

Clearly, most of us have internationals near us. Why should we care for them? I can think of at least four scriptural reasons: God has special concern for foreigners, orphans and widows.

“The Lord watches over the foreigner and sustains the fatherless and the widow… ” (Psalm 146:9).

“If you do not oppress the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow…then I will let you live in this place, in the land I gave your ancestors…” ( Jeremiah 7:6-7).

“Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the foreigner or the poor…”

(Zechariah 7:10).

God cares for them and commands us to do so also!

“The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt. I am the Lord your God” (Leviticus 19:34).

“He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigner residing among you, giving them food and clothing. And you are to love those who are foreigners…”

(Deuteronomy 10:18-19).

God wants them to know Him! “Assemble the people—men, women and children, and the foreigners residing in your towns—so they can listen and learn to fear the Lord your God…” (Deuteronomy 31:12).

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations…”

(Matthew 28:19). “…with your blood you purchased for God persons from every tribe and language and people and nation” (Revelation 5:9).

We should always be mindful we are foreigners!

“Remember…you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world” (Ephesians 2:12).

“All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth” (Hebrews 11:13). “…live out your time as foreigners here in reverent fear” (1 Peter 1:17).

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LEADING PLACES OF ORIGIN OF INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS (2021/2022)

Figure One

TOP 10 ORIGIN COUNTRIES OF INTERNATIONAL REFUGEES (Mid-2021) 1. Syria 2. Venzuela 3. Palestine 4. Afghanistan 5. South Sudan

6. Myanmar 7. Democrat Republic of the Congo 8. Sudan 9. Somalia 10. Central African Republic

Figure Two

You might be asking yourself, “Ok, God has brought many internationals to our country, but how can I meet them?” Look around you at work! Look around your neighborhood, local schools, colleges and ethnic restaurants and stores. Look for them where you volunteer at ministries of service. And don’t forget local churches with ethnic congregations or ministries.

Many are lonely and would love just to have an American friend who can explain things to them—things they don’t understand in our culture or how to do things they may have never done.

Before connecting with internationals, though, you should prepare by asking God to reveal to you who He wants you to befriend or reach out to. Pray regularly and persistently for wisdom and for God to use you and draw them to Him. Then boldly step out of your comfort zone to get to know them and their hopes and needs. Love, help and encourage them.

You can bless them in many ways: modeling the love and compassion of Jesus, being a friend and spending time together, helping them with English and tutoring their children. Several need practical help in using appliances, obtaining a bank account or driver’s license, learning to use the bus or order fast food and sometimes even how to use sit down toilets! You can explain U.S. and Christian holidays and customs, which are open opportunities to share their faith basis and story. You can share Scripture in their language. Local organizations and churches in your area may be seeking volunteers for programs they run, such as English classes, food banks, furniture delivery and children’s programs. Numerous campus ministries are available, like the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students (IFES) North America,2 Bridges International,3 Cru,4 InterVarsity Christian Fellowship’s (IVCF),5 International Crossroads6 and China Outreach Ministries.7 To put this in perspective, let me give you some examples from my life. At work, I had the opportunity to teach international stu26 | CMDA TODAY | SPRING 2024

dents and oversee the international student program at a large educational center. For six months each year, I was course director for and rubbed shoulders with students being groomed to be leaders in their field in their home countries. We traveled together, and even though I was not able directly evangelize, I was able to answer their questions. While in a van with several, one asked what the difference was between Christianity and another faith. In recent years, my neighborhood has become quite multicultural. Two Muslim families live on my block and are open to talking about spiritual things. At the end of Ramadan one year, they came to give me a gift of food, which is their custom, and I was able to give them the Injil (New Testament) in their own language! I’ve befriended international students in several places I’ve lived. I’m still in contact with one from my college who was befriended by our campus Christian group. Several times when I visited his country, I stayed with him and his wife and enjoyed long talks about the Bible and God. A graduate student from the Middle East and I met weekly, talked often about spiritual things and shared Thanksgiving at my home where I read Abraham Lincoln’s Thanksgiving proclamation that honors the Lord. I’ve been part of ministries in local churches. When living near our nation’s capital, I met in the home of a diplomat from a conservative, “closed” Muslim country to help his wife with English. My current church helped resettle refugees who had, for a number of years, been in camps. I was able to help them with rides to church and friendships. In another church, I was part of a group to deliver furniture to newly arrived refugees. So, even though I’ve moved 12 times, I’ve always found opportunities to reach out to internationals in some way!

Now that you know about God’s love for the foreigner, their presence all around us and ways you can connect with and help them, what step(s) will you take to be “on mission” without leaving home? Let us “be doers of the word, and not hearers only…” ( James 1:22, ESV)!

Endnotes 1 https://www.statista.com/statistics/297132/top-host-destination-ofinternational-students-worldwide 2 Ifesworld.org 3 bridgesinternational.com 4 cru.org 5 intervarsity.org 6 internationalcrossroads.org 7 chinaoutreach.org

Sharon A. (“Shari”) Falkenheimer, MD, MPH, MA, PhD, has more than 45 years in healthcare, teaching, research, planning and leadership. She has taught in 30 nations and been involved cross-culturally for 55 years. Dr. Falkenheimer completed PhD level courses in crosscultural issues and training as a Perspectives on the World Christian Movement Coordinator. She is a lifetime member of CMDA, serves as CMDA field staff for the Albany Medical College CMDA group and is on the boards of the Christian Journal for Global Health and the Christian Academy of African Physicians.

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Bill Sasser, DMD, while serving on a Global Health Outreach trip to Nicaragua.

“It’s a privilege to share my life with the CMDA family.

In a secular society such as ours, it’s a privilege to walk alongside men and women who seek to follow the great commandment of Christ, to love God and love our neighbors.

Scripture calls us to live examined lives before the Lord. Who’s really on the throne of my life? How am I using my time? Dental disease is a great need throughout the world, and I’ve learned how dentistry can be portable up to a point. As such, it’s a great vehicle for loving, serving and sharing the good news of the gospel. The call to serve is ongoing. We just have to respond to the call and say ‘yes’ to participation in a Christian organization like CMDA. Then get ready to mentor young people, donate your time and services at home and follow Christ’s order to support the Great Commission efforts around the world.”

—Bill Sasser, DMD, CMDA member since 1994

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MINISTRIES LIST As the nation’s largest faith-based professional healthcare organization, CHRISTIAN MEDICAL & DENTAL ASSOCIATIONS (CMDA) represents thousands of healthcare professionals who are dedicated to standing together as we bring the hope and healing of Christ to the world.

Together, we demonstrate the compassion of Jesus and share the gospel as we meet the physical, spiritual and emotional needs of those in every specialty and every corner of healthcare.

COMMUNITY CAMPUS & COMMUNITY MINISTRIES A network of more than 80 local graduate ministries and more than 350 campus chapters provide opportunities for members to connect and live out their Christian faith in their practices, on campus and in their communities. cmda.org/ccm DENTAL MINISTRIES An outreach supporting dental professionals and students as they integrate Christian faith into all aspects of their lives, while providing opportunities for training and equipping. Also includes the CMDA Dental Residency [+] program. cmda.org/dental SIDE BY SIDE A network of about 90 local chapters to encourage, support and minister to women in healthcare marriages through fellowship, Bible

study and prayer. Each local chapter meets the unique and individual needs of its community. cmda.org/sidebyside SPECIALTY SECTIONS A wide variety of sections formed to equip, network and provide a voice for CMDA members to their areas of specialty or service. Organized

by CMDA members who wish to connect with their colleagues, these sections include: • Addiction Medicine Section • Christian Academic Physicians and Scientists • Christian Healthcare Executive Collaborative • Christian Physical Rehab Professionals • Christian Surgeons Fellowship • Coalition of Christian Nurse Practitioners • Dental Hygienists Section • Dermatology Section

ADVOCACY COMMISSION ON HUMAN TRAFFICKING

An effort to abolish human trafficking through policy initiatives, education, raising awareness and providing clinical services to victims. cmda.org/humantrafficking ETHICS HOTLINE An on-call program to assist members facing difficult patient care decisions, provided by Christian physician ethicists. You can easily reach the hotline at 423-844-1000. cmda.org/ethics

LEGAL ADVOCACY A cooperative endeavor that includes partner-

The core of our ministry happens in local communities and on campuses where healthcare professionals and students live out the character of Christ. Our campus and community ministries are dedicated to changing hearts in healthcare through evangelism and discipleship.

• • •

Family Medicine Section Fellowship of Christian Optometrists Fellowship of Christian Physician Assistants • Fellowship of Christian Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons • Neurology Section • Obstetrics and Gynecology Section • Psychiatry Section • Ultrasound Education Section cmda.org/specialtysections WOMEN PHYSICIANS & DENTISTS IN CHRIST A ministry that encourages and supports Christian women physicians and dentists in the unique challenges women face. It is a key resource for women in integrating their personal, professional and spiritual lives. cmda.org/wpdc

We serve as a Christian voice through our advocacy efforts on the state and federal levels and partnerships with like-minded organizations. We provide resources on current healthcare topics, and we equip Christians in healthcare to defend and care for our most vulnerable patients.

ships with legal firms, participation in amicus briefs, collaboration with the Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine and more to advocate for life and human dignity in important court cases.

STATE ADVOCACY PROGRAM An initiative with the American Academy of Medical Ethics dedicated to preserving and promoting the ethical standards outlined in the original Hippocratic Oath through life-honoring legislation at the state level. ethicalhealthcare.org VOICE OF CMDA MEDIA TRAINING A workshop to learn how to prepare for and

give television, radio and print media interviews that offer Christian perspectives on ethical questions and general health topics. cmda.org/mediatraining WASHINGTON OFFICE CMDA’s liasion with Congress, the White House, federal agencies and others in Washington, D.C. Provides opportunities for federal employment, testimony and committee service.

Includes Freedom2Care, a coalition to advance conscience freedoms and provide other legislative tools. cmda.org/washington www.cmda.org | 29

SERVICE CENTER FOR ADVANCING HEALTHCARE MISSIONS A program designed to serve domestic and international healthcare missionaries in their work, as well as aid in the recruitment, training and retention of career healthcare missionaries.

Also plans regional mission conferences to engage healthcare professionals and trainees in short-term and long-term missions. cmda.org/cahm CONTINUING EDUCATION FOR OVERSEAS HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS An annual 10-day multiple track continuing

EQUIPPING CENTER FOR WELL-BEING A ministry that helps empower and lead healthcare professionals to combat issues like burnout in order to optimize well-being. cmda.org/wellbeing CONTINUING EDUCATION Through live events and the online CMDA Learning Center, we offer continuing education courses accredited by the ACCME to provide AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. We are also an Academy of General Dentistry Approved PACE Provider. cmda.org/learning EVENTS AND TOURS A variety of more than 40 local, regional and national conferences and tours each year for training and networking, including CMDA’s National Convention, Biblical Tours and more. cmda.org/events LIFE & LEADERSHIP COACHING A personalized resource with certified coaches who assist healthcare professionals in finding balance in addressing both the professional and personal issues of everyday life. cmda.org/coaching LIFE & HEALTH RESOURCES A distribution service for CMDA-produced and recommended resources through the online CMDA Bookstore, powered by ChristianBook.com. cmda.org/bookstore

CMDA is dedicated to domestic and international healthcare missions, both short-term and long-term. We provide opportunities for healthcare professionals to use their God-given skills to meet the needs of others around the world and share the gospel with them.

education and spiritual renewal conference for healthcare missionaries currently serving in international mission outreaches.

DOMESTIC MISSIONS Opportunities for healthcare professionals to serve and minister to the underserved in their local communities here in the U.S. cmda.org/missions GLOBAL HEALTH OUTREACH A short-term missions program that sends 40 to 50 medical, dental and surgical teams around the world each year. GHO disciples participants, grows national churches, shares

the gospel and provides care to the poor. cmda.org/gho MEDICAL EDUCATION INTERNATIONAL A short-term missions program that sends around 40 teams each year to teach in academic or clinical settings to bring transformation by advancing medical, dental, bioethical and educational knowledge while sharing the gospel. cmda.org/mei

CMDA’s wide variety of resources and services help us to fulfill our mission to motivate, educate and equip Christian healthcare professionals and students. These resources and services give our members the knowledge and tools they need to effectively serve the Lord.

MARRIAGE ENRICHMENT A ministry that provides four to six conferences per year to address the unique needs and stresses of healthcare marriages, offering couples the opportunity to nurture and grow in their marital relationships. cmda.org/marriage MEDICAL MALPRACTICE MINISTRY A program assisting healthcare professionals facing malpractice lawsuits with prayer, educational resources and encouragement from a network of healthcare professionals who have faced malpractice suits themselves. cmda.org/mmm MEMBER SEARCH The public and our members can search through our extensive database to help find a Christian healthcare professional in their local areas. cmda.org

MEMBER SERVICES We assist our members with information regarding our resources, as well as membership recruitment, renewals and retention. cmda.org/members PLACEMENT SERVICES A recruiting service that brings together Christian healthcare professionals and practices throughout the U.S. to enhance their ministry and advance the kingdom of God. cmda.org/placement

PODCASTS CMDA’s podcast network includes a variety of regularly released podcasts focusing on today’s important healthcare topics, missions, dentistry, students and more, including CMDA Matters, Dental Sound Bytes and more. cmda.org/podcasts PUBLICATIONS A wide variety of informational print and electronic resources published by CMDA to encourage, equip and motivate readers, including CMDA Today, The Point blog and others. cmda.org/publications SPEAKER’S REFERRAL BUREAU An online self-referral speaker’s bureau of CMDA members who can be contacted for local, regional or national events. These recommended speakers are available to address a variety of topics and issues. cmda.org/speakers STEWARDSHIP & DEVELOPMENT A service that encourages and aids CMDA members to be good stewards of the gifts given them by God, with resources to protect their assets and provide for loved ones while building the kingdom. cmda.org/giving

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P

erhaps the biggest problem for young people today is deciding what to believe and therefore not knowing how to live. My heart aches for them, including some of my grandchildren. By the same token I am deeply moved to see those who have the wisdom to see the truth through the mists of deceit which envelop our culture. In my life it was so much easier. There was no distracting television, only the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) “wireless,” which included intellectual feasts like C.S. Lewis giving talks that were later adapted into Mere Christianity (sadly we missed those, but real high-quality material like that we did often hear). Sung evensong was played and appreciated in some factories! School was blessed by examples of genuine learning, set in a framework of unchallenged Judeo-Christian morality.

32 | CMDA TODAY | SPRING 2024

The fact my family was poor never occurred to me. Running to Daltons to get three thin (very thin) slices of ham to garnish home grown potatoes was just part of life. I had modelled for me lives lived without complaint. My dad never took us into debt; home was managed on $20 a week plus my mother’s sewing money. (She made almost every form of clothing that could be sewn or knitted.) Above all, families were strong, and we did not appreciate it but merely unselfconsciously expected it. It was simply how things were. None of my school friends ever experienced divorce. How does one compute the value of that way of life? Black scholar Tom Sowell notes that even under slavery most black children grew up in two-parent families. As recently as 1960, two-thirds of black children grew up in two-parent families. The figures for whites were the same. A century ago, slightly more blacks were employed than whites. Such societal norms were good for children, and the

absence of minimum wage laws meant that children could earn money for their own projects. As God through Moses had promised the children of Israel, if you keep these laws, it will go well with you forever. And when societies don’t?

Now as we watch university students supporting Hamas, dismissing any counter evidence because they have accepted the world must be seen as a battle between oppressed and oppressors and truth is only personal. They know no history, no great literature more than a few years old. It is years since I last met a student who has read Darkness at Noon by Arthur Koestler, written as a first-person singular account of living under a regime produced by applied Marxism and ultimately dying for what the protagonist knows to be a lie. Truly, ideas do have consequences.

The reductive form of knowledge, which rules the minds of most of our elected leaders, explains their incredibly simplistic policies. Climate change is what climate has always done—look at geological history. Look at the data for temperature and the temperature goes up before the CO2. The Little Ice Age (early 17th to early 19th centuries), when the river Thames froze to the point of allowing a winter fair on the frozen river just as the coal-powered industrial revolution was ramping up, would force them to understand that what politicians do is not driven by hard analysis but by what they feel will win the next election.

The story of slavery is another example taught as though only white people enslaved black people. Most students are utterly unaware that slavery has been “normal” in all major empires in history and that the Ottomans were amongst the most brutal.

The very word slave is derived from Slav. In the Mediterranean Basin, slaves were white for centuries. Thomas Sowell and other black intellectuals are trying hard to correct these distortions, but the real moral to draw is that modern students are not widely educated. Instead, they are introduced to a narrative from which they are not allowed to depart. Wisdom is a word that is noticeable by its absence in the modern multiversity. Everything is deductively produced from a false premise, that humans do not know the truth because it does not exist (ironically, they believe that statement to be true!). Everything is about having the power to express your own feelings, and if you are from an oppressed group, to force the oppressors to bend the knee. Thus, the laughable inability of academics to define a woman and the current crisis of Black street gangs must be due to slavery because it fits the academic narrative that is to be believed and is unassailable. Facts are dismissed by rhetoric, not argument. Similarly, the struggles in Gaza must be fitted into an oppressed and oppressor narrative, and critical comments about Islam are Islamophobic, despite the “brotherhood” of Islam with its control of immense oil wealth and displaying zero willingness to take in displaced Palestinians.

The oppressor/oppressed distinction is itself overruled by the needs of the powerful. The leaders of Hamas and Iran have no guilt about sacrificing their own people to their obsession with destroying the Jews. It is not about race; it is all about culture. If we do not assert the truth that cultures are different, we will lose everything, not least the practice of healthcare as we knew it.

The practice of medicine flourished for centuries before it had anything that looked vaguely like modern effectiveness. Not until the 1860s did it make practical sense in terms of life expectancy to go to the doctor. Medicine is not a product of enlightenment.

A strong case can be made it was Christians who took the old narrative, derived from the Jewish and Greek cultures and refined by the Hippocratic physicians, and added the compassion that Jesus had taught us. Christians cared for the abandoned, poor and sick in a way no other culture had done. Monasteries became the institutional means that led to hospitals and so much that is good about our culture. Even the most virulent critics of the West want to come to the West when their culture falls apart!

The doctor, before modern medicine emerged, could only accompany the patient to the gates of death and tell the patient their time had come. Nevertheless, he was respected for how he did his job, because he respected and used the traditions of his culture. In my lifetime, medical technical prowess has gone through the roof and respect for the profession through the floor. Why? Cultural decay has fascinated numerous academics. No overarching consensus developed, but plenty of evidence shows that loss of moral consensus is fundamental to decay. A friend reminded me of the work of JD Unwin, which I had come across years ago when I did not appreciate it as I do now. He was an Oxford anthropologist/sociologist who studied more than 80 distinct cultures and societies and was particularly interested in the correlation between sexual behavior and cultural flourishing or decay. His book on sex and culture was published 90 years ago and is beautifully introduced by Kirk Durston on his website. He defined flourishing in terms of architecture, art, engineering, literature, agriculture, and he wondered whether societal constraints on immediate sexual fulfilment might lead to societal success in terms of stability, inventiveness and development.

His work indicated that sexual restraint was the single most important factor positively correlated with cultural flourishing. The best form was being chaste before marriage, and then being monogamous in marriage. When this pattern is established for three generations dramatic development occurs, and when societal rejection occurs, it takes three generations to lead to collapse. In the Western world, this rejection began in the 1960s. Need I say more?

John Patrick, MD, studied medicine at Kings College, London and St. George’s Hospital, London in the United Kingdom. He has held appointments in Britain, the West Indies and Canada. At the University of Ottawa, Dr. Patrick was Associate Professor in Clinical Nutrition in the Department of Biochemistry and Pediatrics for 20 years. Today he is President and Professor at Augustine College and speaks to Christian and secular groups around the world, communicating effectively on medical ethics, culture, public policy and the integration of faith and science. Connect with Dr. Patrick at johnpatrick.ca. You can also learn more about his work with Augustine College at augustinecollege.org.

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Classifieds To place a classified advertisement, contact communications@cmda.org.

Disciple-making Physicians — Do you long to see God work through your medical practice? We are the largest vasectomy reversal practice in the U.S. We plant God’s field for new birth in body and spirit. We train physicians spiritually and medically. If you proficiently enjoy simple skin suturing; if you want to make disciple-making disciples of Jesus among your patients; and if God is calling you to this work, we can train you in this medical ministry to fulfill the Great Commission. Come join us at our Warwick, Rhode Island location. We are also eager to talk with medical students about future clinic locations. Contact drdavid@thereversalclinic.com.

Family Medicine — J oin a highly respected independent family practice in Dawsonville, Georgia. Keating Family Medicine is known as a practice that sincerely cares about patients and delivers quality services. We offer potential partnership opportunity, competitive salary, comprehensive benefits package, work/ life balance and paid malpractice insurance

and industry dues. North Georgia offers great school districts (Forsyth County schools are ranked number two in Georgia); access to the beautiful Lake Lanier, which offers many activities such as boating, fishing, swimming and beach access; and access to the north Georgia mountains, which offers camping, hiking and kayaking on the rivers. We are even at the start of the Appalachian Trail, and we are 60 minutes from Atlanta. Dawson and Lumpkin counties are the in the top 10 fastest growing counties in the nation. For more details, contact Practice Manager Will Keating, Jr. at will@keatingfamilymedicine.com or 706-203-1217.

Family Medicine — F T/PT physician eager to serve God through the practice of family medicine is invited to join the New Creation Healing Center team in Kingston, New Hampshire, to heal the sick and share the gospel. Check out our website www. newcreationhc.org (click opportunities) for more information. For package details, contact Mary Pearson, DO, at 603-819-3204 or via email at drmarygrace@hotmail.com. We love God and we love people!

General Dentistry and Family Medicine — G eneral dentist and family physician opportunities available. Join Shiloh Medical Services, a privately-owned faith-based practice centered between Cleveland and Columbus, Ohio. Known for its personalized approach to treating the whole person, our multi-specialty clinic offers medical, dental, optometry, pediatric, chiropractic and counseling services to a diverse population in the surrounding communities and internationally. Our patient population is 55 percent Amish and Mennonite. Contact cara@shilohmedicalservices.com for more information.

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Medicos Fellowship — S ince 1999, Medicos has provided bilingual training for physicians called to service in mission hospitals or rural communities. Applicants must qualify for an unrestricted medical license. Develop needed skills such as Cesarean section, ambulatory surgery/anesthesia, point of care ultrasound/radiology and stewardship training for the design of a locally supported healthcare ministry. Support is available for qualified residents with this interest.

Memphis, Tennessee and rural. Send CV to wmrodney@aol.com.

Optometrist — Seeking Maryland licensed full-time optometrist in modern, well established two OD private practice. Good referral base, surgical co-management, electronic medical records.

Good compensation, benefits and possible practice purchase in near future. For more information, contact mrdmevissen@aol.com.

Orthopedics — Mountaineer Orthopedic Specialists in Morgantown, West Virginia is seeking BC/BE fellowship trained orthopedic surgeon and BC/BE primary care sports medicine provider. Enjoy life in a university town close to a wide array of outdoor activities. Join an established thriving Christian private practice. www.wvortho.com.

Contact wpost@wvortho.com.

Pediatrics — Seeking a pediatrician for a group practice in Montgomery, Alabama. A busy general pediatrics group of four doctors is seeking a BC/BE pediatrician for a fulltime position to replace a retiring physician in Montgomery, Alabama. Pediatric Healthcare (PHC) is a thriving, physician-owned practice established 41 years ago and well respected in the tri-county area. All pediatricians are believers and are seeking a like-minded partner. This position uniquely allows the new physician to assume the care of a mature practice of patients, with the opportunity for partnership in one to two years. Excellent compensation package and future income potential. There is a $20,000 signing bonus and moving expenses are covered. The PHC office is a stand-alone, up-to-date facility that provides four exam rooms per doctor and a private office for each doctor. Other office features include a laboratory, hearing/vision room, minor surgery room, spacious patient waiting areas (divided sick and well) and comfortable clerical area for patient reception and business operation. The practice website is PedHealthcare.com. The doctors work a fourday week and every fourth weekend on call. The call rotation allows for a Friday off every fourth weekend. A call center staffed by nurses at Children’s Hospital in Birmingham handles all nighttime calls. The doctors provide inpatient care only for well newborns. There is excellent neonatal coverage at the hospitals, including attendance at deliveries as needed, allowing the PHC doctors to focus on outpatient care.

Interested candidates should send their CV to Stephanie at SMcClelland@PedHealthcare. com or TrumbullD3@gmail.com. If you have questions, call the office at 334-273-9700.

CMDA PLACEMENT SERVICES Bringing together healthcare professionals to further God’s kingdom

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I would not have found my job without CMDA Placement Services.”

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We exist to glorify God by placing healthcare professionals and assisting them in finding God’s will for their careers. Our goal is to place healthcare professionals in an environment that will encourage ministry and also be pleasing to God. We make connections across the U.S. for healthcare professionals and practices. We have an established network consisting of hundreds of opportunities in various specialties.

You will benefit from our experience and guidance. Every single placement carries its own set of challenges. We help find the perfect fit for you and your practice.

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