Health, Healing and the Church’s Mission, by Willard M. Swartley, explores the biblical and theological roots which have been the foundation of the christian church’s philosophy in healthcare. Swartley, who is professor emeritus of New testament at Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary, cogently reviews the historical mission and role of the christian church in healthcare over the centuries. While his purpose is that readers respond with “moral passion” to the current health care challenges in the United States, he ultimately seeks to “reclaim the relationship between the triune god and our healing and healthcare efforts.” (p. 14).
Swartley starts the book by grappling with the question, “When God does not heal me or others, what am to believe?” The reader is led through insightful passages of Scripture that support an understanding that mankind has had a tragic fall and it is God’s ideal to restore mankind through healing. With exegetical insight, the writer unveils a sense that god cares and is with us even when we are suffering. He asserts that we are not to be deluded into thinking that sickness and death are a result of a lack of faith. instead, we must redefine our expectations of God’s involvement, Swartley says, and hold to the faith that ultimate healing will come from the Holy Spirit when we are fully redeemed and receive new bodies.
While clearly reminding the reader of our common mortality, Swartley also notes that God still seeks to restore his image in us through his revelation in the Word and the community of faith, and that as our personal Physician he seeks our cooperation in restoring healing to humanity as we deliver care. Swartley also eloquently argues that god gives preventive health after he saves. He points out how god gave the ten commandments to ancient Israel to preserve and to protect from emotional, social and physical illness, and how the church today must speak to the devastating effects of living contrary to God’s laws and express the healing found in obedience to it.
Chapter three introduces Jesus’ healings as a sign of his coming kingdom. It also shows Jesus modeling the role of the christian community as healer. Swartley argues that healing was central to the identity of Jesus and that he was committed to delivering people from various forms of bondage. That not withstanding, he reminds us that true deliverance is in the atonement, which was begun at the cross and will find its ultimate fulfillment at the resurrection.
Next Swartley looks at the church as a healing community, describing how it can create an atmosphere that facilitates healing. He leads us to consider the healing value of rituals and ceremonies such as baptism, Eucharist, and anointing with oil. While it isn’t clear if he agrees that these don’t inherently have healing power in them, he definitely asserts that they do have a role in creating peace, well-being and a sense of hope in the experience of the patient.
In chapter Six, Swartley takes on the dichotomy between the naturalist and the christian world- view of health. Despite the differences between the naturalist and the christian, there is no reason to relegate the christian to being only a “faith healer.” that christian healing makes use of medicines and technology does not undermine faith but affirms it by accepting god as working along with the physician, the prayers and the potions to bring about wholeness.
We need a christian view of health, Swartley asserts, one that goes beyond market forces and embraces moral forces. He boldly argues for biblical justice in health- care, including providing healthcare coverage for those who can’t pay and even those who live as refugees and undocumented inhabitants of countries where they are not citizens. The christian philosophy of health mandates that there is active advocacy for those who cannot advocate for themselves. This is regarded as a moral imperative (p. 129). The current for-profit model of healthcare runs contrary to the biblical ethic of service to humanity. It would appear that devoid of a national moral shift, the national crisis will not improve for the vulnerable.
After offering an excellent historical sketch of the evolution of the modern church and society in regards to healthcare, tracing developments from the Protestant reformation to our era, Swartley takes on the current healthcare crisis. he states that escalating costs are driven by providers’ fear of litigation that leads to excessive testing and patients’ fear of mistreatment—which makes patients demanding and puts expectations on care providers to satisfy their uncertainties. The healthcare debate in the United States is really a discussion on how we define healthcare—“a right to be protected or a good to be purchased.” Swartley unapologetically argues that universal coverage for basic health care is a biblical moral priority. Despite how difficult it may be to achieve this in the complex U.S. system, the christian foundation at the soul of America demands that this be addressed.
In arguing that the healthcare crisis is an ethical, moral or spiritual issue more than it is economic, the author insists that the biblical model for healthcare is best captured by the notion shalom or well-being, an idea that extends beyond mere physical well-being to include emotional, spiritual, social, community and material dimensions of life. A culture constructed on shalom would lead to people mutually meeting economic and healthcare needs with caring love for one another. This leads to Swartley’s compelling argument that service should be restored as a driving motif in the christian community. Such intentional acts of service would reflect Christ’s healing ministry.
A weakness of the book lies in Swartley’s hope that we might respond with “moral passion” to the current health care challenges in the United States. While he argued for a moral mandate, the reader was not left inspired by his theological insights or new realistic options for motivating society to explore an ethic of service over self-interest.
Swartley must be commended for explicating the theological basis for a Christian position on such a divisive issue. I recommend this book for the historical information related to the trajectory of the church and healthcare along with a biblical basis for a political position. Though at times a cumbersome read that deviates from its primary thesis with anecdotal and distracting details that contribute little to the development of the thesis, Health, Healing and the Church’s Mission fills a void for Christian healthcare providers who are seeking a Christian worldview on the healthcare crisis.
STANLEY A. JAMES, M.D., is an internal medicine physician who graduated from Loma Linda University School of Medicine and is currently a Masters of Divinity student at the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary at Andrews University.