Christian Anthropology

Every Christian healthcare professional practices from assumptions, with a framework for understanding what it means to be a person, how wounding and brokenness occur, and how healing and restoration occur. For many, their assumptions are implicit, guiding perceptions and actions without being consciously articulated and examined. One purpose of this volume is to assist Christian healthcare professionals in articulating their assumptions by presenting three perspectives that are explicit, scientifically and theologically informed, internally consistent, and compatible with Christian tradition. The reader can then use these perspectives to stimulate self-reflection.

In a culture that is as diverse as American culture, we see the effects of diversity in healthcare practice. Today we witness attempts to integrate the natural and the supernatural in holistic healthcare practices. In these attempts, the spiritual practices that have found most favor and use have come mostly from the Asian Buddhist and Hindu traditions. Traditional Christian healing practices have been largely ignored. An exception is the researched and demonstrated value of forgiveness.

One difficulty we have encountered in making a case for Christian healing practices in healthcare is that we have not had an adequate framework of understanding from which to grasp what we do in Christian healing. The writers in this volume have approached the subject of Christian healing by asking how we as Christians understand the human person, human brokenness/wounding, and human healing/wholeness, in all dimensions of our existence, body, mind, and spirit. This has led to a clearer understanding of the ways that healing occurs and, most especially, a clearer understanding of how to apply Christian healing practices in healthcare as we trust in the love and mercy of our God, manifest in Jesus Christ.