Theology and Medicine in Conversation

Doolittle and Heim examine the complex interplay between modern medicine, religion, and spirituality.

Medicine and religion share many concerns: suffering and illness, healing and well-being. The biological model of illness empowers medicine to bring dramatic improvements in physical health. At the same time, modern medicine often ignores the spiritual needs of patients and deeper challenges of holistic healing. Religious institutions, in turn, have always supported people through suffering, often pioneering the delivery of healthcare to those in need. However, religious convictions sometimes conflict with medical perspectives, and some forms of religious belief and practice may be injurious to health.

Each side can stereotype the other—medicine as sterile and unfeeling, religion as irrational and injurious. Theology and Medicine in Conversation draws upon broad resources of Biblical theology, history, and contemporary thought to explore questions of faith, the role of the church, the lived experience of illness, and the modern practice of medicine.

Designed for classroom use, this title will enable students to:

• Explore the Christian understanding of illness and healing as informed by the Gospels, the early church, medieval theology, and contemporary theologians.
• Address contemporary issues of illness, such as cancer, AIDS, addiction, and the pandemics through a theological lens.
• Explore how religious observance and spirituality are associated with beneficial health outcomes.
• Reconcile deep questions of illness and suffering through a deeper understanding of theology and modern medicine.