After a visit to my father at his local hospital, I had a worldview moment. What should have alerted me from the outset was the name of the place – St. Mary’s. But then I noticed that the spiritual services wing of the hospital had dropped off for him a brochure about their activities which was included with information about television channels and daily menus – talk about trivializing the eschaton. But the kicker was the crucifix in my dad’s ICU room. Shazzam!!! That’s a whole lot of idolatry for a man who is on a heart monitor.
But is Roman Catholic medicine really any different from Reformed medicine or even – dare I say – secular medicine. If worldviews go all the way down to the very tips of our toes, and if we can’t escape the claims of Christ in any parts of our lives, can I really look the other way in good conscience when entering a hospital room that displays an image of Christ on a cross?
And then there is the concern for quality of health care. If Abraham Kuyper was right that Roman Catholicism “represents an older and lower stage of development in the history of mankind” and if Protestantism occupies a “higher standpoint,” shouldn’t my dad try to find treatment at a Protestant hospital? Kuyper, by the way, wasn’t real complimentary of Roman Catholicism on science either.
Nicotine Theological Journal | “Should a Reformed Protestant Receive Treatment at a Roman Catholic Hospital?” | February 19, 2024
RESOURCES
- Subscribe To The Heidelblog!
- The Heidelblog Resource Page
- Heidelmedia Resources
- The Ecumenical Creeds
- The Reformed Confessions
- The Heidelberg Catechism
- Recovering the Reformed Confession (Phillipsburg: P&R Publishing, 2008)
- Why I Am A Christian
- What Must A Christian Believe?
- Heidelblog Contributors
- Support Heidelmedia: use the donate button or send a check to
Heidelberg Reformation Association
1637 E. Valley Parkway #391
Escondido CA 92027
USA
The HRA is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.
Heidelblog
The Heidelblog has been in publication since 2007. It is devoted to recovering the Reformed confession and to helping others discover Reformed theology, piety, and practice.
More by Heidelblog ›
As a physician, this is a subject I have discussed with other believers. For a surgical procedure, I want the most skilled hands available – faith does not weigh in.
OTOH, in my own specialty (psychiatry) it is terribly important. Worldview is CRUCIAL (pun intended) because I won’t tell your boy it’s okay to be attracted to other boys, or to become a girl! I dont see my patients as a sack of chemicals, nothing but “molecules in motion.”. Rather I would integrate biology, psychology, social/relational aspects, and spiritual TRUTH. Not just “faith is good” but solid Reformed doctrine. I approach everyone differently (because they ARE different!) but these dimensions are all part of effective care.
The understanding of two kingdoms is really the issue here.
I would not like being in a hospital room with a crucifix on the wall as much as I don’t like my local hospital’s routine questioning of my gender identity and sexual preferences for their records (I refuse to answer those questions). I do not like as well the art on the wall of my doctor’s office stating that “We are spiritual beings having a human moment”.
However, I would much rather have an emergency or serious illness treated by a competent physician and hospital vs. a second-rate option that had a Protestant label (Which really means nothing anyway). Theology doesn’t make a hospital or physician clinically superior.
Your doctor is into gnosticism?
That I don’t know. The office houses a large network of physicians. The quote in the art is a fairly common sentiment expressed by the “Spiritual not Religious” crowd.