Medicine Serves People

Medical care has been misconstrued as the treatment of diseases by drugs, surgery, and other means. More properly, it is the treatment of persons who may have diseases, using available means. There is a huge difference.

The persons we serve have a spirit. That spirit is intimately connected to their body and the ailments of those bodies. Only personal contact by nurses, pharmacists, doctors, and others can effectively touch that spirit and its resources. We serve persons, and we use bags of chemicals as part of the means. We do not serve bags of chemicals.


Excerpts from "Pharmacy and Medical Interventions"

Pragmatic Paradigm

We have become pragmatists – a people who decide that what is right is what works. Pragmatism is an awful, unbiblical philosophy. A practical or pragmatic implementation of biblically-determined morality is fine! Philosophical pragmatism is not that. It is determining what is or is not right based upon what works.

That is the paradigm for modern technologic medicine. We choose to see only the physical, material, most atomistic aspect of our problems. The spiritual roots we don't choose to see.


Excerpt from talk given at Westminster Presbyterian Church

From the Bookshelf

In 1918, when medical science was unlocking the mysteries of killers like polio, malaria, and yellow fever, a deadly influenza attacked. The disease struck down millions worldwide while scientists frantically searched for answers. It was a terrifying disease for it killed the young with ferocity; there was no known cause, no known methods to avoid infection and no known cure.

The story, told by John Barry in his book The Great Influenza, is more than a story about the flu; it is a story about truth. Can science bring us absolute truth? Are man's powers of observation capable of discovering information that is an accurate picture of reality free from further doubt? As Barry wrote, "How do we know when we know?"

This is a great book that Dr. Terrell enjoyed, and one that draws attention to his ideas of truth in science. Read more of his thoughts on truth here.

Civil Loyalties

Acts 5:29 “But Peter and the other apostles answered and said: “We ought to obey God rather than men.”

All spheres of governance are to serve God. When any otherwise legitimate governance does not obey God, a Christian is not bound to obey it. This verse has been most narrowly cast as an example of prohibition of preaching, as if preaching were the only area of Christian obedience. Actually, it is one of a large number of potential cases. A wife does not have to obey her husband if he demands of her sin. Ditto, a child his parents. Ditto, a church member. Given that a behavior commanded by an authority is not always immediately known to be disobedient to God, the one commanded has some leeway in decision. The clearer the issue, the clearer the mandate (not privilege) to disobey the human power. Disobedience may be open or covert, passive or active, with acceptance of consequences meted out by the authority or avoidance of them. 

Almost All Americans Lack Health Insurance

How many Americans have proper health insurance?

Most estimates in the news are that 50 million individuals -- 15 percent of Americans -- are without health insurance. But in fact, very few Americans have health insurance... because what people call health insurance really isn't insurance at all.

Read the rest of this Huffington Post article here.

And read Dr. Terrell's thoughts on medical insurance here.