“In the gospel scheme of things, Jesus does not promise always to relieve (or cure) our suffering,” wrote Rodney Clapp in 1987. “What he promises is always to be with us in it. Truly Christian prayers at a sickbed are not pious supplements to the ‘real’ work of doctors, or desperate ‘remedies’ tried after all others have failed. They are instead palpable acts of caring for a sufferer, means of God’s presence whether medicine succeeds or fails.”
Grappling with the realities of disease, sickness, pain, and suffering—like those from a former CT editor above—has been a continual theme in Christianity Today’s pages. In order of oldest to most recent, here’s a collection of pieces from healthcare providers, ethicists, and theologians asking some of the biggest and toughest questions about life and death.
