Nursing is a ministry of compassionate care for the whole person, in response to God's grace toward a sinful world, which aims to foster optimum health (shalom) and bring comfort in suffering and death to anyone in need.
"Theologian Charles Sherlock suggests three general approaches [for finding our way in a culturally pluralistic world]:
1. We should put away the idea that any one culture embodies Christian faith (this is especially true for those of us who live in cultures that have been most influenced by Christianity.)
2. We should use crosscultural relationships to reflect on our own culture--both to identify our prejudices and to be enriched by others' experiences and ways of thinking.
3. We must recognize the effects of sin on all human cultures: the outworkings of human pride, self-centeredness, and the desire to be in control are present in every culture." (125)
"We actually proclaim the kingdom of God when we care for suffering people (Luke 4:18-21). Through Jesus Christ, God not only announced the ultimate end of suffering, he himself took human form to suffer for our sake--making that hope possible. Right now, we live in a now-and-not-yet kingdom. Jesus' suffering and death on the cross definitely won the victory over sin in our world. our hope for a new world order is certain. But the effects of sin sill ripple through our lives. The reality of the kingdom will not fully appear until the parousia--the second coming of Christ. In the meantime we endure suffering with patience and hope, trusting in God's mercy and compassion, but also reaching out in love to care for others who are suffering. Ultimately we look forward to a time when illness, tears and suffering will have been wiped away--when nurses won't be needed!" (217)
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