The Great Physician

This history of evangelical faith healing in nineteenth-century America examines the nation’s shifting attitudes about sickness, suffering, and health. Faith in the Great Physician tells the story of how participants in the divine healing movement transformed the ways Americans coped with physical affliction and pursued bodily wellbeing. Heather D. Curtis offers critical reflection on the theological, cultural, and social forces that come into play when one questions the purpose of suffering and the possibility of healing. Belief in divine healing ran counter to a deep-seated Christian ethic that linked physical suffering with spiritual holiness. By engaging in devotional disciplines and participating in social reform efforts, proponents of faith cure embraced a model of spiritual experience that endorsed active service, rather than passive endurance, as the proper Christian response to illness and pain. Emphasizing the centrality of religious practices to the enterprise of divine healing, Curtis sheds light on the relationship among Christian faith, medical science, and the changing meanings of suffering and healing in American culture. Recipient of the Frank S. and Elizabeth D. Brewer Prize of the American Society of Church History for 2007

Or Lord referred to his work as that of the Physician . . . Healing all manner of disease applies to the spiritual as well as the mental and physical . . . our business is of bringing the sin-sick face to face with the One Healer. To do this demands some knowledge of His Methods and these are most radiantly revealed in the records of His early ministry. --From the Foreword

Everyone needs a Doctor at some time, even if it is just to sign a death certificate! This book is written with a view of Jesus Christ as not only a Physician but the greatest Physician who ever lived. Thirty-seven miracles are recorded in the Gospels and as Mary Fairchild says: "None were performed randomly, for amusement or for show. Each was accompanied by a message and either met a serious human need or confirmed Christ`s identity and authority as the Son of God". Having been a Doctor for over forty years, I have viewed the healing miracles of the Lord Jesus in the gospels under medical categories as seen from a modern classification of disease. Not every miracle is therefore included - only those I see in a category of disease or medical specialty. I have added some relevant thoughts at times relevant to the miracle. The review is limited to the four Gospels although in the first chapter of the Acts of the Apostles, the Physician Luke tells us that in his Gospel he recorded the things that Jesus "began both to do and teach, until the day in which He was taken up" (verses 1-2) to Heaven. He thus infers that Jesus is still doing and teaching through His Apostles in the book of Acts. Two of these are mentioned briefly in the book. The chapters have been arranged in chronological order rather in order of any perceived importance.

Framing the great physician's message in contemporary, easily accessible terms, he allows today's readers to rediscover the immense appeal and pragmatism of Osler's stimulating writings.

Through the eyes of a modern medical missionary, who observes and notes everything from Christ's bedside manner to his diagnostic expertise, readers can understand Jesus in ways they have never considered Him before. Readers can experience the tension, risks, and awesome wonder of what God accomplishes in the midst of brokenness and seemingly impossible circumstances.

At 19 years old, Jordan Rubin was a healthy 6'1" and 180 pounds. Shockingly, his weight fell to just 104 lbs. in a matter of months. His immune system was at an all-time low, as he suffered from Crohn's disease, food allergies, anemia, fibromyalgia, intestinal parasites, and a host of other conditions. After seeing over 70 health professionals, using both conventional and alternative medicines, Rubin was sent home in a wheelchair to die. But his story didn't end there. Through determination and a powerful faith in God, Rubin refused to give in to disease. Instead, he educated himself on natural health, and applied its principles. Now, ten years later, Rubin is fully recovered-and he desires to share the keys to his own good health. These keys aren't just for the disease-ridden; they are for anyone desiring to live an abundant life of health and wellness.