How Christianity Invented the Hospital

<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW11669386 BCX4"> <p class="Paragraph SCXW11669386 BCX4"><span class= "TextRun SCXW11669386 BCX4" lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US" data-contrast="none"><span class= "NormalTextRun SCXW11669386 BCX4">Far from being an otherworldly religion, Christianity teaches both the importance and goodness of life in this world. In fact, from Jesus’ healing ministry to the work of modern missionary doctors, a consistent feature of</span> <span class="NormalTextRun SCXW11669386 BCX4">the work of the Church in the world has been to care for the sick and needy, and not just point them to the life to come. </span></span><span class="EOP SCXW11669386 BCX4" data-ccp-props= "{"201341983":0,"335559731":720,"335559739":0,"335559740":480}"> </span></p> </div> <div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW11669386 BCX4"> <p class="Paragraph SCXW11669386 BCX4"><span class= "TextRun SCXW11669386 BCX4" lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US" data-contrast="none"><span class= "NormalTextRun SCXW11669386 BCX4">The early Church understood Jesus’ ministry to be a paradigm for their own work. So, just as Jesus set believers free from their bondage to sin, early Christians</span> <span class= "NormalTextRun SCXW11669386 BCX4">purchased</span> <span class= "NormalTextRun SCXW11669386 BCX4">slaves specifically to free them. Whereas Jesus used miraculous power to heal people from physical effects of the Fall, Christians used more ordinary tools to care for the sick and disabled. These activities are not merely</span> <span class="NormalTextRun SCXW11669386 BCX4">good deeds</span> <span class="NormalTextRun SCXW11669386 BCX4">in themselves but serve to advance the Kingdom. Though the Gospel is a message and must be proclaimed, the early Church saw works of mercy and preaching</span> <span class= "NormalTextRun SCXW11669386 BCX4">of</span> <span class= "NormalTextRun SCXW11669386 BCX4">the Gospel as two sides of the same coin. </span></span><span class="EOP SCXW11669386 BCX4" data-ccp-props= "{"201341983":0,"335559731":720,"335559739":0,"3355