The apostles chose the word euangelion, Greek for 'good news', to describe the message of Jesus. The word 'gospel' that we use today comes from the Anglo-Saxon for this same word. But what exactly is the good news of the gospel? It is a common thing amongst evangelical Christians to...
Richard Dawkins (Professor for the Public Understanding of Science, Oxford University) is best known for championing evolutionary theory in his books, The Selfish Gene [1] and The Blind Watchmaker.[2] However, his focus has gradually turned to a critique of religious faith, with titles such as A Devil's Chaplain.[3] In 2006,...
On 20 January 2003 Reginald Crew became the second Briton to travel to an 'assisted suicide' clinic in Switzerland in order to have his life ended by a fatal dose of barbiturates. The 74 year old former car worker suffered from motor neurone disease, a progressive neurological condition, which left...
I find travelling by aeroplane stressful, even in a 747 belonging to the ‘world’s favourite airline’. But this time I was in a small twin-propeller plane flown by a company known as ‘prayers in the air’. I was soon to discover why! During my elective, what I thought would be...
The developing world is still a popular destination for medical students on electives. Some are drawn by the chance to experience a new country and a different culture. Others go because of the opportunity to get 'hands on' experience and still others to test a 'calling' to future work in...
Deadly doctors However, Newcastle GP Dr David Moor was charged this September with murdering one of his patients.[2] The trial begins in Newcastle Crown Court on 19 October. This followed Dr Moor's admission in July 1997 that he had helped 'a large number' of patients to die during his 30 year...
A Dutch couple, Mr & Mrs Peters, had been trying to have a baby for over ten years. As a last resort they commissioned a British woman, Karen Roche, to be a surrogate mother and bear a child for them. However, three months into the pregnancy, Mrs Roche claimed that...
According to latest statistics from Amnesty International,[1] torture is systematically or episodically practised in around 65 countries with credible allegations of incidents from over 30 others. The true figures are probably much higher as many countries are closed to human rights investigators. Reports of the involvement of doctors and other...
Truth is a concept which has disappeared as much from the lips of late 20th Century Western people (or perhaps even more so) as it had from the tips of the people of Israel in Jeremiah's time; and British medical schools are no exception. When in dialogue about Christianity, non-Christian...