Welcome to the first Nucleus of 2012. I hope it finds you well – living and speaking for Jesus, abiding in his unending love and peace.

Unity is a powerful virtue for any team or group of people working towards a common goal or purpose. This is especially true for the children of God. (1) When thinking about unity in the body of Christ, one of my favourite scriptures is Psalm 133: 'How good and pleasant it is when God's people live together in unity! ...For there the LORD bestows his blessing, even life forevermore'. (2) Yet sometimes this proves difficult, especially when Christians disagree.

This edition features one of the more controversial subjects among Christians - but one that is central to our calling as future doctors - healing. Of concern, we have recently heard on the news about patients dying because they were told by their pastors to stop medical treatment and 'just pray or have faith'. (3) We see daily many in our hospitals living broken lives and dying in despair. This raises many questions, and highlights differing perspectives on the complexities of health and healing. We have published these articles to encourage, to provoke thought and to challenge misconceptions. CMF members hold a variety of views on this issue and there is no single 'CMF answer'. As always in Nucleus, all articles are consistent with biblical truth, but do express authors' own opinions.

Unity does not mean uniformity, and is not mere tolerance. God has designed, rejoices in, and uses diversity. (4) As medics with a basic knowledge of human anatomy, we understand well the diversity of tissue types and organs in the human body. They are structured differently for different functions. Wouldn't it be absurd if, for example, the liver protested that the skeletal muscles should look like it, and refused to work in the same body that the legs are attached to because the legs look and function differently? All organs need each other, being joined to one body and receiving instruction from the head. I believe this is the framework that Christians should also work in - being of one mind. (5)

So enjoy reading all the articles. I encourage you to think critically. For us to be heroes of the faith and not heretics, we should refer especially to the Bible - our ultimate benchmark for truth. We should listen carefully, especially to those with whom we don't agree (checking references). Only then can we understand one another accurately, engage meaningfully and correct each other where appropriate.

May the Lord give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him, and may he enlighten the eyes of your heart as you read. (6) If you wish to respond to any articles, write new ones or give general feedback, please write to me - vongai.madanire@cmf.org.uk