Are you feeling a little world-weary? Perhaps you are tired of trudging the wards each day, part of a faceless medical system, wondering if your presence really makes any difference. Or maybe you're frustrated by the godlessness and injustice of our society. A brief flick through News Review (pp 4-10) provides evidence of changing ethical standards: physician-assisted suicide, Section 28, the Shipman case, pre-implantation diagnosis, human reproductive cloning. The very number of issues continually hitting the headlines can overwhelm us.

Ultimately, godless decisions made in the corridors of power on ethical matters are merely symptoms of the state of an unrepentant society that has rejected the Lord and his precepts (Is 10:1). But if we do nothing, we too are in danger, not just of allowing our neighbours to follow the well-worn path to destruction (Mt 7:13), but also of joining them on it.

So how can we respond to the particular challenges and responsibilities of being a Christian in medicine? Firstly, if our faith is to survive in a cynical and increasingly hostile profession, we must be rooted in Christ (Col 2:6,7). Jesus commands us as Christians to be 'salt and light' in this world, and warns that if we lose our saltiness, we are useless (Mt 5:13). In addition, God does not expect us to persevere on our own. Rather, Jesus prays that we should be united as believers, so that the world might know that God has sent him (Jn 17:23).

Secondly, we have a God-given responsibility to protect the vulnerable and seek justice (Is 1:17). As medics, life is rife with opportunities to use our knowledge and influence to speak up for the powerless - as Laurence Crutchlow, CMF representative on the BMA Medical Students' Committee argues in Against the Tide (pp2-3). A substantial chunk of this issue of Nucleus tackles end of life issues in Euthanasia (pp11-23) and Dealing with the Dying (pp24-30). We believe that in the current climate it is necessary to cover these topics, including the practical implications, in some depth.

Finally, we must preach the gospel to our desperately needy society. At this year's CMF National Students' Conference, entitled 'Faith in Action', George Verwer encouraged us to be faithful in sharing our faith right now, in the situations in which we find ourselves. However weak we may feel, we are not powerless. Through the Holy Spirit we have received power to be witnesses for Jesus in word and deed 'to the ends of the earth' (Acts 1:8). In this issue More Tales from Central Asia (pp31-34) and 'Testimonies from medical school (pp35-38) provide inspiring examples of how God is using 'ordinary' students for his glory. We can all be involved, if we are prepared to count the cost and testify to our Lord:

'I consider my life worth nothing to me if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me - the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace.' (Acts 20:24)