1st incision: Recent Episodes
CMF
In the final talk of the CMF National Conference, Dan Strange covers the theme 'Idol comments'. Listen now!
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Amidst today's cultural landscape, how can Christian healthcare professionals effectively address workplace challenges while being a blessing to those around us? What defines success in the eyes of God?
Join us in this plenary session as John Drew (Director of Staff Experience and Engagement at NHS England) shares personal insights, draws wisdom from Scripture, and integrates these with findings from staff surveys. Together, we will explore how to survive and thrive as God's ambassadors in healthcare. And how we do we do this with kindness and consistency amidst the inevitable tensions we face in healthcare leadership, and in so doing bear fruit that glorifies the Lord.
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In the second talk of CMF National Conference 2024, Dan Strange takes us through Isaiah 41 and the theme of 'Identity: his and ours'. Listen now!
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In the first talk of CMF National Conference 2024, Dan Strange takes us through Isaiah 40 and the theme of 'The Great Big God'. Listen now!
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In his final talk at CMF Juniors' Conference, Matt Lillicrap speaks of 'Homebound Truth' inspired by John 14.
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In the first talk from CMF's Juniors' Conference, main speaker Matt Lillicrap takes us through John 1 and explores the theme of 'personal truth'.
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In the third and final talk, Jonathan Lamb explores how Jesus' resurrection gives us a confident hope, a hope that can empower us in the now.
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Jonathan Lamb continues to take us through Psalm 71. In this talk, he explores why it's important to invest in the next generation and also delves in to the beautiful truth of our inner renewal as we age.
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In the first talk of the CMF Seniors' Conference, our main speaker Jonathan Lamb explores the faithfulness of God and being grateful for the past. He is the God of all our days.
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In Amy's final talk of Student Conference 2024, she explores how King Nebuchadnezzar's one golden image was symbolic of all the idols, values, beliefs, and culture of Babylon. God's people were being told to privatise their worship of the God of the Bible, whilst publicly affirming the ideology of the empire.
Have a listen!
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Amy Orr Ewing continues to take us on a journey through the book of Daniel. Amy explores how the King Nebuchadnezzar and his Babylonian empire challenged the identity of God's people, and how intimidation was a key tactic.
Listen in to the third talk from CMF's Student Conference 2024!
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In day two of CMF's Student Conference 2024, main speaker Amy explores the book of Daniel. What are the tactics deployed by the powerful Babylonian empire? How can we recognise similar tactics in our current context and resist the enemy's influence?
Listen now!
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On night one of CMF's Student Conference 2024, main speaker Amy Orr-Ewing shares powerful testimonies of how her atheist parents became church planters, how she overcame her own faith being challenged at university, and that time when she met the Taliban!
'That is our God, He can move the mountains. He can soften the hardest of hearts.'
Listen now!
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How do we respond when we are asked difficult questions around contentious issues? What does it look like to practice good medicine, engage graciously and respectfully, and yet not compromise your beliefs? We’ll consider how to grow in confidence in this area as junior doctors.
References:
- Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don't Know: Amazon.co.uk: Grant, Adam: 9780753553886: Books
- Tactics, 10th Anniversary Edition: A Game Plan for Discussing Your Christian
- Convictions: Amazon.co.uk: Greg Koukl: 9780310101468: Books
- The Righteous Mind: Why Good People are Divided by Politics and Religion: Amazon.co.uk: Haidt, Jonathan: 0884607571077: Books
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In the season finale episode of 'Finger on the Pulse', Ben chats with the Medical Director of Ukraine Medical Outreach, Dr Jim Peipon, about life, faith, and medicine in Ukraine, a year and a half on from Russia's invasion of the country. What is it like living, practising medicine, and following Jesus in the midst of war?
References
- Ukraine Medical Outreach
ukrainemedicaloutreach.org - Christian Medical Association of Ukraine
www.cma-ukraine.com - ICMDA Ukraine Appeal
icmda.net/ukraineappeal
You can also read more about the work of the Christian Medical Association of Ukraine in the current crisis in this recent Triple Helix interview with their director, Rudi Migovich - cmf.li/3K53wGi
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'…So take a good look in the mirror and tell me who you see, the one who Jesus died for or the one you'd rather be? Can you find it in your heart to show mercy to the one the Father loved so much that he gave his only son?' – lyrics from ‘The Golden Boy and The Prodigal’ by Jason Gray.
As humans, at times failure is inevitable, but as doctors, the possible consequences of our failure can be fatal.
We look to combine Biblical principles with practical recommendations as we explore what it means to be successful. We also look at different kinds of failure that we encounter, and discuss possible ways to respond.
This is a stand-alone episode of the Junior Doctor Foundations podcast. Your host is Lizzy Kennedy (a junior doctor based in Devon); she is joined by guest Tim Hinks (Associate Professor of Respiratory Medicine) and Felicia Wong (GP and CMF Head of Doctors’ Ministries).
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This week, Ben is joined by special guest Dr Trevor Stammers to discuss the UK's first uterus transplant, as well as the wider ethical issues around transplantation in the UK and around the world.
References:
T. Stammers, "The Ethics of Global Organ Acquisition: Moral Arguments about Transplantation" (Bloomsbury 2023)
First womb transplant in UK completed by surgeons - BBC News https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWukl9nPASU
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Dr Nancy Pearcey, author of the seminal Love Thy Body, gave us some time in July to talk about her new book The Toxic War on Masculinity. Our culture seems not to know what to do with men. It assumes they are entitled, privileged, and at the top of the pile, but the evidence from social sciences suggests the picture is not so clear cut. Men die younger, have poorer health, physically and mentally, and are more likely to die at their own hands or at the hands of other men, than are women. In a wide-ranging discussion we look at whether there is a crisis in masculinity in Western culture and the Western church, what are its causes, and why the gospel and biblical teaching are good news for men, women, and society.
Dr Pearcey is the author of The Toxic War on Masculinity: How Christianity Reconciles the Sexes, as well as Love Thy Body, The Soul of Science, Saving Leonardo, Finding Truth, and Total Truth. She is professor and scholar in residence at Houston Christian University. She has been quoted in The New Yorker and Newsweek, highlighted as one of the five top women apologists by Christianity Today, and hailed in The Economist as 'America's pre-eminent evangelical Protestant female intellectual.'
You can find out more about Dr Pearcey's book at The Toxic War on Masculinity You can read the Triple Helix review at cmf.li/43yydKRThis year's International Men's Day on 19 November seeks to raise awareness of the causes of the high suicide rate among young men - see internationalmensday.com for more information.
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In this week's episode, Sally and Ben do something a little different. Sally interviews Ben about his recently released book 'Christ and the Culture Wars: Speaking for Jesus in a World of Identity Politics' (Christian Focus). They explore how Christians should engage with a culture that paints Christians as the antiquated, oppressive villains who need to be overthrown. Is the gospel still good news for our culture?
References
- Ben Chang, 'Christ and the Culture Wars: Speaking for Jesus in a World of Identity Politics' (Christian Focus, 2023):
https://www.christianfocus.com/products/3095/christ-and-the-culture-wars - Glynn Harrison, 'A Better Story: God Sex and Human Flourishing' (IVP, 2017)
https://ivpbooks.com/a-better-story - Tim Keller, 'True and Better' video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmnSnNC8UJk - 'Memorial Service for Tim Keller'. Homily by Sam Alberry at 01:03:32
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLLPVetu5Aw&t=3921s
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In this emergency Finger on the Pulse podcast episode, Ben offers some initial reflections on the case of Lucy Letby - the nurse who was convicted of murdering seven babies on the neonatal unit in the Countess of Chester hospital.
References:
- BBC Panorama, Lucy Letby- The Nurse who Killed
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001q7dl
- Dr Ravi Jayram, interview with ITV News
https://www.itv.com/watch/news/babies-couldve-been-saved-doctor-who-helped-catch-lucy-letby-blames-hospital/xcytcvm
- Interview with Sam Allberry, What Can We Learn from the Ravi Zacharias Scandals?, Speak Life
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMA6ZDS7eLc
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When Jesus faced hostility and struggle, it was to the Psalms of Ascent (Psalms 120-122) that he turned.
In the final talk of CMF's National Conference 2023, Jason Roach delves into Psalm 122 and the theme of 'Singing of our salvation'.
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When Jesus faced hostility and struggle, it was to the Psalms of Ascent (Psalms 120-122) that he turned.
In the second talk of CMF's National Conference 2023, Jason Roach delves into Psalm 121 and the theme of 'Resting in his protection'.
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When Jesus faced hostility and struggle, it was to the Psalms of Ascent (Psalms 120-122) that he turned.
In the first talk of CMF's National Conference 2023, Jason Roach delves into Psalm 120 and the theme of 'Crying out in our distress'.
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This year's theme for CMF's Student Conference was 'Walk It, Talk It'.
In his final talk, main speaker Giles Cattermole covers gospel priorities.
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This year's theme for CMF's Student Conference was 'Walk It, Talk It'.
In his second talk, main speaker Giles Cattermole covers the topic of grace and how Jesus makes the impossible possible.
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This year's theme for CMF's Student Conference was 'Walk It, Talk It'.
In his first talk, main speaker Giles Cattermole covers 'God's Kingdom perspective.
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This year's theme for CMF's Student Conference was 'Walk It, Talk It'.
In his intro talk, main speaker Giles Cattermole covers 'Great salvation'.
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In this week's episode, Sally and Ben do a deep dive into the case of David Hunter – the British Cypriot who was released by the Cypriot courts following the intentional killing of his terminally unwell wife. The episode explores the international landscape of euthanasia and mercy killing, reflects on the legal and ethical aspects of this tragic case, and discusses how Christian medics could respond if the UK legalises medically-assisted dying.
References:
- Sky News report of David Hunter Case:
https://news.sky.com/story/david-hunter-sentenced-to-two-years-for-manslaughter-of-terminally-ill-wife-in-cyprus-12930993 - Our Duty of Care Website:
https://ourdutyofcare.org.uk/latest/ - John Wyatt, Right to Die?- Euthanasia, Assisted Suicide and End-of-Life Care (IVP, 2015)
- Association of Palliative Care website:
https://apmonline.org/ - BMA Survey on Physician-Assisted Dying:
https://www.bma.org.uk/media/3367/bma-physician-assisted-dying-survey-report-oct-2020.pdf - Running the Final Lap- Finding Support, seminar by John Wyatt at Keswick Convention 2023:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pI8ufbZrtjc&list=PLiH8SxyNwkiFZPgJhf9bQQKH9qq4c6og3&index=6&t=4035s
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With AI hitting the headlines on a daily basis, Sally and Ben tackle the topic of deepfakes and their consequences on human connection. How will we be able to tell the difference between truth and fiction from this moment onwards and why does this matter?
References
- Simon Cowell Sings on Stage: America’s Got Talent 2022 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPU0WNUzsBo
- SAG strike: Why Hollywood actors have walked off set https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-66208226
- Martin Lewis says deepfake scam of him is 'frightening' https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-66131229
- Illegal trade in AI child sex abuse images exposed https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-65932372
- Matters of Life and Death, a Podcast by John Wyatt https://www.johnwyatt.com/podcast/
- Revelations 13 (NIV)
- The AI Dilemma https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xoVJKj8lcNQ
- “2084: Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Humanity”, John Lennox (Zondervan Reflective)
- “The Robot Will See You Now: Artificial Intelligence and the Christian Faith”, John Wyatt (SPCK Publishing)
- First Principles for Medical AI (Triple Helix Spring 2023) https://www.cmf.org.uk/resources/publications/content/?context=article&id=27451 (CMF article)
- Is AI a Tool or a Creature? (LICC July 2023) https://licc.org.uk/resources/is-ai-a-tool-or-a-creature3/ (LICC article)
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'Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.' 1 Timothy 6:17-19 (NIV).
Compared to many others, as doctors we can find ourselves with more money than we have time, and to be honest, at the end of a long week it’s hard to find the energy and motivation to think about whether we are using our money wisely.
It’s all too easy to compare our lifestyles with those slightly better off than us, and adjust our expectations without even noticing.
This is a stand-alone episode of the Junior Doctor Foundations' podcast series focused on the topic of managing the money God gives us; it combines Biblical principles with practical recommendations on how we tackle subjects such as giving, spending, saving, and debt.
Your host is Lizzy Kennedy (a junior doctor based in Devon); she is joined by guest Laurence Crutchlow (London based GP and Associate Head of CMF Student Ministries).
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In the week that the NHS turns 75 years old, Sally and Ben discuss the current state of the NHS. With patient satisfaction at an all-time low and staff sickness at an all-time high, is the NHS beyond repair? And what should we make of the recently announced government Long Term Workforce Plan?
References:
- Public satisfaction with the NHS and social care in 2022: Results from the British Social Attitudes Survey kingsfund.org.uk/publications/public-satisfaction-nhs-and-social-care-2022
- All is not well: Sickness absence in the NHS in England nuffieldtrust.org.uk/resource/all-is-not-well-sickness-absence-in-the-nhs-in-england
- NHS Long Term Workforce Plan england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/nhs-long-term-workforce-plan-v1.1.pdf
- Nurse Practitioners Doing TAVI? What’s Gained and Lost Tctmd.com/news/nurse-practitioners-doing-tavi-whats-gained-and-lost
- International Christian Medical and Dental Association (ICMDA) icmda.net
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'Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest...'Matthew 11:28, The Message
How can we find rest in God as trainee doctors?
What could that look like amongst chaotic shift patterns, study, and juggling church and family responsibilities?
This stand-alone episode of the Junior Doctor Foundations podcast series focuses on the topic of Sabbath. Why do we need a sabbath rest, why can it be hard to achieve, and what habits and practices do we need to cultivate this often-neglected discipline of Christian living?
Your host is Lizzy Kennedy (a junior doctor based in Devon); she is joined by Felicia Wong (a GP and CMF Head of Doctor's Ministries), and guest speaker James Adams (GP, Founder of Charity No 11, and leader of a church plant in Manchester).
Recommended Resources:
- Sabbath: The Ancient Practicesby Dan B Allender
- Zeal without Burnout by Christopher Ash
- The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Mark Comer
- Garden City: Work, Rest and the Art of Being Human by John Mark Comer
- From Sabbath to Lord's Day edited by D.A. Carson
- Serving without Sinking by John Hindley
- A Busy Christian's Guide to Busyness by Tim Chester
- Crazy Busy by Kevin DeYoung
- Every Good Endeavour by Timothy Keller
Please email any feedback to: communications@cmf.org.uk
Find out more about CMF's support for junior doctors at cmf.org.uk/juniors or emailwellbeing@cmf.org.uk
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'Finger on the Pulse' is a new 1st incision series which aims to explore current affairs and contemporary issues related to medicine, the NHS and ethics, discussing them from a Christian perspective.
In this episode, we reflect on the recent sentencing of Carla Foster for a late-term, home abortion and discuss current abortion practices and beginning-of-life ethics.
- RCOG Guidelines on Abortion Care: rcog.org.uk/guidance/browse-all-guidance/best-practice-papers/best-practice-in-abortion-care-best-practice-paper/
- Wegienka, G. and Baird, D. D. (2005) ‘A comparison of recalled date of last menstrual period with prospectively recorded dates’, Journal of Women’s Health, 14(3), pp. 248–252. doi: 10.1089/jwh.2005.14.248.
- The King v Carla Foster, Sentencing Remarks: judiciary.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/R-v.-Foster-sentencing-remarks-12.6.23.pdf
- Chang B. Christ and the Culture Wars: Speaking for Jesus in a World of Identity Politics. Tain: Christian Focus Publications, 2023
- Choices Islington - choicesislington.org
- Trafford, A.M. et al. (2023) Temporal trends in eating disorder and self-harm incidence rates among adolescents and young adults in the UK in the 2 years since onset of the COVID-19 pandemic: A population-based study, The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health [Preprint]. doi:10.1016/s2352-4642(23)00126-8.
- Scrivener E. A New Name. London:IVP. 2012
- Pollock J. personhood. CMF file. No. 75. June 2023.cmf.li/3CIok2f
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Today we start our brand new series 'Finger on the Pulse', which aims to explore current affairs and contemporary issues related to medicine, the NHS, and ethics, and discuss them from a Christian perspective. Last week saw the start of the new series of Love Island, and so Sally and Ben discuss issues raised by the show, particularly around body image and how we should relate to our bodies.
Resources:
"Mental Health Foundation criticises new series of Love Island as it releases new statistics about body image and reality TV", Mental Health Foundation
https://cmf.li/42Exozw
"Love Thy Body: Answering Hard Questions about Life and Sexuality", Nancy Pearcey (Baker Books)
"Issues Facing Christians Today", John Stott (IVP)
"'Because you're worth it? The BMA and the junior doctors' strike", Mark Pickering (CMF Blogs)
https://cmf.li/3UrX7ZK
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This is a mini-series focussing on healthcare leadership. In this series of interviews, we want to share what it looks like to be a Christian leading in the healthcare arena and so we hope you will find this a helpful and inspiring series.
Today we’re delighted to hear from Dr Chimwemwe Kalumbi, an Obstetrician & Gynaecologist in Surrey. Chim is Early Pregnancy Consultant Lead and Divisional Lead for Woman and Children’s Health and is Clinical Lead for Quality and Safety. She is President of the Christian Healthcare Professionals Network and is president and founder of a small charity, Every Mother and Child Matters Foundation that focuses on supporting women’s health services across Sub- Saharan region in underprivileged communities to help reduce avoidable maternal and neonatal deaths.
This was a fascinating conversation about leading yourself before leading others, making a global impact and how to grapple with failure. Find out more about the Christian Healthcare Professionals Network at https://www.chpnet.org.uk and the Christian Healthcare Leadership Network at cmf.li/CHLN
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In this episode of the Christians in Healthcare Leadership Network (CHLN) podcast, John catches up with Dr Eugenia Lee.
Eugenia is a GP in South East London with a portfolio career in management, education and commissioning. She has worked with the local, regional and national bodies such as the CCG, Health Education England, Healthy London Partnership, and NICE.
For more information about CHLN, visit: https://cmf.li/CHLN
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Welcome to the sixth and final episode in this new mini-series, Junior Doctor Foundations, released as part of CMF’s 1st incision podcast.
This mini-series of six episodes focuses on thriving as a Christian junior doctor living and working in a culture described as a ‘Digital Babylon’.
Life in the twenty-first century is accelerated and more complex than ever before. As Christians, especially junior doctors, it can feel like we are exiles living in a culture hostile to our faith. So how might we keep running the race of faith despite all the challenges?
Today we are unpacking the topic of countercultural mission and asking, ‘What really matters in life?’ and ‘What counts for a life well lived?’.
Your host is Lizzy Kennedy (a junior doctor based in Devon); she is joined by John Greenall (a Paediatrician and CMF Associate CEO) and Felicia Wong (a GP and CMF Head of Doctor’s Ministries).
Faith for Exiles:
This podcast series is inspired by the book Faith for Exiles. Written by members of the Barna Research Group who have interviewed around 100,000 young adults, it focuses on what we can learn from the practices of those young people who have kept going with their faith.
To find out more about the book Faith for Exiles, check out faithforexiles.com
You can find more about the CMF research on this topic here at cmf.li/ResilientDisciple
Resource recommendations:
- Further information about the CMF resources John mentioned can be found at: cmf.org.uk
- ‘Tactics: A Game Plan for Discussing Your Christian Convictions’, a book by Greg Koukl
- LICC: licc.org.uk/
- OCCA: theocca.org/
- Evangelical Alliance: eauk.org/
CMF pastoral support:
- Find out more about CMF’s support for junior doctors at cmf.org.uk/juniors/
- Email address: wellbeing@cmf.org
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Chris Holcombe is Consultant Breast Surgeon in Liverpool and currently Associate Medical Director for Clinical Effectiveness and President of the Association of Breast Surgery. He has done various leadership roles locally, regionally, and nationally over the years and spent three years working in Africa.
His passion is to 'take his ordinary life - his sleeping, eating, going to work, and walking around life - and place it before God (Romans 12.1, Message) and to ask for God's wisdom and grace while doing it, with the aim of embedding Kingdom values in the workplace, and hopefully making things a little better and a little more Godly for his passing.
For more information about CHLN, visit: https://cmf.li/CHLN
What it means to be salt and light in NHS leadership & management PPT.
https://bit.ly/3mkFUVg
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Catriona Waitt is a Professor of Clinical Pharmacology and Global Health at the University of Liverpool. She works primarily at the Infectious Diseases Institute, Makerere University, Uganda. She leads a team investigating drug dosing, safety and effectiveness in complex populations such as pregnant and breastfeeding mothers and their infants. She leads several large multinational projects.
Catriona is motivated by the words in Micah 6:8: 'He has shown you O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you, but to do justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God?' She and her husband Peter both work less than full-time in clinical academic roles whilst sharing the home education of their four children and serving in various ministries through Lugogo Baptist Church.
For more information about CHLN, visit: https://cmf.li/CHLN
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Welcome to the fifth episode in this new mini-series, Junior Doctor Foundations,
Your host is Lizzy Kennedy (a junior doctor based in Devon); she is joined by Felicia Wong (GP and CMF Head of Doctor’s Ministries), and guest speaker Sue Holcombe (Advanced Nurse Practitioner and CMF’s Associate for Whole Life Faith).
This podcast series is inspired by the book Faith for Exiles. Written by members of the Barna Research Group who have interviewed around 100,000 young adults, it focuses on what we can learn from the practices of those young people who have kept going with their faith. Check out faithforexiles.com
You can find more about the CMF research on this topic at cmf.li/ResilientDisciple
Resource recommendations:
- Saline Solution organised by CMF: cmf.org.uk/doctors/saline-solution
- CMF Regional Groups, these allow you to connect with other Christians in healthcare near you: cmf.org.uk/catalyst-teams
- LICC (London Institute for Contemporary Christianity): www.licc.org.uk/about/work/
If you would like to discuss anything about Whole Life Faith in more detail, please contact Sue Holcombe (Whole Life Faith Associate) at sue.holcombe@cmf.org.uk
Find out more about CMF’s support for junior doctors at cmf.org.uk/juniors/
Pastoral care: wellbeing@cmf.org.uk
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Gubby Ayida is a Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust(CWFT). She is currently seconded as the Medical Director at Hillingdon Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.
With a strong background in NHS management and clinical leadership, Gubby is involved with NHS transformation work and Integrated Care Working both place-based and across the sector. She has effectively led change management during a merger of two acute hospitals. Gubby is Chelsea and Westminster NHS Trust's Special Advisor to the Trust Board on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, a role taken up just before the first wave of the Covid pandemic.
She seeks to systematically use her current executive and board advisory roles and management experience to deliver transactional improvements and influence much-needed cultural change to address 'belonging' in the NHS People Plan and tackle the health inequalities exposed by the pandemic.
For more information about CHLN, visit: https://cmf.li/CHLN
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In our first episode of the Christians in Healthcare Leadership Network (CHLN) mini-series, we present a talk given by Dr Mark Pickering at the CHLN conference 'Serving Not Sinking'.
Dr Mark Pickering has been CMF Chief Executive since 2019. Prior to that he has been a CMF Board member and was Head of Student Ministries in the 2000s.
After GP training, Mark gravitated into secure environment medicine, working as a GP in prisons and secure psychiatric units. He has been a regional lead GP for two large UK offender healthcare providers. He continues a small amount of secure environment GP work alongside his CMF responsibilities.
For more information about CHLN, visit: https://cmf.li/CHLN
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In today's extra podcast, guest presenters Sally Barker and Benjamin Chang discuss Monday's vote for strike action by junior doctors in England and Wales. As waves of industrial action in many sectors sweep the nation, Sally and Ben discuss whether Christians should ever strike over pay and conditions, let alone those in responsible roles such as junior doctors? Is there an issue of justice here, and if so, for whom? And whether we decide to strike or not to strike, what will be the consequences?
This is an issue that has come up repeatedly over the last few years, and CMF has produced some resources and discussions on the issue in the past. The links below relate mainly to the junior doctors' strikes of 2015-2016:
- Debate: To strike or not to strike? YES - https://cmf.li/3IsmUvl
- Debate: To strike or not to strike? NO - https://cmf.li/3EyPolZ
- Junior doctors and industrial action - https://cmf.li/3Zkf6Tg
- News Review: Junior Doctors' Dispute - https://cmf.li/3ZiS7aZ
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Welcome to the fourth episode in this new mini-series, Junior Doctor Foundations, released as part of CMF’s 1st incision podcast.
This mini-series comprises six episodes focusing on how to thrive as a Christian junior doctor living and working in a culture described as a ‘Digital Babylon’. Life in the twenty-first century is accelerated and more complex than ever before. As Christians, especially junior doctors, it can feel like we are exiles living in a culture hostile to our faith. So how might we keep running the race of faith despite all the challenges?
Today we are unpacking the topic of isolation and the importance of forming meaningful Christian relationships.
Your host is Lizzy Kennedy (a junior doctor based in Devon); she is joined by John Greenall (a Paediatrician and CMF’s Associate CEO) and Felicia Wong (a GP and CMF’s Head of Doctors' Ministries).
Faith for Exiles:
This podcast series is inspired by the book Faith for Exiles. Written by members of the Barna Research Group who have interviewed around 100,000 young adults, it focuses on what we can learn from the practices of those young people who have kept going with their faith.
To find out more about the book Faith for Exiles, check out faithforexiles.com/
You can find more about the CMF research on this topic at cmf.li/ResilientDisciple
Book recommendations discussed in this podcast:
- Relationships: A Mess Worth Making by Paul David Tripp and Timothy S. Lane.
- Find Your People: Building Deep Community in a Lonely World by Jennie Allen.
CMF pastoral support:
Find out more about CMF’s support for junior doctors at cmf.org.uk/juniors/
or please get in touch with us at: wellbeing@cmf.org.uk
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Welcome to the third episode in this new mini-series, Junior Doctor Foundations, released as part of CMF’s 1st incision podcast.
We kick-start this mini-series with six episodes focusing on how to thrive as a Christian junior doctor living and working in a culture described as a ‘Digital Babylon’.
Life in the twenty-first century is accelerated and more complex than ever before. As Christians, especially junior doctors, it can feel like we are exiles living in a culture hostile to our faith. So how might we keep running the race of faith despite all the challenges?
Today we are unpacking how we engage with culture and social media.
Your host is Lizzy Kennedy (a junior doctor based in Devon); she is joined by two guest speakers London based junior doctors Ben Chang (an emergency department trainee, speaker and writer) and Sally Barker (in her second foundation year as a trainee doctor and co-creator of medical podcast series A to Easy).
Faith for Exiles:The book Faith for Exiles inspired this podcast series. Written by members of the Barna Research Group who have interviewed around 100,000 young adults, it focuses on what we can learn from the practices of those young people who have kept going with their faith.
To find out more about the book Faith for Exiles, check outfaithforexiles.com/
You can find more about the CMF research on this topic here atcmf.li/ResilientDisciple
Book recommendations discussed in this podcast:
- Ben Chang’s upcoming book Christ and the Culture Wars: Speaking for Jesus in a World of Identity Politics is due to be released in May 2023: christianfocus.com/products/3095/christ-and-the-culture-wars. He blogs at benchangblog.com.
- The Message of the Sermon on the Mount by John Stott
- The Contemporary Christian: An Urgent Plea for Double Listening by John Stott
- A Non-Anxious Presence: How a Changing and Complex World will Create a Remnant of Renewed Christian Leaders by Mark Sayers.
- 12 Ways Your Phone Is Changing You by Tony Reinke.
- Virtually Human: Flourishing In A Digital World by Ed Brooks and Pete Nicholas.
- The Robot Will See You Now: Artificial Intelligence and the Christian Faith, edited by John Wyatt and Stephen N. Williams.
- Live No Lies by John Mark Comer
- Spiritual Depression: Its Causes and Cure by Martyn Lloyd-Jones.
- Freedom in Christ course (ficm.org.uk) by Neil T. Anderson and Steve Goss.
- Just Do Something by Kevin DeYoung
- A Better Story, God, Sex and Human Flourishing by Glynn Harrison.
CMF pastoral support:
Find out more about CMF’s support for junior doctors atcmf.org.uk/juniors
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Who am I? Why am I here? These are among the most important questions we shall ever ask, and our culture thinks it has the answers: 'just look inside yourself' or 'you be you!'. It sounds good but does it work?
At CMF's Junior Doctor's Conference in November 2022, Glyn Harrison, emeritus professor of Psychiatry at the University of Bristol, looked at what the Scriptures say about identity.
This is the last of Glynn's three talks from the conference, which we shall be sharing on the 1st incision podcast over the Christmas season. 1st incision will be back in the new Year with more Junior Doctor Foundations and a new series on Christian leadership in healthcare. Subscribe to get notified when the next episodes drop.
Check out Glynn's talks and other CMF resources on our Official CMF TV YouTube Channel
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Who am I? Why am I here? These are among the most important questions we shall ever ask, and our culture thinks it has the answers: 'just look inside yourself' or 'you be you!'. It sounds good but does it work?
At CMF's Junior Doctor's Conference in November 2022, Glyn Harrison, emeritus professor of Psychiatry at the University of Bristol, looked at what the Scriptures say about identity.
This is the second of Glynn's three talks from the conference, which we shall be sharing on the 1st incision podcast over the Christmas season.
You can watch Glynn's talks on the Offical CMF TV YouTube Channel.
Support the show
Welcome to the second episode in this new mini-series, Junior Doctor Foundations, released as part of CMF’s 1st incision podcast.
We kick-start this mini-series with six episodes focusing on how to thrive as a Christian junior doctor living and working in a culture described as a ‘Digital Babylon’.
Life in the twenty-first century is accelerated and more complex than ever before. As Christians, especially junior doctors, it can feel like we are exiles living in a culture hostile to our faith. So how might we keep running the race of faith despite all the challenges?
Today we are unpacking the topic of identity. Your host is Lizzy Kennedy (a junior doctor based in Devon); she is joined by John Greenall (a Paediatrician and CMF Associate CEO) and guest speaker Glynn Harrison (Emeritus Professor of Psychiatry, now retired after a successful clinical and academic career).
This podcast series is inspired by the book Faith for Exiles. Written by members of the Barna Research Group who have interviewed around 100,000 young adults, it focuses on what we can learn from the practices of those young people who have kept going with their faith.
To find out more about the book Faith for Exiles, check outfaithforexiles.com/ You can find more about the CMF research on this topic here atcmf.li/ResilientDiscipleIf you would like to read Glynn Harrison’s works please check out:
- ‘A Better Story, God, Sex and Human Flourishing’ by Glynn Harrison.
- ‘The Big Ego Trip, Finding true significance in a culture of self-esteem’ by Glynn Harrison.
Book recommendations discussed in this podcast:
- ‘The Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness’ by Timothy J Keller.
- ‘God on Mute, Engaging the silence of unanswered prayer’ by Pete Greig
Find out more about CMF’s support for junior doctors at https://www.cmf.org.uk/juniors/
Support the show
Who am I? Why am I here? These are among the most important questions we shall ever ask, and our culture thinks it has the answers: 'just look inside yourself' or 'you be you!'. It sounds good but does it work?
At last month's Junior Doctor's Conference, Glyn Harrison, emeritus professor of Psychiatry at the University of Bristol, looks at what the Scriptures say about identity.
This is the first of Glynn's three talks from the conference, which we shall be sharing on the 1st incision podcast over the Christmas season.
You can watch these talks on the CMF YouTube channel, CMF Official TV
Support the show
Welcome to this new mini-series of CMF’s 1st incision podcast, Junior Doctor Foundations.
We kick-start this mini-series with six episodes focusing on how to thrive as a Christian junior doctor living and working in a culture described as a ‘Digital Babylon’.
Life in the twenty-first century is accelerated and more complex than ever before. As Christians, especially junior doctors, it can feel like we are exiles living in a culture hostile to our faith. So how might we keep running the race of faith despite all the challenges?
This podcast series is inspired by the book Faith for Exiles. Written by members of the Barna Research Group who have interviewed around 100,000 young adults, it focuses on what we can learn from the practices of those young people who have kept going with their faith.
To introduce this mini-series are Lizzy Kennedy (a junior doctor based in Devon), John Greenall (a Paediatrician and CMF Associate CEO ) and Felicia Wong (a GP and CMF Head of Doctor’s Ministries).
To find out more about the book Faith for Exiles, check out faithforexiles.com/
You can find more about the CMF research on this topic here at cmf.li/ResilientDisciple
Find out more about CMF’s support for junior doctors at cmf.org.uk/juniors/
Support the show
In his third and final talk for the 2022 CMF National Conference, Steve Midgley looks at what Paul says about being joyful in the midst of life's struggles.
You can watch this and other talks from the 2022 CMF National Conference on the Official CMF TV YouTube channel.
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In his second talk at the CMF National Conference in April 2022, Steve Midgley looks at Romans12:17-21 and what Paul tells us about dealing with anger, especially when things don't go our way.
You can watch this and other talks from the 2022 CMF National Conference on the Official CMF TV YouTube channel.
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In a period of exceptional change, it is easy to feel disorientated. Usual ways of thinking don't seem to fit. Normal patterns of behaviour seem inappropriate. It can be unsettling. Of course, the way we each react to new situations will vary. Some feel fearful and anxious, while others get irritated and angry. But is there a gospel way to navigate our challenging world and deal with troubling emotions?
In the first talk for the 2022 CMF National Conference, Steve Midgley looks at Jesus' command 'Do not worry' in Luke 12:22-34, and asks how we apply that in our uncertain world.
You can watch this and other talks from the 2022 CMF National Conference on our YouTube channel.
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Chrisitan Medical Fellowship in the UK is part of a much larger international network of over 80 similar fellowships (and growing!) known as the International Christian Medical and Dental Association (ICMDA). In this episode, we talk to its CEO, Peter Saunders, about the work of ICMDA, and in particular how it has been able to marshall support to help get medical supplies to the embattled people of Ukraine.
If you want to know more about ICMDA visit icmda.net
ICMDA has an extensive webinar programme covering a huge range of topics from world leaders in their fields at Webinars – ICMDA
You can find out more about the Ukraine appeal (and how you can volunteer in the UK) at Ukraine Appeal – ICMDA
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In this episode, Steve Fouch chats with Paul Coulter and Giles Cattermole, two doctors who have recently had books published by CMF. Both books look at the difference Christian faith makes in everyday life and everyday clinical practice. Giles' book 'Whatever' explores a cross-centred approach to ethics, while Paul's book, 'Serving Two Masters?' looks at how science, medicine, and faith intersect and add to each other rather than being in conflict. In a wide-ranging conversation, they look at the importance of worldview and building strong faith foundations.
Both books are available from the CMF Bookstore - cmf.org.uk/bookstore/
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In our second episode of 2022, we're introducing the new Chair of CMF, Euan McRorie. We don't often talk about what we do at Christian Medical Fellowship on this podcast, nor a lot about the people behind the fellowship, so in this episode, I'll be chatting to Euan a bit about who he is, what his role as Chair means, and why he is excited about taking it on at this time.
You can find out more about CMF at www.cmf.org.uk
And you can read some of our blogs on current issues at www.cmfblog.org.ukYou can find out more about local CMF Catalyst Teams atwww.cmf.org.uk/catalyst-teams/
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In our first episode of 2022, we're looking once again at Covid vaccines. On 31 January 2022, the British Government announced that it was suspending its policy of mandatory Covid vaccinations for all health and social care staff in England. Various professional bodies, from the Royal College of Nursing to the Royal College of GPs, had opposed this. CMF's Associate CEO, Dr John Greenall, launched an open letter in January to the Secretary of State for Health, Sajid Javid, asking for a pause and rethink. But not everyone agrees, and there has been debate among CMF members who take a variety of positions on the issue. Indeed, across society, almost anything to do with Covid vaccinations seems to lead to often ill-tempered debate, generating more heat than light!
So, John and Steve decided to sit down, chat through the issues, and ask how we can better listen to and understand one another.
CMF's blogs on Covid vaccines can be found at cmf.li/vaccination
CMF file #73 - Vaccines at cmf.li/3e2pCsaother CMF COVID-19 resources at cmf.li/covid19Res
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Leave your faith at the door. Don't bring your God to work. Religion is a private matter. We've all heard things similar to this, and maybe we've thought them ourselves. In the modern world, faith is not something that seems to have a natural space in the workplace or the public square. There is a definite sacred/secular divide in public thought, and, if we are honest, in much of the church.
CMF has always been committed to what we call 'whole life faith', and at the heart of our mission is our strapline 'uniting and equipping Christian doctors and nurses to live and speak for Jesus Christ'. But what does this mean in practice? What is the sacred/secular divide? Should we bridge it, and if so, how?
In this edition of 1st incision, I'll be talking to Sue Holcombe, who has just taken up a role as CMF's Associate for Whole Life Faith to find out the answers to all these questions, and more.
To contact Sue, email her at sue.holcombe@cmf.org.uk
To find out more about our Saline Solution courses visit www.cmf.org.uk/doctors/saline-solution/
You can watch talks from Mark Greene from the 2021 CMF National Conference on what 'whole life faith' is all about on the CMFtv YouTubechannel.
You can find out more about our national network of local Catalyst Teams here: www.cmf.org.uk/catalyst-teams/
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Welcome to the first episode in the latest series of CMF's ist incision podcast. We've been away for quite a few months, but there is a lot to talk about, and we start with an issue that remains at the top of the news.
Every few weeks we see another headline about assisted suicide. Someone with a serious illness has been to Zurich to die at the Dignitas clinic, complaining that they should be able to choose when and how they die in the UK, but the law won't allow it. Polls show that the majority of the British population would like people to have that option. And politicians and celebrities campaign for changes in the law to allow this.
Why should this not happen? Why have changes to the law on helping someone to end their own life when they are already dying or suffering not happened yet in Britain?
In today's first incision I am talking to Gordon McDonald, the CEO of Care Not Killing, a campaign group opposing a change to the law on assisted suicide and euthanasia, and Dr Mark Pickering, CEO of the Christian Medical Fellowship and a prison GP.
For more details about Our Duty of Care (ODOC) see ourdutyofcare.org.uk
CMF has run a number of blogs on end-of-life issues, as well as other resources on our website.
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This is the last episode in our current season of 1st incision. And we thought it would be good to revisit some of the diverse range of issues we have discussed since we began our sixth season of the podcast in April.
In the last four months, we have looked at everything from God's concerns for our everyday lives and how we can have a positive impact in the lives of colleagues and patients through God's work in and through us. We have considered the way the UK treats refugees and asylum seekers and how, as Christian health professionals we can stand for godly values and justice even when the law and society are going in the opposite direction.
We have heard about Parish nursing as an ancient form of Christian ministry being restored to the church today, and about vaccines and vaccine hesitancy. And above all, about how we can find confidence in a God who is with us through all the storms and chaos that we face, especially in a time of global crisis such as we find ourselves today.
We will be back in the autumn, so until then, thank you to all who have contributed to its season, thank you for listening, and thank God for making it all happen!
See you in September!
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As medical technology advances and the values at the heart of our society change, health professionals can often find their own values clashing with the demands of clinical specialties and employers. Whether that is being involved with abortions, new fertility technologies, or end of life care decisions, we may all, regardless of faith or other beliefs and values, find ourselves asking 'should I really be doing this?'
Freedom of conscience has long been a cherished value in our culture and our health professions, but it is increasingly coming under attack. We are told we should do whatever the patient needs, whatever our personal ethical and conscience problems may be.
Today, I am talking with Melody Redman and Mark Pickering about this increasingly fraught topic, and looking at why conscience matters, how we develop and inform our conscience and how we practically and thoughtfully live and work with our colleagues, patients and leaders in line with our values and without violating our consciences.
Resources:
- CMF File 39 - the doctor's conscience
- CMF Blogs on conscience issues
- A Guide to Christianity for NHS employers
- Religion, morality, ethics, and war [for reflections on 'moral injury']
- GMC - GMC Personal beliefs and medical practice
- NMC - Conscientious objection by nurses, midwives and nursing associates
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The treatment of people fleeing war, persecution and poverty has had a lot of coverage in the news and has been a major issue in referendums and elections in the UK and other nations for many years.
Is this an issue that should concern us, both as Christians and health professionals? What are the issues, and how do we address them?
In this episode, Steve Fouch will be talking with Dr Becky McFarlane about her work in providing healthcare to refugees and asylum seekers in Glasgow.
Becky and Steve refer to several resources that can help you engage with the issues raised in the podcast:
- The No Accommodation Network (NACCOM) at https://naccom.org.uk/
- The Doctors' of the World safe surgeries toolkit
- Welcome Churches - no refugee alone
- Jubilee-Plus
- CMF & Integritas Health + Justice Track
- CMF Refugee & Asylum Seekers Health course
- CMF Brief on healthcare charging in the UK for people with insecure immigration status
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In this edition, Dr John Greenall discusses with Dr Pete Carter of Heaven in Healthcare a diverse range of topics about health, healing, and how our understanding of heaven and what it means to be whole in Christ affects our attitudes towards medicine, miracles and God's healing in our lives. We also talk about disappointment when fervent prayers for healing seem not to be answered, and about how prayer can be offered as a complementary therapy on the NHS!
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Over the last three weeks, 1st incision has presented the main talks from the 2021 CMF National Conference on 24 April. In last week's episode, Mark Greene of the London Institute for Contemporary Christianity looked at how we can live as a whole-life disciples of Jesus, shaping the culture in the everyday world.
In this, the final talk in the series, he asks why we so often think that what we do in our homes, workplaces, at the school gate, and in our neighbourhood does not matter to God? Why do we have a hierarchy of what counts 'spiritual' work in our minds? Drawing from Colossians 1:15-20 & 3:17, 23-24, Mark Greene explores what it means to be a disciple of Christ in the mundane, day-to-day aspects of our lives.
You can learn more about the London Institute for Contemporary Christianity at licc.org.uk
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In this week's episode from the 2021 CMF National Conference on 24 April, Mark Green of the London Institute for Contemporary Christianity looks at how a whole life Christian discipleship may shape our life and practice in the every day. Looking at the story of Ruth (particularly chapter 2, v1-16), he explores how faithfulness to Christ leads us to simple steps and outworking Christlike values in our daily interactions.
You learn more about the London Institute for Contemporary Christianity at licc.org.uk
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Over the next three weeks, 1st incision will be presenting the main talks from the 2021 CMF National Conference on 24 April. Last week's episode was the plenary address by Florence Muindi. This week, drawing from Acts 27, in the first of his talks, Mark Greene of the London Institute for Contemporary Christianity, looks at how our discipleship in Christ can have a very concrete impact on how we deal with crises and challenges in the real world.
You learn more about the London Institute for Contemporary Christianity at licc.org.uk
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At this year's CMF National Conference on 24 April, Florence Muindi of Life in Abundance International, based in Kenya, gave the plenary address.
Looking at the past year, she explores how the church and the Christian medical community has, along with the rest of the world, been in a disaster response mode as the COVID-19 pandemic has affected every nation.
Her inspiring address looks at what God is saying to us through this difficult time and at the challenges and opportunities for God's Kingdom that faces us globally.
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In this episode we'll endeavour to answer the question, what is a Parish Nurse? You may have asked that question yourself in the past, or you may have never heard the term before. If you have never come across the term, I am speaking today with two Parish Nurses, Cath Carter, based in St Andrews, Scotland, and Gillian Fenner, based in Wolverhampton, England, about their two, very different parish nursing projects.
If you want to find out more about Parish Nursing, how to train or how to set up a project in your church or local community, visit parishnursing.org.uk .
Parish Nursing Sunday, where you can share more about Parish Nursing with your congregation, is on 16 May 2021.
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Vaccines are very much in the news at the moment, but they have been around for over a hundred and fifty years. They may have done more to transform health than any other single measure other than access to clean water during that time. Yet there has always been a suspicion in part of the population that vaccines are not a good thing, varying from concern and hesitancy to outright opposition. And very often Christians have been at the forefront of this opposition. Why is that? What are the causes of vaccine hesitancy and scepticism, how have they manifested down the years, and what can we do to tackle them?
In a conversation with Annika Wilder-Smith and Laurence Crutchlow, Steve Fouch explores these questions.
Laurence has written a CMF File on Vaccines which can be downloaded from the CMF website, while Annika has published a paper on the resurgence of measles in Europe and the link to vaccine hesitancy in the Journal of Epidemiological and Global Health.
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The front of the frontline of the NHS is the ambulance service. They are the first responders, on the scene dealing with incidents up and down the country. With COVID-19 adding to the usual pressures they face this winter, the pressures on these skilled crews is greater than at any time.
Last November, in the midst of the second lockdown in England, I spoke with Simon King, founder of the Christian Ambulance Association (CAA) about being a Christian in the ambulance service, and the challenge of helping Christians working there to connect with and support one another. This interview was conducted before the height of the winter pressures and the third lockdown in January.
To find out more about CAA, visit their website at CAA UK - Home, and you can follow them on Facebook and Twitter.
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We all like to feel that we are seen as being of worth and value to others - that we are appreciated and treated with dignity and consideration. In medical literature and the social sciences, the idea of human dignity has become very prominent. But what actually is 'dignity' - what determines if someone has dignity or not. Is dignity innate, or a something that is given. And if it is given, can it be taken away, and by whom and in what circumstances?
Today we are talking with Jennie Pollock, author, thinker and CMF's Associate Head of Public Policy to discuss dignity as it is understood in the academic and medical world, and to explore a biblical alternative.
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In the last few weeks, we have been hearing some exciting news about vaccines for COVID-19, with at least three showing signs of being very effective at preventing infection and one now licensed for use here in the UK. Could this be the 'magic bullet' that will take us out of the COVID crisis?
But is there another side to the story? Will everyone have access to a vaccine, and will all of those who have the chance actually take it? And are there ethical questions in how these vaccines have been produced?
A lot of misinformation is out there, and it is easy to get confused or misled by false stories. To help us make sense of the news about COVID vaccines, I am talking to Dr Tim Jenkins, who has many years of experience working with viruses and the development of medicines and vaccinations.
CMF is producing a range of resources to explore the issues raised in this podcast, so if you want to dig deeper, visit our COVID-19 resources page at https://www.cmf.org.uk/resources/covid-19-resources/
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This year, 2020, has been designated by the World Health Organization as the 'Year of the Nurse and the Midwife'. Nursing and midwifery are the backbones of most healthcare systems around the world, yet when surveyed they often seem a demoralised and undervalued part of most health services. On top of that, 2020 has been the year of COVID-19, and maybe, as a result, we have all seen a lot more of what nursing, in particular, is all about.
In this episode, we talk with Georgie Coster, CMF's Associate Head of Nursing & Midwifery Ministries, about the Year of the Nurse and the Midwife, what the challenges are for Christians in the profession, what she has seen of nursing in other countries and why as a Christian she still think nursing is one of the best jobs in the world.
CMF has a regular magazine for nurses & midwives - Spotlight, which you access for free at https://cmf.li/spotlight
The CMF Blogs have also looked at the issues faced by nurses and midwives, including the Year of the Nurse and the Midwife.
And CMF is part of a larger, international family of national Christian nursing associations - Nurses Christian Fellowship International www.ncfi.org - which is holding a World Congress online in 2021 for Christian nurses all over the world.
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Despite everything else in the headlines at the moment, climate change is still one of the biggest stories. It is a subject that evokes strong feelings. Many argue that there is no climate change and it is a grand hoax and a conspiracy; others claim it is a natural phenomenon and nothing to do with human activity, while others point out that the science is incontrovertible. Often this debate generates more heat than light.
But often obscured by the debates is the worrying and very real impact that pollution and climate change are already having on health and the disproportionate way that these impacts are falling on the upon the poorest and most vulnerable parts of global society.
In this episode, I will be talking with Sara Foot about why Christian health professionals should be concerned about the impact of climate change on health and the provision of healthcare and looking at some ways in which we can begin to address this.
Sarah has written a CMF File that looks at all these issues in more depth - you can find this at https://cmf.li/2I06uPg
For the science of climate change, see the IPCC site and for a healthcare perspective, Sustainable Healthcare and The Lancet Countdown on health and climate change sites.
For a Christian perspective, see Ruth Valerio's 'Saying Yes to Life' and the website of A Rocha
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We've all experienced this. You are sitting in the staff room, and someone starts to tell a story about a colleague, a patient or one of the managers, and before you know it everyone is sharing gossip. We even see this happening in churches, although here it is more likely to be called 'sharing prayer news'. Is this just harmless banter, or is there a more dangerous side to it? And how do we respond to gossipy situations without coming over as prim or moralistic?
In this episode of 1st incision, I am talking to Esther and Rachel, two of CMF's nursing and midwifery team, about how we can counter some of the negative aspects of workplace culture in a Christlike manner.
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In today's episode, we are going to look at the vexed issue of assisted suicide and euthanasia in conversation with Dr Paul Saba, a family physician from Montreal, Canada. Paul has actively fought to stop the legalisation of euthanasia in Canada for many years.
In his latest book, 'Made to live' he passionately lays out the case for why euthanasia is an abandonment of patients at the end of their lives, and that instead of helping them to die, we should be helping them to live the best life they can until they die.
You can read more about Paul's work and ministry at https://www.madetolive.com/
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Mark Twain once said there are only two certainties in life; death and taxes. Caring for those nearing the end of life is an important part of healthcare and one that has come to the fore in recent months. In this edition, we are talking to Idris Baker about some of the issues and ethics in the care of people nearing the end of their lives, and in particular how COVID-19 has had an impact on that care.
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Over the last six months or so there has been an outpouring of love for the NHS and the staff who provide care and support to us. We've all be out there clapping and putting up rainbows in a sign of support and solidarity. But not everyone who is treated in the NHS or works in it has such a positive experience. The colour of your skin can determine how you get treated, both as a patient and as a member of staff. Many students and junior staff report experiences of bullying and harassment, often as a routine experience, especially if they come from an ethnic minority background. At CMF we hear stories from many of our members echoing this. So, is the NHS an institutionally racist organisation? How should we respond as Christians? In this edition, I am talking to Jonathan Makanjuola about the often hidden problem of racism, bullying and harassment within the national health service.
Jonathan will be leading a seminar on racism, bullying and harassment in NHS and how as Christians we can make a stand for change at our Junior Doctors' Conference in October - see www.cmf.org.uk/jdc2020
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Over 4,000 people in the UK are in need of a kidney transplant. The kidney is one of the few organs that can be transplanted relatively safely from a live donor. But for the majority of those on the waiting list for a new kidney, the wait will depend on someone with healthy kidneys dying, and that wait can last years.
Joseph Walsh has a story to tell about his own involvement with kidney transplantation, and we talk to him about why he thinks that Christians literally have something life-changing to give.
You can find more about Joseph's website and links to related resources at www.faithinoperation.co.uk and https://www.organdonation.nhs.uk/helping-you-to-decide/about-organ-donation/living-donation/
You can read more about CMF's coverage of a wide range of issues related to organ donation on our blog at https://cmf.li/31vUewY
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The outbreak of COVID-19 has had a huge impact on the healthcare systems of virtually every country on earth, and the UK has been no exception. A massive mobilisation and reorganisation of the British National Health Service (NHS) to address the challenges we were facing from this new and still poorly understood disease happened in weeks. And in the midst of this mass reorganisation, a lot of thinking had to go into how best to allocate limited resources as we faced a potential overload on the NHS.
Two of our members, Dr Melody Redman and Dr James Haslam, put together a paper looking at these questions and applying biblical principles to the question of resource allocation. It sounds dry, but it is a matter that could quite literally mean life or death. In this special, extra edition of 1st incision, Steve Fouch has a wide-ranging discussion with James and Melody about how we decide who gets what treatment, how COVID-19 has changed the way we think about how we allocate limited resources, and how the public's thinking has changed as a result of the pandemic. We also look at what challenges the future holds.
You can read Melody and James' paper, COVID-19: When demand outstrips supply and other resources on COVID-19 on the CMF Website.
The Christian Journal of Global Health special edition on addressing COVID-19 globally is also available online.
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In the last episode of season three of 1st incision, we look back at some of the ways Christian Medical Fellowship has been responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, and at some of the resources and support for health professionals that is still available. We're taking a break for the summer, but we'll be back in the autumn with a fresh series of interviews and discussions at the interface of faith, medicine, nursing and midwifery that affect our Christian lives in today's world.
Past episodes of 1st incision are available from our BuzzSprout page, including all 41 episodes of voices from the frontline
You can find out more about our Pastoral Care Programme at https://cmf.li/PCWP
While COVID1900Prayer has now finished, you can join us every Friday at 5pm for our new video series on Facebook and YouTube - Pause+Pray
And we'd love to hear your feedback and suggestions for the podcast - just email Steve Fouch on 1st.incision@cmf.org.uk
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The Christian faith stands or falls on the miracle of Jesus' resurrection. But how do we stand in relation to miracles today, especially as health professionals? Do miraculous healings still happen, can we command them, and how we handle situations where our patients claim to have been healed?
David Randall talks with Steve Fouch about how we can engage with the miraculous as Christians and health professionals.
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Anne Biro, the Vice-President of Nurses Christian Fellowship International (NCFI) talks with Steve Fouch about how Christian nurses in the UK and in many other nations are connecting together to encourage, teach and train each other during 2020, the International Year of the Nurse and the Midwife (you can read more about this at https://cmf.li/36c3WUy and about the 200th anniversary of the birth of Florence Nightingale at https://cmf.li/3bo1NaM).
To find out more about CMF’s work with nurses and midwives go to www.cmf.org.uk/nurses
Please note that this podcast was recorded in late January 2020, before COVID-19 lockdown and social distancing restrictions in the UK and other parts of the world. The NCFI World Congress mentioned in this podcast has since been postponed to 2021. You can read more about the work of NCFI and its rescheduled World Congress, go to www.ncif.org To learn more about the NCFI Next Generation network, see https://ncfi.org/about-ncfi/next-generation/
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In our fortieth and final voices from the frontline, we talk to Audrey, an intensivist at a Glasgow intensive care unit.
At the sharp end of dealing with COVID-19, she and her team have been working longer hours, with trainees and non-specialists taking on new roles caring for those most seriously affected by the disease. How have she and her team handled the remarkable circumstances in which they have found themselves in the last three months? How has she found Jesus amid this crisis?
This is the last of our special series of voices from the frontline podcasts, but the first incision series continues, with a new episode going live next Friday, 29 May.
For more information about CMF and our work and ministry, uniting and equipping Christian health professionals to live and speak for Jesus Christ, visit cmf.org.uk
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Esther is a community-based pharmacist, working closely with general practices. With social distancing and shielding, normal dispensing of medicines has changed considerably. What are the challenges, changes and stresses that pharmacy staff facing during lockdown. How is she finding spiritual support, and how can we pray for Esther and other pharmacists and frontline workers at this time.
Esther is an active member of Christians in Pharmacy - a national network for Christians working in and studying all aspects of pharmacy - check out their Facebook Page and their website for more details and to get in touch
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Rachael works in NHS prison general practice and is medical director of Integritas Healthcare, a Christian faith-inspired NGO working with detainees in the UK and overseas, particularly in the Philippines.
How has COVID-19 affected detainees and prisons in the UK? How is it affecting the delivery of medical care in prisons in the Philippines? And how is she able to bring spiritual support and wholistic care to prisoners?
You can find out more about the work of Integritas at https://integritas-healthcare.squarespace.com
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Dr Janan works as a surgeon in Kurdistan, Northern Iraq. His work involves regularly providing surgical care in refugee camps. Northern Iraq has been in lockdown since the first cases of COVID-19 appeared in March, and it seems that the epidemic is under control there. But there is still a real concern that the coronavirus could still break out in the refugee camps, where hand washing and social distancing is not practical. With economic pressures, insecurities and concerns about infection spread, how can we support and pray for Janan and his teams working with refugees in the region?
You can find out more about Dr Janan's organisation, HOME at https://www.homeforhim.org/
Remember to join us every day at 7 pm (BST/UTC+1) for #COVID1900Prayer, a chance to pray for health workers, our nation and the world as we respond to COVID-19
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Ben is a frontline paramedic, dealing with priority ambulance calls. He also helps lead a Christian fellowship group within the ambulance service, part of the Christian Ambulance Association. There have been increased pressures and opportunities since COVID-19 became a real issue, and it has changed his work, but also the network of support and prayer for frontline crews. How are Christian paramedics and ambulance staff responding in faith and hope to what God is doing in the midst of this pandemic?
You can find out more about the Christian Ambulance Association at https://www.caauk.net/
Remember to join us every day at 7 pm (BST/UTC+1) for #COVID1900Prayer, a chance to pray for health workers, our nation and the world as we respond to COVID-19
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Dr Peter Saunders gives an overview of how God is active across the globe working through healthcare professionals. We ask how medical mission is changing, discuss ‘tentmaking’, and ask when and where our skills might be useful. Peter diagnoses some barriers to our involvement both in the UK and overseas in a challenging and thought-provoking discussion.
You can read more about the work of Peter's organisation, Christian Medical and Dental Association (ICMDA) at https://icmda.net/
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Sara is a family medicine doctor in Madrid, Spain. The country has been hit hard, especially in Madrid, and Sara has personal experience of surviving the virus. She has been actively involved in community-based care for COVID-19 patients and has been part of a wider research group looking at treating the disease outside of acute hospitals. How has COVID-19 affected how she prays and cares for her patients?
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Alice is a palliative care specialist. In a speciality that has always focused on touch, close personal interaction and open access visiting, COVID-19 and social distancing measures have totally changed the way that she is caring for the dying and the bereaved. It is taking a toll on her team as well as on dying patients and their families. As she goes into these difficult situations, how does her faith equip her to respond in such a time as this?
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Mental health is a big issue in the current crisis. Today we talk to Hans, a psychiatrist from Switzerland. Uncertainties about the illness, its effects on us and our loved ones, on our livelihoods, on everyday life, can all lead to anxiety and isolation. How can we cope with these strains on our mental health? Are there positive challenges and opportunities to be discovered in these situations?
You can find out more about ICMDA at https://icmda.net and at our COVID-19 blogs at https://cmf.li/COVID19blogs
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What about those who aren't on the COVID-19 frontline?
Steve works at CMF and is a consultant neuro-rehabilitation specialist. He was due to go into partial retirement just as the lockdown began, and found himself at home with no clinical role and watching his colleagues putting their lives on the line to care for patients. How has this affected him? What is he doing now, and how are the non-COVID patients he sees dealing with the situation? It's not just some health workers who feel sidelined. And, in the midst of all of this, what does Steve hear God saying?
You can read Steve's blog Sidelined? Or waiting for God’s time to serve?
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Tom is a senior consultant in pain medicine, specialising in portable devices that help manage chronic pain. Although he practised for many years in the US, he is now working in the UK. How is COVID-19 having an impact on his work? How does he see his faith equipping him to meet the needs of his patients?
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Lee is a neonatologist, working with very premature babies who need intensive support in the first weeks of life. He recently volunteered to work at the London Nightingale Hospital, working with adults on ventilators with COVID-19. He supports more junior staff who are less experienced in nursing ventilated patients. How does he reconcile his Christian faith with the suffering he sees as a result of COVID-19?
Remember to #ClapandPray with us on social media on Thursdays from 20:10 (8:10 pm) UTC+1
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Rachael is a fourth-year medical student at the University of Manchester. Before the pandemic she was halfway through her neurology placement, but since COVID-19 interrupted her studies, she has been volunteering at the hospital, helping out in practical ways supporting clinical staff. With her studies suspended and the coming months looking really uncertain, how is her faith helping to keep her focused and grounded.
You can read more about CMF's student ministry at https://www.cmf.org.uk/students/
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Chelsea is a paediatric critical care nurse who has been re-deployed to an adult ICU caring for COVID-19 patients. What is it like moving from child to adult intensive care? What is it like working twelve-hour shifts in PPE with the most seriously ill COVID-19 patients? How is she processing all she has had to deal with over the last few weeks?
You can read more about CMF's nursing and midwifery ministry at https://www.cmf.org.uk/nurses/
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Ella is a redeployed ophthalmology trainee. She has been moved from her normal specialist training post in eye medicine to work on an acute COVID-19 ward and finds herself having to learn and re-lean a very different set of medical skills while getting to know a totally new clinical team and a new hospital. She was also expecting to get married soon but has had to cancel it and change major life plans at very short notice. How has her faith shaped her response to the frustrations and changes she is having to juggle at the moment.
See the CMF Juniors pages for more information about CMF's ministry to medical trainees from Foundation Years to Senior Trainees - https://www.cmf.org.uk/juniors/
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With Christians joining CMF from different backgrounds we recognise a diversity of views on many issues. How do we separate what is doctrine from what is preference? Or what is holy from what is heresy? What does it look like to disagree well and be united in our mission to be united and equipped to live and speak for Jesus Christ in medicine and nursing?
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Tim is a clinical scientist with many years' experience in developing anti-viral drugs. He is currently heading clinical development for a UK pharmaceutical company. At the moment, many clinical trials are in suspension as the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown isolates vulnerable patient groups.
At the same time, there is a significant re-deployment of people and resources to find drug candidates that will inhibit the replication of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19.
As a Christian and a scientist, how does he harmonise his faith and science; do they have anything in common?
CMF recently produced an edition of our student magazine, nucleus, that focused on the relationship between faith and science. Read it at https://cmf.li/2NmQNRO, which includes links to many other resources on Christianity and science and their long and misunderstood relationship.
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CMF Catalyst Teams are local teams of Christian health workers coming together to help unite and equip fellow Christian health professionals live and speak for Christ in their workplaces. We speak to three Catalyst Team leaders from around the UK, Noel, Brian and Angela, about how they are responding as Christians to the particular challenges of COVID-19 in their parts of the country.
You can find out more about Catalyst Teams at https://www.cmf.org.uk/catalyst-teams/
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Georgie is a surgical nurse in an acute surgery unit. They are seeing fewer patients, which raises the concern that people are staying away from hospital out of fear of COVID-19, increasing their risks from their current condition. At the same time, like many other health workers, COVID-19 is having a real impact on her family life. She is also busy supporting final year students suddenly put in the frontline through her role in CMF. How is she managing with these additional stresses and strains, and how can we pray for her and the students she supports?
Georgie's blog, Uncertainty: our new normality, is available from https://cmf.li/3aceJjm
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Michael is GP in Sydney and is regional secretary for the International Christian Medical Dental Fellowship (ICMDA).
Like many countries at the moment, Australia is on lockdown and practising social distancing in response to COVID-19. How are Australian Churches and Christian health professionals mobilising as part of the wider national response nationally and internationally?
Remember to join us every day at 7 pm (BST/UTC+1) for #COVID1900Prayer, a chance to pray for health workers, our nation and the world as we respond to COVID-19
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On Saturday 25th April 2020, CMF hosted a National Online Gathering attended by nearly 1,000 healthcare professionals. In our keynote talk, Dr Patrick Dixon - author, business consultant, futurist, and chairman of Global Change Ltd - looks at Life Beyond COVID-19. What does the future hold and how should Christians think and act in these incredible times?
Links to resources related to Patrick's talk are available at https://cmf.li/2020NOGLinks
Remember to join us every day at 7 pm (BST/UTC+1) for #COVID1900Prayer, a chance to pray for health workers, our nation and the world as we respond to COVID-19
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On Saturday 25th April 2020, CMF hosted a National Online Gathering attended by up to 1,000 healthcare professionals from the UK and beyond. In the morning talks, Pastor Jonty Allcock of the Globe Church in London walked us through the Book of Habakkuk looking at the question, ‘How long Lord? Finding hope in Christ when the storm clouds gather’. This is a timely prophetic call to the church in the midst of a time of crisis.
Links to resources related to Jonty's talk are available at https://cmf.li/2020NOGLinks
Remember to join us every day at 7 pm (BST/UTC+1) for #COVID1900Prayer, a chance to pray for health workers, our nation and the world as we respond to COVID-19
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Steve is a specialist in addictions and runs a Christian project called KEYS that works with churches to support people to overcome their addictions in the local community. COVID-19 is making it harder for people recovering from addictions as social isolation creates anxiety and loss of income, driving some back into addictions. Steve's Christian faith is at the centre of his work and key to how those he supports are overcoming addictions and accessing support. How can we support vulnerable people dealing with addictive behaviour during the lockdown
For more information on Steve's project, KEYS, visit www.keysdetox.org or www.keysuk.org and www.livefromrest.com for the app
To register for online Freedom In Christ go to https://keys-detox-freedom-in-christ.eventbrite.co.uk
Social media:
Twitter - @keysdetox and #keysdetox and @livefromrest and #livefromrest for the app.
Remember to join us every day at 7 pm (BST/UTC+1) for #COVID1900Prayer, a chance to pray for health workers, our nation and the world as we respond to COVID-19
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Ruth is a paediatric Occupational Therapist (OT), but with the advent of COVID-19, she has had to focus her work on those with the most physical needs. It is a very tough time for physically vulnerable children and their families, who are enduring social isolation and anxiety during the lockdown. But Ruth is now dealing with a range of clinical needs that an OT never normally has to, including learning how to manage death and the care of the dying. How does her faith help her to deal with these challenges?
Remember to join us every day at 7 pm (BST/UTC+1) for #COVID1900Prayer, a chance to pray for health workers, our nation and the world as we respond to COVID-19
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Penney is a carer, supporting vulnerable adults in their own homes. Many of those she visits are fearful and anxious, yet there has been an increase the support and compassion being given by the wider community. At a time when we are supposed to be socially isolating, it is a real challenge to be the one going into people's homes, even to do essential care work. How does her faith give her courage and hope in the situation?
Remember to join us every day at 7 pm (BST/UTC+1) for #COVID1900Prayer, a chance to pray for health workers, our nation and the world as we respond to COVID-19
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Daisy is a medical student but also works as a health advisor on the NHS111 helpline. This telephone helpline has been a vital part of helping the public get accurate health information and advice to avoid overloading GP surgeries and accident and emergency departments with non-urgent cases. How is her work making an impact, and how can we pray and support her and others doing this vital work?
Remember to join us every day at 7 pm (BST/UTC+1) for #COVID1900Prayer, a chance to pray for health workers, our nation and the world as we respond to COVID-19
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Today, we have a compilation of short stories from members on how their teams are responding to COVID-19 challenges and how they are working together to support one another in new ways.
Remember to join us every day at 7 pm (BST/UTC+1) for #COVID1900Prayer, a chance to pray for health workers, our nation and the world as we respond to COVID-19
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‘I feel, therefore I am.'
‘You do you.'
Statements like this are commonplace in our culture in which our feelings define reality. Dr Jim Paul of L’Abri Fellowship explores the implications for issues such as transgender, euthanasia and others at the interface of faith and medicine.
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Audrey is an ENT (ear, nose & throat) surgeon. Specialist teams like hers are being re-deployed to help manage the influx of COVID-19 patients, reducing the number of admissions as much as possible. With the sheer pressure and rapidity of change, how is she managing? And how is the situation opening up new opportunities and doorways?
Remember to join us every day at 7 pm (BST/UTC+1) for #COVID1900Prayer, a chance to pray for health workers, our nation and the world as we respond to COVID-19
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Neil is a senior manager in the National Health Service (NHS) in London, leading a Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG). COVID-19 has meant that all the priorities and planning for the NHS across the capital has changed, and Neil has been part of one of several teams managing this reorganisation. How does he find God working through his role at this time?
Remember to join us every day at 7 pm (BST/UTC+1) for #COVID1900Prayer, a chance to pray for health workers, our nation and the world as we respond to COVID-19
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Helen is a GP in New Zealand who normally works with newly arrived asylum seekers. As COVID-19 becomes an emerging problem there, she is now re-deployed along with many others as part of a public health team. She is also an active member of the New Zealand Christian Medical Fellowship, which is also adapting to support its members as they respond to the crisis. How are Christians and medics in New Zealand responding to the crisis there?
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Dr Stephen is a public health consultant in Kampala, Uganda, working globally in fragile states. Uganda went into a coronavirus lockdown just days after he returned from a recent visit. How is lockdown affecting Uganda, the church and how are he and his family coping with the lockdown?
[Recorded 1 March 2020]
Remember to join us every day at 7 pm (BST/UTC+1) for #COVID1900Prayer, a chance to pray for health workers, our nation and the world as we respond to COVID-19
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Graham and Christine work in a hospital chaplaincy team, providing spiritual care and support to patients and staff. COVID-19 has changed the way they can care significantly. Infection control means they cannot visit patients apart from exceptional circumstances. Caring for those who are seriously ill and isolated from loved ones is now very hard. Support for staff is also vital and is now the main focus of care. How can we engage with and support this largely invisible but vital behind the scenes role?
[recorded 1 April 2020]
CMF's Pastoral Care and Well-being programme is a pastoral care resource for health professionals of all faiths and none - more details at https://cmf.li/PCWP or email wellbeing@cmf.org.uk
Remember to join us every day at 7 pm (BST/UTC+1) for #COVID1900Prayer, a chance to pray for health workers, our nation and the world as we respond to COVID-19
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Alison is a nurse/midwife working in Southern Laos as part of a health and education project. Until recently, COVID-19 has not seemed like a big problem in Laos, but in the last week the national government has stepped up its response, despite the lack of resources to protect staff and treat the very sick. Alison and her team have sought to help the local community and local hospital prepare, but many challenges remain. In these uncertain times, how can we support and pray for the least resourced nations facing COVID-19?[recorded 31 March 2020]
Remember to join us every day at 7 pm (BST/UTC+1) for #COVID1900Prayer, a chance to pray for health workers, our nation and the world as we respond to COVID-19
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Alice is a trainee anaesthetist in the East of England. She is now solely working in critical care as the number of people with COVID-19 being admitted increases. Managing changing guidelines and limited access to equipment with limited control can create stresses and a sense of helplessness for all involved. How is her faith in Christ helping her to manage the situation without giving in to negativity?
[recorded 31 March 2020]
Alice's blog Facing coronavirus (COVID-19): the practicalities of critical illness and the reality of our mortality is available now.
Remember to join us every day at 7 pm (BST/UTC+1) for #COVID1900Prayer, a chance to pray for health workers, our nation and the world as we respond to COVID-19
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Abi is a perinatal psychiatrist (looking after mums and babies) in London. During a lockdown, vulnerable mothers face particular challenges, yet can only access services remotely. Maintaining services and communications with colleagues as well as patients creates particular problems. How can we pray for and support new mothers and those with mental health needs at this time
[recorded 31 March 2020]
Remember to join us at 7 pm (BST/UTC+1) every day for #COVID1900Prayer - a chance to pray for health workers, our nation and our world during the coronavirus pandemic.
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Dr Alva is a TB specialist with a nationwide role, as well as a leader in the Indonesian Christian Medical and Dental Association and the national Christian students' ministry. As a minority in a predominantly Muslim nation, what contribution can Christian health professionals make as COVID-19 becomes a growing health challenge?
[Recorded 31 March 2020]
Remember to join us at 7 pm (BST/UTC+1) every day for #COVID1900Prayer - a chance to pray for health workers, our nation and our world during the coronavirus pandemic.
Support the show (https://cmf.li/Give)
The well-being of doctors, midwives and nurses has become a very topical issue. The General Medical Council has recently released a report looking at the systemic and organisational factors that lead to clinician stress. The British Medical Association is providing a 24/7 helpline and access to counselling services. But what about the Christian perspective? Do CMF members maintain their well-being in their workplaces? How do we support Christian clinicians to continue to live and speak for Jesus? And how do we care for the carers in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic?
You can find out more details about CMF's Pastoral Care and Well-being ministry at https://cmf.li/PCWP
Remember to join us at 7 pm (BST/UTC+1) every day for #COVID1900Prayer - a chance to pray for health workers, our nation and our world during the coronavirus pandemic.
Support the show (https://cmf.li/Give)
Khara is an internal medicine doctor working in Barbados, where the COVID-19 pandemic is still in its early stages. How are health systems in the Caribbean managing and how are they seeking to limit the pandemic? What gives Khara hope in the face of the mounting strains on healthcare in Barbados and across the Caribbean?
[recorded 26 March 2020 - please not the audio quality of this podcast is not up to our usual standards due to technical issues with recording transatlantically]
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Ed works in an accident and emergency department (A&E) in a major city. He is seeing fewer patients turning up due to social isolation but also dealing with more seriously ill patients with COVID-19. Despite the changing work profile and the pressures he faces, he is not fearful. What is the source of his confidence?
[recorded 26 March 2020]
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Santhosh is a consultant physician on the India/Nepal border and is the South Asia and Training Coordinator of our global network, the International Christian Medical and Dental Association (ICMDA). India is now on lockdown - how is this having an impact on the hospital, the patients and the community? How will they manage a surge of COVID-19 patients in a resource-poor setting? How are Christian hospitals coping, and what is God showing them in this situation?
[recorded 26 March 2020]
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David is a medical registrar in London. As more and more patients with covid symptoms are turning up at the hospital, they are having to rapidly change their clinical priorities and planning. How is he finding God at work in the circumstances?
[recorded 24 March 2020]
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Naomi is an international medical student in Limerick, Ireland. A few weeks from final exams and placements she finds herself unable to return home to Canada or to finish her studies. In the face of this, what opportunities to serve is God opening up for her in Ireland?
[recorded 25 March 2020]
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Beth is a midwife working in the Philippines. She faces the daily challenge of caring for vulnerable mothers and newborns with limited equipment and other resources as it is. How will COVID-19 affect her and her patients?
[recorded 20 March 2020]
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Zack is a medical student, whose exams have been cancelled, and who may soon be called upon to help in practice. What does COVID-19 mean for health professionals in training?
[recorded 19 March 2020]
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Adi is an ITU nurse. His team are gearing up for the increased number of people with major respiratory problems as a result of COVID1-9 infection. How does his faith prepare him for the challenges ahead?
[recorded 20 March 2020]
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In the first of a special series of podcasts telling the stories of CMF members working at the frontline of the response to COVID-19 in the UK and around the world, we talk to James, a GP (family doctor) who shares the pressures being faced by general practices and community health services as the COVID-19 outbreak intensifies and guidance changes on an almost daily basis. How does being a Christian really make a difference in this situation.
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At what feels like an unprecedented time in our history, how do Christians in healthcare respond to a global pandemic? Professor John Wyatt outlines the source of our strength to serve in costly ways, even risking our lives. He draws lessons from history when Christians have been at the forefront of treating the sick in plagues and pandemics, including birthing the whole nursing profession.
You can read more about this on a CMF blog, Christianity in a time of plague that John has just published.
Join with us at 19:00 (7 pm UTC) each day to pray for frontline workers, our nation and the world as we deal with the COVID-19 pandemic at #COVID1900Prayer
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Dr James Tomlinson helps us explore the opportunities and challenges for Christians in leadership. What should distinguish us as Christians leaders? Is leadership in clinical practice as valid as in the church? Why should we even consider leading in this context?
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We speak to a RAF doctor about his research on men and women during arduous training. How do men and women perform differently? What are the implications for how we think about equality and diversity and what are the implications for a Christian worldview?
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We hear a lot about corruption as a scourge affecting developing countries, but we often assume it is not something that close to home for those of us living and working in the West. But the reality of medical corruption and conflict of interest affects everyone working in healthcare in every corner of the world.
Joining CMF's Head of Communications, Steve Fouch to explore this complex topic is Dr Marius Ungureanu, the Director of Education for the Masters in Public Health programme at Babeș-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
Marius has been part of a CMF working group that has produced a detailed briefing on conflict of interest and corruption in healthcare for Christians in the healing and caring professions.
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It is said the average adult makes about 3,500 remotely conscious decisions a day, with over 226 of them about food alone! Whilst we love to have choices in our life, an overabundance of demands, needs, requests and life-changing decisions can lead to worry, stress, guilt and confusion. In this episode, James talks to Laura and Noel Aruparayil, exploring how to apply biblical wisdom (and some brain science) to practically managing life in all its multi-layered craziness.
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In this special, extended edition of 1st incision, CMF Associate CEO John Greenall talks to Nancy Pearcey, the American author and leading Evangelical academic about her seminal book, Love Thy Body, and how our worldview affects how we understand our bodies, identity and how we value humanity and human life.
Heralded as 'America’s preeminent evangelical Protestant female intellectual' (The Economist), Nancy Pearcey is author of Love Thy Body: Answering Hard Questions about Life and Sexuality, Total Truth: Liberating Christianity from Its Cultural Captivity, which won a 2005 ECPA Gold Medallion Award, and How Now Shall We Live? (coauthored by Harold Fickett and Chuck Colson), which won a 2000 ECPA Gold Medallion Award, in addition to other works.
Pearcey has been a visiting scholar at Biola University’s Torrey Honors Institute, professor of worldview studies at Cairn University, and Francis A. Schaeffer scholar at the World Journalism Institute. Currently she is professor of apologetics and scholar in residence at Houston Baptist University, a fellow at the Discovery Institute’s Center for Science and Culture, and editor at large of The Pearcey Report.
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In this episode, John Greenall talks with Ros Turner of Transform Work UK on the importance of supporting and equipping Christians to be salt and light in their places of work. Ros shares from her wide experience of helping Christian workplace groups across the UK to support and equip Christians, and offers some challenges to us as health professionals on how we can make a real difference in the health service.
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In the first episode of season two of 1st incision, John Greenall, CMF's Associate Chief Executive, talks with leaders from other Christian medical associations around the world about the wider family of Christians in medicine and dentistry that is the International Christian Medical and Dental Association or ICMDA. Hedwin from Indonesia, Augustine from South Africa and Esther from Switzerland share with John what it means to them to be part of a global family of Christians in the medical professions.
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Dr James Howitt draws the first season of the 1st incision podcast to a close, and looks forward to the next season later in the autumn of 2019. We hope you have enjoyed the series so far, and don't forget to sign up via your favourite podcast app!
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CMF's National Field Director and paediatrician Dr John Greenall discusses the needs, sensitivities, ethics and controversies surrounding the care and treatment of children and adolescents identifying as transgender.
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Dr Mark shares some helpful, practical advice for praying effectively in the midst of the pressures of working as a Christian medic or nurse.
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Dr Kate talks to Dr James Howitt about how we care compassionately for transgender patients, looking at some of the areas of controversy in current approaches.
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In this episode, Dr James Howitt talk to Dr Melody Redman as they explore why and how Christian health professionals can engage in advocacy, medical and nursing politics and Biblical social justice.
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In this episode we consider the ethics of contraception. This is not a topic often talked about in evangelical and wider protestant circles. What are the ethical issues raised by different means of contraception, and is there a biblical case for using contraception at all? Dr James Howitt is joined by Dr Laurence Crutchlow as they explore the ethical and biblical issues for Christians.
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Dr Sunil Raheja talks to Dr James Howitt about 'burnout' amongst those working in healthcare, and at ways we can protect ourselves and support others.
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This is the first episode of the new podcast of the Christian Medical Fellowship.
Opening up the interface between Christian faith and medicine, each episode of 1st incisionwill be a discussion with a Christian working at the cutting edge of healthcare.
In this first edition, Dr James Howitt talks to Dr James May about 'mindfulness' and how we deal critically with this increasingly popular, but poorly understood mental health practice.
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