The Body of Christ as Seen through the Eyes of a Physician

At a time when people have a heightened interest in and knowledge of the human body--what makes it function well, what makes it function poorly--and at the same time, when factions within our world, country, and church are at odds with each other, an appeal to St. Paul's idea of the "body of Christ" seems particularly apropos. Although Christians have heard millions of sermons over the millennia about the body, it is time to take a fresh look, based on what we now know scientifically about the interconnection of the various parts of our bodies. Harmonious interactions among systems in the body confer good health; so too in the body of Christ. Lack of harmony among bodily systems predicts illness; so too in the body of Christ. Building on what church leaders have taught throughout the ages, a physician-theologian approaches the body of Christ and its ills--as well as its potential for flourishing--with a deep understanding of how the human body works.