This is me on top of Helvellyn in the Lake District!
Monday, December 17, 2007
NURSING - IN SEARCH OF IDENTITY.
Imagine the scene. It is a busy ward in a large teaching hospital. A patient has collapsed, is unresponsive, there is no pulse. A "Crash Call" goes out. The nurses start cardiac massage. The 'resus' trolley is wheeled up, the de-fib fetched. The 'Crash Team' come running up the corridor. Cannula inserted, nervous fingers snap open ampoules. Adrenaline, Calcium, DC shock. No output. As the drama unfolds a nurse steps forward and commences massage - not cardiac massage but foot massage.
In the ensuing exchange of conversation with the Senior Registrar, the nurse asserts that as a practitioner in Reflexology she alone is treating the patient's underlying disease, all the rest were merely treating symptoms. Sounds far-fetched? I'm reliably informed that this very scenario was played out in a London hospital recently. It invites the question, "What's going on in society in general and nursing in particular?"
There is a sea change at work in our culture. For three centuries or more the prevailing philosophy within western culture has been modernism. This emphasised the human intellect and the scientific, technological, rational approach to life. It is a materialist philosophy, rejecting any notion of the spiritual. Such a world-view questions the existence of a Creator and asserts that everything can be explained in secular and reductionistic terms.
Most of us will have had contact with some institution of higher education. Within these academic circles, modernism is the over-arching belief system. Until recently this has been the influence that has helped shape Medicine and Nursing as we know them, particularly as they move away from their earlier Christian roots. But now we are witnessing a sea-change. So while once-upon-a-time the general public showed great respect and deference to scientific experts, now attitudes are changing. People are more likely to question, probe and doubt the words of scientists. Indeed, whereas once science was viewed as mankind's hope for a better future, now people are more likely to blame it and the technology it has spawned for causing more problems than it has solved. The belief in inevitable progress is defunct.
This tendency occurring in society as a whole is magnified with nursing. Nursing as a profession is currently seeking to discover an identity of it's own, one that will make it distinctive from Medicine. In my view nurses will inevitably turn to alternative forms of medicine simply because they are alternative. The emerging 'post-modernist' nurse will emphasise the emotional, the intuitive and the holistic, as opposed to the rational, objective, quantifiable and material. As a thorough-going pluralist, the new nurse will accept that there are many different points of view about everything, all of which are equally valid. Indeed any "truth claim" is by definition coercive and domineering, aimed at forcing others to conform to someone else's version of the truth. In this context it is not surprising that an article in the Nursing Times last year urges nurses to avoid making moral judgements if one is asked to obtain the services of a prostitute for a client.
Although Christians have never felt entirely comfortable within modernist professions which denied the spiritual, Christians could at least work within Nursing and Medicine, appreciating the benefits of science but recognising that it did not present a complete picture of what it is to be human. Now, however, we are increasingly being faced not with a denial of spirituality, but with alternative spiritualities often dressed up as complementary therapy. It is easy to feel threatened and overwhelmed by the challenge that faces us at the start of the twenty-first century. I suspect that within Nursing, we will continue to see an on-going tussle between two opposing schools of thought, the post-modernist and a reactive modernist rear-guard action.
These are not easy times for Christians. And yet this situation presents Christians with an opportunity. "Spirituality" is on the agenda, and as Christian nurses we will need to prayerfully consider how best to use these new opportunities. Like the modernist, we too believe in objective truth and that it is knowable. But at the same time we appreciate the limitations of human knowledge and that to be human cannot be fully explained in purely material terms. The spirituality we would profess is one of dependence upon God, rather than one which depends on us manipulating real or supposed spiritual forces.
This article was first published in the Spring 2001 issue of "TRIPLE HELIX" and is reproduced here with the kind permission of the Christian Medical Fellowship.
Imagine the scene. It is a busy ward in a large teaching hospital. A patient has collapsed, is unresponsive, there is no pulse. A "Crash Call" goes out. The nurses start cardiac massage. The 'resus' trolley is wheeled up, the de-fib fetched. The 'Crash Team' come running up the corridor. Cannula inserted, nervous fingers snap open ampoules. Adrenaline, Calcium, DC shock. No output. As the drama unfolds a nurse steps forward and commences massage - not cardiac massage but foot massage.
In the ensuing exchange of conversation with the Senior Registrar, the nurse asserts that as a practitioner in Reflexology she alone is treating the patient's underlying disease, all the rest were merely treating symptoms. Sounds far-fetched? I'm reliably informed that this very scenario was played out in a London hospital recently. It invites the question, "What's going on in society in general and nursing in particular?"
There is a sea change at work in our culture. For three centuries or more the prevailing philosophy within western culture has been modernism. This emphasised the human intellect and the scientific, technological, rational approach to life. It is a materialist philosophy, rejecting any notion of the spiritual. Such a world-view questions the existence of a Creator and asserts that everything can be explained in secular and reductionistic terms.
Most of us will have had contact with some institution of higher education. Within these academic circles, modernism is the over-arching belief system. Until recently this has been the influence that has helped shape Medicine and Nursing as we know them, particularly as they move away from their earlier Christian roots. But now we are witnessing a sea-change. So while once-upon-a-time the general public showed great respect and deference to scientific experts, now attitudes are changing. People are more likely to question, probe and doubt the words of scientists. Indeed, whereas once science was viewed as mankind's hope for a better future, now people are more likely to blame it and the technology it has spawned for causing more problems than it has solved. The belief in inevitable progress is defunct.
This tendency occurring in society as a whole is magnified with nursing. Nursing as a profession is currently seeking to discover an identity of it's own, one that will make it distinctive from Medicine. In my view nurses will inevitably turn to alternative forms of medicine simply because they are alternative. The emerging 'post-modernist' nurse will emphasise the emotional, the intuitive and the holistic, as opposed to the rational, objective, quantifiable and material. As a thorough-going pluralist, the new nurse will accept that there are many different points of view about everything, all of which are equally valid. Indeed any "truth claim" is by definition coercive and domineering, aimed at forcing others to conform to someone else's version of the truth. In this context it is not surprising that an article in the Nursing Times last year urges nurses to avoid making moral judgements if one is asked to obtain the services of a prostitute for a client.
Although Christians have never felt entirely comfortable within modernist professions which denied the spiritual, Christians could at least work within Nursing and Medicine, appreciating the benefits of science but recognising that it did not present a complete picture of what it is to be human. Now, however, we are increasingly being faced not with a denial of spirituality, but with alternative spiritualities often dressed up as complementary therapy. It is easy to feel threatened and overwhelmed by the challenge that faces us at the start of the twenty-first century. I suspect that within Nursing, we will continue to see an on-going tussle between two opposing schools of thought, the post-modernist and a reactive modernist rear-guard action.
These are not easy times for Christians. And yet this situation presents Christians with an opportunity. "Spirituality" is on the agenda, and as Christian nurses we will need to prayerfully consider how best to use these new opportunities. Like the modernist, we too believe in objective truth and that it is knowable. But at the same time we appreciate the limitations of human knowledge and that to be human cannot be fully explained in purely material terms. The spirituality we would profess is one of dependence upon God, rather than one which depends on us manipulating real or supposed spiritual forces.
This article was first published in the Spring 2001 issue of "TRIPLE HELIX" and is reproduced here with the kind permission of the Christian Medical Fellowship.
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
"DAYS OF ELIJAH!"
These are the "Days of Elijah", The "prophet's" word restored, New "Apostles" are arising, to bring us the Word of the LORD.
The Bible is yesterdays word and written scripture is dry, so we itch for new revelation, without new things we die.
"The prophet" speaks life, and yet your child lies dying. "It's you and your faith at fault, the prophet can't be lying!"
All the options covered, be vague and so obscure, selective recall, hindsight - the "prophet's" word made sure.
These are the "Days of Elijah", false prophets palms are greased, seers consulted like tarot and the sheep exist to be fleeced.
These are the "Days of Elijah", The "prophet's" word restored, New "Apostles" are arising, to bring us the Word of the LORD.
The Bible is yesterdays word and written scripture is dry, so we itch for new revelation, without new things we die.
"The prophet" speaks life, and yet your child lies dying. "It's you and your faith at fault, the prophet can't be lying!"
All the options covered, be vague and so obscure, selective recall, hindsight - the "prophet's" word made sure.
These are the "Days of Elijah", false prophets palms are greased, seers consulted like tarot and the sheep exist to be fleeced.
Wednesday, December 05, 2007
Lit Obit!
For nearly two and a half years I have foisted my intellectual pretensions upon an unsuspecting world which, truth be told, never actually asked for my opinion, and the time therefore has come to wind up this blog. I have a couple of articles in the pipeline but, as promised earlier this year, I will not continue blogging into 2008. To be frank I don't feel entirely comfortable curating my thoughts in a self-aggrandizing way to the onlooking world as if my person has something special to offer... and yet I did also sincerely desire to make a statement of sorts about where I stand on some of the issues of the day. I have only "something special" in the sense that I have been touched by God's love, there is nothing special as such about me personally. I am hugely impressed by the number of really good evangelical teachers and scholars out there too - so I'm not sure what I'm adding by means of my 'blog' anymore.
It is true that a few years ago I wanted to explore the doubts and challenges which had occured to me as a Christian and see how they stood up to examination. Were my answers equal to the questions posed by non-christians? Were the answers really satisfying to ME as an individual believer? Being a Christian has not been a cosey experience - Jesus never said it would be! - instead it has caused me to explore the fiercest criticisms and my own misgivings to see how the Gospel holds up.
What the reader makes of these I will have to leave to you. By way of a general disclaimer; the opinions in this 'blog' are entirely my own and it should not be inferred that they represent in any way the views of the various groups of which I am a member - any fault is my fault alone. If at times I sound irascible I hope the reader will be kind to me and weigh what I say on its merits. If you are inclined to conclude that I am a poor representative to speak on behalf of Jesus Christ you are undoubtedly correct.... my life is not all it should be.... or could be.... or will be. And if you are of a mind to conclude that I cannot possibly be a believer think how much worse I might have been if I wasn't a Christian at all!
For nearly two and a half years I have foisted my intellectual pretensions upon an unsuspecting world which, truth be told, never actually asked for my opinion, and the time therefore has come to wind up this blog. I have a couple of articles in the pipeline but, as promised earlier this year, I will not continue blogging into 2008. To be frank I don't feel entirely comfortable curating my thoughts in a self-aggrandizing way to the onlooking world as if my person has something special to offer... and yet I did also sincerely desire to make a statement of sorts about where I stand on some of the issues of the day. I have only "something special" in the sense that I have been touched by God's love, there is nothing special as such about me personally. I am hugely impressed by the number of really good evangelical teachers and scholars out there too - so I'm not sure what I'm adding by means of my 'blog' anymore.
It is true that a few years ago I wanted to explore the doubts and challenges which had occured to me as a Christian and see how they stood up to examination. Were my answers equal to the questions posed by non-christians? Were the answers really satisfying to ME as an individual believer? Being a Christian has not been a cosey experience - Jesus never said it would be! - instead it has caused me to explore the fiercest criticisms and my own misgivings to see how the Gospel holds up.
What the reader makes of these I will have to leave to you. By way of a general disclaimer; the opinions in this 'blog' are entirely my own and it should not be inferred that they represent in any way the views of the various groups of which I am a member - any fault is my fault alone. If at times I sound irascible I hope the reader will be kind to me and weigh what I say on its merits. If you are inclined to conclude that I am a poor representative to speak on behalf of Jesus Christ you are undoubtedly correct.... my life is not all it should be.... or could be.... or will be. And if you are of a mind to conclude that I cannot possibly be a believer think how much worse I might have been if I wasn't a Christian at all!
Monday, December 03, 2007
LUCA SWIFT!
A couple of days ago I received a post card from the vet's addressed to "Luca Swift". As readers of this blog may recall 'Luca' is the name of our "part time cat" - not, I hasten to add, that she is a cat some of the time and something else at other times! - rather it is the case that she would occasionally deign to grace us with her company, eat our food and bask by the radiator on cold wet days before returning to her secret home.... she was a mystery. She was a cat who led a double life!
Over the months we grew very fond of her and so it is only appropriate that she should now be receiving her own correspondence at our address!
The sad thing to report though is that we haven't seen her in over two months now and suspect that she has moved on to pastures new. I never figured myself as a "cat" sort of person but I do miss her!
A couple of days ago I received a post card from the vet's addressed to "Luca Swift". As readers of this blog may recall 'Luca' is the name of our "part time cat" - not, I hasten to add, that she is a cat some of the time and something else at other times! - rather it is the case that she would occasionally deign to grace us with her company, eat our food and bask by the radiator on cold wet days before returning to her secret home.... she was a mystery. She was a cat who led a double life!
Over the months we grew very fond of her and so it is only appropriate that she should now be receiving her own correspondence at our address!
The sad thing to report though is that we haven't seen her in over two months now and suspect that she has moved on to pastures new. I never figured myself as a "cat" sort of person but I do miss her!
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