Serving Two Masters? 

Probing the tensions between science and faith in the art of healthcare

​

Publication Date: January 2022

​

Publisher: Christian Medical Fellowship

​

Formats: paperback

​

Genre: apologetics / ethics / cultural engagement - intended for healthcare professionals, students in healthcare areas and anyone who care for people in these professions

​

Content: 

Chapter 1: Testing the World [explains what science and the scientific method are]
Chapter 2: No Exact Science [discusses the limitations of science]
Chapter 3: Integrating Science and Faith [explores the relationship between science and faith as ways to discover truth]
Chapter 4: Worldview Foundations for Healthcare [how Christian faith provides foundations for understanding health, ethics in healthcare and motivation for healthcare workers]
Chapter 5: The Art of Medicine [argues that the art of medicine is the integration of scientific findings and knowledge of the person that comes through means other than science within a therapeutic relationship]
Chapter 6: Faith in Healthcare [a survey of the evidence for the importance of trust in the healthcare professional and the therapies they offer for the healing of the person]
Conclusion: What Can I Do? [practical ideas for healthcare professionals to apply the things the book discusses]

​

Endorsements:

Outstanding. An accessible but profound book that digs deep into questions of science, faith, personhood and the practice of healthcare.  Arguing for an integrative approach between scientific evidence and a therapeutic relationship for the good of patients, Paul Coulter argues powerfully for the place that Christian faith, ethics and wisdom can and should play within such an approach. I highly recommend it to anyone working in healthcare, students studying in healthcare subjects, and pastors seeking to support and care for healthcare professionals.
Marcus Honeysett, Executive Director of Living Leadership and author of Meltdown: Making Sense of a Culture in Crisis

​

This is a clear, concise, coherent, and critical exploration of the interaction between science and faith in medical practice.  Paul Coulter skilfully integrates knowledge, understanding and wisdom from medicine, science, theology and philosophy as he explains concepts, challenges myths, and constructs arguments.   The result is a valuable resource for all Christians who are navigating the contemporary challenges of delivering healthcare.
Dr Keith Gardiner MD, Postgraduate Medical Dean for Northern Ireland, 2012-202

​

Paul Coulter has considered the position of faith in healthcare with care and consideration and has been clear without being dogmatic.  The book is intended for students and practitioners alike in medicine, nursing and allied health professions. I cannot recommend it highly enough.
Dr Werner J McIlwaine MD, Retired Physician and Diabetologist and Catalyst Team Leader Northern Ireland

​

Paul Coulter has written a terrific little book that I wish had been available to me as a student or junior doctor. It’s a distillation of years of study in multiple fields (theology, ethics, science, epistemology, culture and medicine!) presented with admirable clarity and applied to the art of medical practice. As a brilliant primer in worldview thinking and understanding our cultural moment, I hope it isn’t read just by medics (though they are the primary target), but reaches a much wider audience. This is exactly the sort of book that is so necessary for helping all Christians to think about their vocation in a God-centred manner that enables them to live wholeheartedly for Christ, wherever He has called them to be. I can’t commend it highly enough.
Dr Mark Stirling, Former GP and pastor, Lecturer in  Ethics and NT at Highland Theological College and Director of the Chalmers Institute

​

Paul Coulter brings together his scientific training, medical experience, understanding of contemporary culture and a sharp theological mind to address the relationship between faith and science and its implications for medical practice in the post-Christian secular west.
In six short well-argued chapters, drawing on philosophy, history, medical science and Scripture, he contends that there is no real conflict between science and religion, that medicine is an art that embraces but is not limited to the insights of science, that healthcare cannot avoid questions of worldview and that the practice of medicine cannot be divorced from considerations of faith.
Dr Peter Saunders, CEO International Christian Medical and Dental Assocation