ChristianHealthCare
N E W S L E T T E R
N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 6
Join in the National Day of Prayer on May 4
Knowing people were praying filled our hearts with gratitude
MEMBER LETTER:
In This Issue... 3 Drawing conclusions without good
evidence is a dangerous game byRobSlane
4 Member Spotlight TwilaBraseCitizens’CouncilforHealthFreedom
6 Book Review:PrimalPanacea
8 Should you trust your doctor?
10 When God said children are a blessing, He wasn’t kidding
11 Billing was a mess, but I eventually got a 90 percent discount
14 Prayer for the Persecuted Church
16 The Doorpost Bewareofcrowdingoutthebest
ManyChristiansareunawarethattheyliveinanationthathasalawinplacerequiring
ourpresidenttoproclaimaNationalDayofPrayereachyearonthefirstThursdayinMay.
ThePresidentshallissueeachyearaproclamationdesignatingthefirstThursdayinMayasaNationalDayofPrayeronwhichthepeopleoftheUnitedStatesmayturntoGodinprayerandmeditationatchurches,ingroups,andasindividuals.(PublicLaw105-225)
AscitizensandresidentsoftheUnitedStatesandasbelieversinChristJesus,wenotonlyhaveaspiritualresponsibil-ityaccordingto1Timothy2:1-2topray,butacivicdutyaswelltoheedourpresident’scalltostandinthegapforournation.WhobutGod’speoplehavetheabilitytoenterintotheverythroneroomofheavenwithprayersandpeti-tions!
Thethemethisyearis“ForYourGreatName’sSake!HearUs...ForgiveUs...HealUs!”takenfromDaniel9:19,whichsays,“OLord,Listen!OLord,Forgive!OLord,HearandAct!ForYourSake,OMyGod...”OnMay4joinwiththousandsofindividuals,churches,andcommuni-tiestorallymillionsofChristianstoonceagainheedthiscall!
Scripturetellsusagainandagainthatourferventprayeriseffective—thatourlovingGodrespondstoHischildren’s
earnestpleasinmightywaysthatavailmuch,andultimatelydeterminethecourseofhistory.
Atthiscrucialtimeforournation,wecandonothingmoreimportantthanpray.Pleaseconsidermakingthisspiri-tualdisciplineapersonalpriorityandencourageotherstoincorporateprayerintheirlives.WelookforwardtoseeingHishandmoveacrossourlandinexcit-ingwayseachMayinresponsetoourpetitions!
Visit NationalDayOfPrayer.com:• Readthisyear’snationalprayer.• WatchtheLiveStreamonMay4.• Accessresourcesonprayer.• Findaprayergatheringnearyou
orlearnhowtostartone.
We praise GodforleadingustoSamaritanMinistries.Wealwayslookforwardtosend-ingourshareeachmonth.Itgivesussuchjoytohelpanotherbrotherorsisterinneed.
Thenwefoundourselveswithaneed.Whatpeaceofmindknowingourneedwouldbemet.Beforejoin-ingSamaritanwealwayshadtopayalargedeductible.ButwithSamaritanwedidn’thavetopayanyofourneedbecausewewereabletogetdiscounts!
WhatfunitwasgoingtothemailboxeverydaytoseewhereGod’sprovisionwascomingfrom.KnowingpeoplewereprayingforuscausedourheartstobefilledwithgratitudeforsuchalargeChristianfamilywhocaresforoneanother.
Thankstoallofyou,thosewhoprayed,senttheirshares,andyouattheofficehelpingorganizeitall.
KerryandJeanMcGonigalAurora,Oregon
ChristianHealthCare
N E W S L E T T E R
M AY 2 0 1 7
CONTENTS 1 Join in the National Day of Prayer
on May 4
3 Drawing conclusions without good evidence is a dangerous gamebyRobSlane
4 Member Spotlight TwilaBrasebyMichaelMiller
6 Book Review: Primal Panacea byDr.ThomasLevyreviewedbyDavidLehnert
8 Should you trust your doctor? byJedStuber
10 When God said children are a blessing, He wasn’t kidding byTobySumpter
11 Billing was a mess, but I eventually got a 90 percent discount byPhilRemmers
14 Prayer for the Persecuted Church
16 The Doorpost Bewareofcrowdingoutthebest byRayKing
CONTACT US [email protected]
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OnFacebook:SamaritanMinistries
EDITORS JedStuber,MichaelMiller
ART DIRECTION DanvanLoon
TheChristianHealthCareNewsletterispublishedmonthlybySamaritanMinistriesInternational,a501(c)(3)charity.SubscriptionstotheChristianHealthCareNewsletterareavailabletonon-mem-bersforasuggesteddonationof$12peryear.Theinformationprovidedisforeducationalpurposesandisnotmeantasmedicaladvice.
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PAY YOUR SHARE— Burdenscanbelightenedphysicallyaswedoourparttofinanciallymeetothers’needsastheywouldinourtimeofneed.
3
ALWAYS STAY ALERT IN PRAYER—BurdenscanbelightenedspirituallyasweunitetocallupontheGodoftheimpossible.
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ChristianHealthCare
N E W S L E T T E R
Volume23,Number5
SamaritanMinistries’ChristianHealthCareNewsletterisamemberoftheEvangelicalPressAssociation.
May2017—3 CallSamaritanMinistriestoll-freeat877.764.2426
wherethishasindeedbeenthecasetomakeitattheveryleastastrongpossibility.However,therearealsoenoughofsuchincidentswherethishasturnedoutnottohavebeenthecausetoatleastmakeuswaryofturningasuspicionintoa“fact.”
Icanthinkofnumeroussuchinci-dentswheretheperpetratorhasturnedouttohavehadnoconnec-tiontoanyterroristorganizationwhatsoever,buthasbeenactingentirelyonhisown.Icanthinkofsuchincidentswheretheperpetra-torshaveturnedoutnottohavehadanyparticularterroristmotive,buthavesimplybeenlowlifecrimi-nalswithalonghistoryofmentalillnessandregularusersofdrugs,prescriptionorillegal.IcanevenrecalltheshockmanyfeltwhentheperpetratorofthebombingoftheAlfredP.MurrahbuildinginOklahomaturnedouttobeafairlyaveragewhiteAmericanwithnolinkstoanyextremistgroup.1
Thistendencytodrawconclusionsbeforethefactsareestablishedisnotconfinedtoincidentswhich
mayormaynotbeexplainedbyter-rorism,however.Forexample,HillaryClintononcesaidthatwomenwhomakeaclaimofrape“shouldbebelievedatfirstuntiltheyaredis-believedbasedonevidence.”2Herattitudeisnotuncommon,norisitconfinedtorape.HavinglargelyimbibedtheMarxistideologythatsocietyismadeupofoppressorsandtheoppressed,weareincreas-inglydevelopinganinstinctwhichrushestobelievethe“victim.”
Thisistheveryoppositeofhowweshouldoperateinalaw-governedsociety,whichintheChristianWesthasbeenbasedontheBiblefor1,500years.Itisnotthepolice’soranyoneelse’sbusi-nessto“believe”theonemakingtheclaim,iftheyhappentobelongtowhatsocietyhasdeemedtobeanoppressedgroup.Neithershouldsuchaccusationsbedisbelieved.Instead,theyshouldbetakenseri-ouslyandtreatedwithsensitivity,butjudgmentshouldbepostponeduntiltheevidenceiscollected.
Thistypeofthinkingisverydan-gerous,suchaswhentheabuseofchildrenisinvolved.Icanthinkofanumberofcasesinwhichpeoplehavehadtheirreputationsutterlytrashedbywhatturnedouttobeunfoundedaccusationsofchildabuse,wherethepoliceandthemediaautomaticallybelievedtheclaimsbeingmadelongbeforeanyevidencehadbeenpresented.Suchreputationsarenoteasilyrestored.
Thesetypeofreactionstoevents,whereweassumeweknowwhodidsomething,orwhytheydidit,or
Worldview
ImagineagameofCluewhereinsteadofsittingdowntoplaybytherules—goingfromroom
toroom,eliminatingsuspects,placesandweapons—theplayersstartmakingaccusationsandcounter-accusationsbeforeamovehasbeenmade.
OneplayersaysitmusthavebeentheReverendGreen,becauseheisknownforhisreligiousextremism.Anotherreactstothechargebycall-ingthefirstplayerananti-religiousbigot.StillanothersaysthatitmusthavebeenMissScarlet,sinceshehasacertainsortoffemmefatalelookabouther.AnothercounterswithanaccusationofmisogynyandsaysitmusthavebeentheColonel,theReverend,ortheProfessor,sincetheyarerepresentativesofthepatri-archy.Andsoonandsoon.
AgameofCluelikethisisplainlyabsurd,butunfortunatelymuchofthebackandforthintheculturewarsissimilar.Wejumptoconclu-sionsbecauseofpersonalprejudiceandpoliticalcorrectness.
RecentlyI’venoticedthatasasocietyweoftenjumptoconclu-sionsabouttragiceventsaswell.Weoftenseeitwhenanatrocityoccurs,suchasatruckattackorabombing.Withinminutesthemediatendtodescribethemasterroristattacksbearing“allthehallmarksofISIS.”TheTwitterspheretheneruptsandcounter-erupts,withsomeblamingitonIslamization,andothersdecry-ingtheirIslamophobia.
ThesuspicionthatsuchincidentsareinspiredbyIslamand/orcon-nectedwithterrorismisofcourseaveryreasonableone,sincetherehavebeenenoughoccurrences
Drawing conclusions without good evidence is a dangerous gamebyRobSlane
Continued on page 15
We are losing a basic under-
standing of the rule of law, and
even a basic ability to reason.
4—May2017
Onedayinthe1990’sTwilaBrasewascalledintotheprincipal’sofficeover
healthcarefreedom.Aschoolnurseatthetime,Twila
wastryingtoalertteacherstothedangersofthe“HealthSecurityAct”proposedbytheClintonadministra-tion.
Notlongafter,shestartedalertingAmericansingeneraltothedangersofgovernmentintrusionintohealthcareastheco-founderandpresi-dentofCitizens’CouncilforHealthFreedom(cchfreedom.org)andthehostofthedailyradiofeature“HealthFreedomMinute.”
CCHFworksto“protecthealthcarechoices,individualizedpatientcare,andmedicalandgeneticpriva-cyrights.”Thecouncilworksonsuch
issuesaspatientprivacy,individual-izedpatientcare,theAffordableCareAct,Medicare,governmentnewbornscreening,andstate“BabyDNA”storage.
“Ourplanistotransitionevery-thinginhealthcarebacktofree-dom,”Twilasays.
WhenTwilawasaschoolnurseinMinneapolis-St.Paulintheearly1990s,shebecameawareoftheClintonadministration’sefforttoimposeauniversalhealthcareplan.Thatclashedwithherloveoffree-domandprivacy,andshebegantostudytheissue.
“Irealizedthatifthegovernmenttookcontrolofthehealthcaresys-tem,itwouldtakecontrolofpeo-ple’slivesandbethebeginningoftheendoffreedominthiscountry,”Twilasays.
Shedecidedtoeducatetheteachersatthethreeschoolssheworkedatwitha“packetaboutwhattheHealthSecurityActwoulddo.”
“Ihadcopiedallthesenewsarti-cles,”shesays.“Ifeellikethatwasafirststep,andit’sbeenforwardeversince.”
Intheprincipal’soffice,shewastoldthatshecouldn’tpassaround“thingslikethat.”
Sometimeafterthatmeeting,Twilastartedpassingaround“thingslikethat”inanevenbiggerway.TheMinneapolisStar-Tribunepublishedanop-edshewroteinMay1994,whichresultedinconnectionsthatledtotheformationofwhatwasthencalledtheCitizensforChoiceinHealthCare.ByMarch1995,shehadleftbehindherschoolnurse
Member Spotlight
jobtoworkfulltimefortheneworganization.
Shehasn’tbeencalledintotheprincipal’sofficesince.
Twila,aregisterednurse,seesCCHF’smissionasonethatprotectsnotonlyfreedom,buttheprofes-sionofhealing,whichcomesfromGodHimself.
“Jesuswasthegreatphysician,sothisisapreciousprofession,”shesays.“Thisisnotaprofessiontobeexploited.Whenthepatientisattheirmostvulnerable,weshouldbeprotectingthem.”
Twilaalsosaysintegrityinhealthcarehasbeencompromisedbygov-ernmentintrusion.
“Partofourmissionisindividual-izedpatientcare,becausewelookateverypatientasbeingunique,”shesays.“Butgovernmenthealthcaresayswecanstandardizethepracticeofmedicineandforgettheuniquenessofthepatient,allthewaydowntothepatient’sDNA.Standardizedmedicinedoesnot
WriteSamaritanMinistriesat:POBox3618,Peoria,IL61612
Twila BraseTwitter: @TwilaBrase
Facebook: @Twila.Brase
cchfreedom.org
Twila Brase: Citizens’ Council for Health FreedombyMichaelMiller
May2017—5 VisitSamaritanMinistriesInternationalonlineatwww.samaritanministries.org
recognizeunique,God-givencharac-teristics,personality,preferences,orgeneticsofpatients.Itmakeseverypersonawidget.”
Atthebeginningofhermis-sion,Twilawasconcernedthat,eventhoughtheClintons’healthcareplanfailedatthefederallevel,stateslikehernativeMinnesotabeganadoptingelementsofit,andotherparts,particularlyrelatedtopatientdata,foundtheirwayintofederallegislation.Forinstance,theHealthInsurancePortabilityandAccountabilityAct(HIPAA)wasenactedin1996tocreate“standardsfortheelectronicexchange,privacyandsecurityofhealthinformation.”
“ThelawrequiredtheClintonadministrationtosetprivacyrequire-mentsifCongressfailedtowriteaprivacylaw,sotheso-calledHIPAAprivacyrulewasissued.Betweenthelawandthispermissiverule,almosteverybodyhasaccesstoourdatawithoutourconsent,unlessastatelegislaturewritesastrongerprivacylaw,”Twilasays.
Thefederalgovernmentlists2.2millionentitieswithHIPAA-enabledaccesstomedicaldatawithoutpatientconsentifthoseholdingthedata,suchasthedoctororthehos-pital,agreetoshareit.Thisnumberdoesnotincludethefederal,state,andlocalgovernmentagenciesthatalsohaveaccess.Mostpatients,Twilasays,thinkthatsigningtheHIPAAprivacyformortheacknowl-edgementoftheNoticeofPrivacyPractices(NPP)meanstheirprivacyisprotected.However,theirsignatureonlyacknowledgesthatthepatientunderstandshowbroadlytheirinfor-mationcanbesharedwithouttheir
1. Research conducted on all Americans to develop standardized protocols.
2. Standardized treatment protocols imposed on non-standardized patients.
3. Research-based health care rationing according to your productivity, age, etc.
4. Penalties on doctors who refuse to follow one-size-fits-all treatment protocols.
5. “Team-based care” directed by computerized protocols, not your physician.
6. Charging doctors with fraud if they fail to follow standardized treatment protocols.
7. Eliminating medical innovation through standardized treatment protocols.
8. Using race/sexual orientation data to accuse doctors of civil rights violations.
9. Locating the uninsured and the unvaccinated for penalties and enforcement.
10. Genetic and medical profiling of individuals and families.
Source:“10HarmfulWaysGov’tWillUseYourData”<cchfreedom.org/cchf.php/990>
Continued on page 12
10Harmful ways government can intrude and use your data
6—May2017 CallSamaritanMinistriestoll-freeat877.764.2426
Chasamazingantibiotic,antiviral,antifungal,antitoxin,andantiagingbenefitswhenusedinhighdoses.
FirstDr.LevydiscussesVitaminCbeingusedtocureviralinfections,whichiswelldocumentedbacktothe1930s.Dr.FrederickKlennercuredpoliopatientswithin72hoursbyusingIVandoralVitaminC.*OtherresearchersshowedthatVitaminCkilledeveryherpesvirusthatcameintocontactwithVitaminC,includ-ingthestrainthatcausesshingles.*Dr.RobertCathcartreportedthatVitaminCreversedAIDS,allowingpatientstoliveouttheirlivesrela-tivelydevoidofsymptoms.*
VitaminChasalsobeenusedasanantidotetotoxins,treatingpotential-lyfatalpoisoningssuchaspesticideexposure,blackwidowbite,barbi-turateoverdose,highlandmoccasinsnakebite,andmushroompoisoning,includingtheamanitaphalloides,alsoknownas“deathcap.”*
ThelistofmaladiesthathavebeensuccessfullytreatedbyVitaminCislong:polio,viralhepatitis,measles,mumps,viralencephalitis,chickenpox,herpes,viralpneumonia,influenzas,rabies,AIDS,ebola,diph-theria,pertussis,tetanus,tuberculo-sis,streptococcalinfections,leprosy,typhoid,malaria,brucellosis,trichi-nosis,amebicdysentery,bacillarydysentery,RockyMountainspottedfever,andtrypanosomalinfections.1
ThenexttopicDr.LevyaddressesinPrimalPanaceaisheartdisease.HeexplainsthatadeficiencyofVitaminCdiminishesthequalityandquantityofcollageninthearte-rialwall,causingfurtherbreakdown
ofthearteryandfacilitatingthegrowthofplaque.HesaysVitaminCdeficiencyisassociatedwitheveryknownheartdiseaseriskfactor,andsupplementationwithVitaminClowerscholesterolandreducesbloodpressure.2
Thenextchapterdealswithcan-cer.AlthoughVitaminCtherapyforcancermightbeperceivedascontradictorytomainstreamapproacheslikechemotherapyorradiation,itisactuallyinharmonywithit.Forstarters,TheAmericanCancerSocietyacknowledgesthatpathogensandtoxinsaresignificantincausingcancer,and,asdiscussedabove,VitaminCisknowntobeaverypowerfulantimicrobialandantidote.
Themainproblemwithcancerismetastasis,themalfunctioningandmultiplyingofcells.Dr.Levypres-entsevidencethatVitaminCkeeps
OverwhelmingdocumentationprovesthatinhighenoughdosesVitaminCpreventsandcurescan-cer,heartdisease,infectiousanddegenerativediseases,andcanneu-tralizeandreversedamagefromvirtuallyalltoxins,venoms,andradiation.
Dr.ThomasLevyhasgrownaccustomedtobeingdismissedasamedical
crackpot,buthedoesn’tfitthestereotype.Heisacardiologistwithanimpressivecurriculumvitae.HehassupervisedanER,heldseveralteachingpositions,servedonhospi-talreviewboards,beenpublishedinavarietyofmedicaljournals,andisalsoanattorney.
PrimalPanaceasumsup25yearsofDr.Levy’sresearchonVitaminC.Heiswellawarethatcallingita“cure”isanaffronttomodernmedicine.Nonetheless,hepatiently,persistentlypresentsevidencethatVitaminCmeetsallthecriterianec-essarytoearnthatdesignation.
OneofthemainmisconceptionsDr.LevyseekstooverturnisthatstudiesshowVitaminCisuselessfortreatingmajormedicalproblems.ThisconclusionisreachedbylookingatafewstudieswhichonlyinvolvedtraceamountsofVitaminC.However,whenVitaminCisusedinoptimaldoses,whicharehundredsorthousandsoftimesmorethangovernmentissuedRecommendedDailyIntakes,itproducesveryimpressiveresults.InPrimalPanaceaDr.Levycitesmorethan1100scien-tificsourcestoshowthatVitamin
Book Review
Primal PanaceabyDr.ThomasLevyreviewedbyDavidLehnert
May2017—7 WriteSamaritanMinistriesat:POBox3618,Peoria,IL61612
thecellularglue,knownas“groundsubstance,”inbloodvesselsfirmandhealthy.VitaminCalsoformsastrongextracellularmatrixintissuesthroughoutthebody.Conversely,aVitaminCdeficiencyweakensthesesystems,allowingmalignantcellstobreakthroughlymphaticandbloodvesselwallsandmigratetootherareasofthebody.*
Asourunderstandingofbiochem-istrycontinuestodevelop,wehavealsogainedinsightintoaprocessbywhichVitaminCkillscancercells.Cancercellshavehighlevelsoffreeiron,whichinthepresenceofVitaminCproducesoxygenthatkillsthecancercell.ThisisknownastheFentonreaction.*Inonesense,VitaminCtherapyisjustanotherwaytotargetcancercells,anditcanbeusedasacomplimenttoothertherapies.
ItisnowonderthatstudieshavefoundpeoplewithhigherVitaminClevelsexperienced50percentlessdeathfromcancerthanthosewithlowerVitaminClevels.*Dr.Levyalsoreviewsclinicalcaseswhereindividualswithadvancedkidney,lymphatic,andcoloncancersunder-wentIVVitaminCtherapyandcom-pletelyrecovered,andincludesref-erencestomanyadditionalsuccessstories.*Dr.Levysaysthatwhenallthisevidenceisconsideredtogether,itsuggeststhatVitaminChasthepotentialtoeradicatecancer.
NextDr.LevyreviewshowVitaminCisbeingusedtotreatthedegenerativediseasesthatafflictmanyofusasweage.Theprimaryforceofdiseaseslikeosteoporosis,
arthritis,andAlzheimer’sisoxidation,andVitaminCisapowerfulantioxi-dantabletodonatetwoelectronspermolecule.ProperbloodlevelsofVitaminCareessentialtoboneandjointhealth,andstudieshaveshownthatAlzheimer’spatientsgivenanti-oxidantsdemonstratesignificantlyimprovedcognitivescores.*
InconcludingchaptersDr.LevydiscussessomecommontacticsthatthemedicalcommunityusestoperpetuatemisinformationaboutVitaminC.Hesaystherearestrongincentivesfordoctorstouseexpen-sivedrugtherapiesandignorethepromiseofVitaminC.
Dr.Levyalsooffersrecommenda-tionsforhowmuchVitaminCtotake.Hesaysadultsshouldstartwithaminimumof6000mgperday.Herecommendspowderoverapillforincreasedabsorption,butalsoaddsthatliposomalVitaminCisthebestformbecauseofitsuniquedeliverysystemthatbypassesnormalmeta-bolicprocessesandachievesveryhighlevelsofabsorption.*
Dr.Levyidentifiessixorganiza-tionsthatcanhelppeoplefinddoctorsthatmightbeopentotreatmentsthatinvolvedVitaminC:TheRiordanClinic,AmericanCollegeforAdvancementinMedicine,TheJournalofOrthomolecularMedicine,AmericanAcademyofAnti-AgingMedicine,InternationalCollegeofIntegrativeMedicine,andAcademyofIntegrativeMedicine.
Finally,theword“primal”inthetitleofthisbookrelatestosomefascinatingspeculationaboutgenet-ics.Thereisevidencethatsometime
inthepast,ourbodieswereabletomaketheirownVitaminC.ThecompleteinstructionsforakeyenzymerelatedtoVitaminCpro-ductionareineveryone’sDNA,buttheabilityoflivercellstofollowtheinstructionsismissing.Mostanimals,ontheotherhand,producetheirownVitaminC,andtheydon’tusu-allydieofheartdisease,cancer,andchronicdegenerativediseases.
Inanevolutionaryworldview,itisassumedthat“primal”manwasmuchstrongerandhealthierthanmodernman.Perhapsanevolution-arymisstepresultedinamutation,andperhapssciencecouldsomedayfixitbygeneticengineering.Ofcourse,ChristianswhoholdtothehistoricityofGenesiscouldjustaseasilysaythatthegeneticproblemisrelatedtothecurseoftheFall,anditshouldbefixedaspartofourcallingtofilltheearthandsubdueit.
Moreimportantthanthisspecula-tionthough,Dr.Levypresentscom-pellingevidenceVitaminCshouldbetakenbyallatoptimallevels.
Primal Panacea is available from peaken-ergy.com, where you can also contact Dr. Levy by using the contact button. Many of Dr. Levy’s lectures can be watched online by searching for his name on YouTube.
* Sources are available in the online version of this article at bit.ly/primalpanacea
1. Our review of Dr. Levy’s book on this topic, Curing the Incurable: Vitamin C, Infectious Diseases, and Toxins is available at bit.ly/cureincurable
2. Our review of Dr. Levy’s book on this topic, Stop America’s #1 Killer: Reversible Vitamin Deficiency Found to Be Origin of All Coronary Heart Disease, is available at bit.ly/stop1killer.
This article is for educational purposes and is not meant as medical advice.
8—May2017 VisitSamaritanMinistriesInternationalonlineatwww.samaritanministries.org
Should you trust your doctor?byJedStuber
Health Care
A recentMayoClinicstudyonthe“extentofdiag-nosticagreementamong
medicalreferrals”madenationalheadlines:
•“Studyfindsmorethan20percentofpatientsaremisdiag-nosed.”
•“1of5patientswithseriousmedicalconditionsaremisdiag-nosed.”
•“Getasecondopinion—doc-torsusuallyaren’trightthefirsttime.”
•“Firstmedicaldiagnosisoftenincompleteorplainwrong,studyfinds.”
Dr.MichaelJoyce,whousedtoworkforMayoClinic,debunkedthoseheadlines:
•MuchoftheMayoClinicwork-loadisdealingwithdifficultcasesreferredthere.Youcan’tuseittodrawconclusionsacrosstheboard.
•Mediareportsleftoutthefind-ingthattheMayoClinicwasabletomakeabetterdefineddiagnosistwothirdsofthetime.
•Thesamplewasverysmallandtherewasnofollow-upovertime.
TheMayoClinichastriedtostudythisissuebefore,andit’snoteasy.
Oneattemptwasmadetoreviewmedicalliterature,buttherewasgreatdifficultydeterminingwhichkeywordsshouldbesearchedtotrytofindcasesofchangeddiagnoses.Thestudy“concluded”thatsome-wherefrom“10to62percentofsec-ondopinionsyieldamajorchangeindiagnosis.”
Anattemptwasmadetosepa-
rateoutpatientswithapoorlydefineddiagnosis.Ninetypercentofthemdon’tgetabetterdiag-nosisfromasecondopinion.Hardcasesarehardcases.
AcoupleofProverbs,whicharen’taboutmedicineorscience,doseemapplicable.
•“Theonewhostateshiscasefirstseemsright,untiltheothercomesandexamineshim.”Proverbs18:17
•“Withoutcounselplansfail,butwithmanyadviserstheysuc-ceed.”Proverbs15:22
Medical errorsTheissueofmedicalerrorsisofgreaterconcernthandisagreementsoveranexactdiagnosis.
LastyearaBritishMedicalJournalarticlemadeheadlinesforreport-ingthatmedicalerrorsarenowthethirdleadingcauseofdeath,aftercancerandheartdisease.Morethan250,000Americansdieeveryyearfrom“iatrogenic”causes,meaningtheirdeathiscausedbyaphysi-cian’sorhospital’sactivity,manner,ortherapy.
Thedoctorswhopublishedthearticlesaytheevidenceprovesthehealthcaresystemislettingpatientsdown.Theyalsoaddaquali-fierthatthedatabeingcollectedleavessomethingstobedesired.Reportinghastolineupwithinsur-ancecodes,which“aredesignedtomaximizebillingratherthancapturemedicalerrors.”
Dr.JosephMercola,ownerofoneoftheworld’smostvisitedhealthwebsites,wonderswhyittooksolongtogetthemedia’satten-
tion.TheJournaloftheAmericanMedicalAssociationfirstreportedsimilarfindingsin2000.A2013articleintheJournalofPatientSafetycameupwithanevenhighernum-berof440,000deathsperyear.
Thetwobiggestfactorsarepre-scriptionmedicationsandhospitalinfections.
Adverse drug reactionsDr.Mercolasumsuptheproblemsrelatedtoprescriptions:
•Onestudyshowedthat,from1976to2006,almostaquarter-milliondeathswerecodedashavingoccurredinahospitalsettingduetomedicationerrors.
•Anestimated450,000prevent-ablemedication-relatedadverseeventsoccureveryyear.
•Thecoststosocietyofadversedrugreactionsaremorethan$136billionannually—greaterthanthetotalcostofcardiovas-cularordiabeticcare.
•Adversedrugreactionscauseinjuriesordeathinoneoffivehospitalpatients.
•ThereasontherearesomanyadversedrugeventsintheU.S.isthatsomanydrugsareusedandprescribed—andmanypatientsreceivemultiplepre-scriptionsatvaryingstrengths,someofwhichmaycounteracteachotherorcausemoreseverereactionswhencombined.
Hospital infectionsBetsyMcCaugheyispassionateaboutraisingawarenessofthehos-pitalinfectionproblem.She’stheformerlieutenantgovernorofNewYork,andfounderoftheCommittee
May2017—9 CallSamaritanMinistriestoll-freeat877.764.2426
toReduceInfectionDeaths.McCaugheysaysnasty,life-
threateninginfectionslikeC.Diffarerampantbecausehospitalsrefusetoacknowledgethattheircleaningstandardsareinadequate.
C.Diffcansurviveformonthsonalmostanything:uniforms,wheel-chairs,bedsheets,callbuttons,younameit.
TheMayoClinicreducedC.Diffby79percentinapilotprojectbydoingonething:wipingthefre-quentlytouchedsurfacesaroundpatients’bedsonceadaywithableachwipe.
McCaugheysaysitisanoutragethathospitalswon’tadoptthispractice.Doctors,nurses,andotherhospitalpersonnelwilloftensaytheproblemiscausedbyantibiotics,whichcanplayarolebyweaken-inggutbacteriaandmakingpeoplemoresusceptibletoinfection.
ButTheMayoClinicstudyiscon-clusiveinMcCaughey’sestimation.Shedoesnotmincewords,andinsiststhatthemedicalcommunityislyingtopatients.
Heradviceis,“Ifyou’regoingtothehospitaltovisitsomeoneyoulove,don’tbotherwithflowersorcandy.Instead,bringacanisterofbleachwipesandapairofgloves.Youcouldbesavingalife.”
The third-party payment problemAbigproblemfacingpatientswhowanttoevaluatethequalityofhealthcareisthatthird-partypay-mentcandriveawedgebetweenthecustomerandtheprovider.
Somedoctorsavoidthird-partyinterferencebyonlyacceptingcash
paymentdirectlyfromtheirpatients,amodelcalledDirectPrimaryCare.
DPCdoctorBruceJungsays:
Mypatientshavecometounder-standthatIworkdirectlyforthemandnotforahealthinsurancecompany,thefederalgovern-ment,ortheiremployer.InthepastIwasmainlypaidbytheseotherthird-partypayersandsoinessencewasworkingforthemandnotthepatient.Inatypicalfee-for-serviceoffice,apatientisnotmuchmorethanatoolfromwhichtoobtainthebestICD-9diagnosiscodepossibletojustifythehighestreimbursableCPTpro-ceduralcodepossibletobringinthemostrevenuepossiblewitheachencounter.InourmodelIampaiddirectlybythepatient,andsoIammotivatedethically,finan-cially,andmedicallytodowhatisintheirbestinterestalone.
The transparency problemUnfortunately,priceandqual-ityindicatorsthatareavailableinotherindustriesareobscuredinhealthcare.
HealthcareBluebook,aservicenowavailabletoSamaritanmem-bersthroughtheirDashaccount,isdesignedtotakeonthischallenge.
Dr.JeffRicefoundedHealthcareBluebookafterhehadaneyeopeningexperiencetryingtofindoutthecostofafootsurgeryforhisson.Atonefacilityitwouldcost$15,000,atanother$1,500.Incredibly,itcouldbedonebythesamesurgeonateitherfacility!
HealthcareBluebookallowspatientstosearchforspecifictreat-
mentsintheirarea,andthenviewqualityandcostcomparisonsoftheprovidersintheirarea.Itiscommonforthecoststovaryby400percentinthesamecity.
That’snotall.AccordingtoHealthcareBlue-
book’sdata,theproviderswiththehighestqualityratingsareusuallyverycompetitiveonprice.Itisnottruethatyouhavetopaythemosttogetthebest.
ConclusionDespitethesechallengesandmanyothers,wehavetorelyondoc-torstosomedegree.Doctorsbringexpertisetothetable.
Ontheotherhand,weshouldn’tbenaive.Wewouldn’twanttohireacontractortoremodelourkitchenwithoutatleastinvestigatingafewthings.What’shisreputation?Haveothershadgoodorbadexperiences?Doesheusequalitymaterials?Arehispricescompetitive?Wouldadiffer-entcontractordoitadifferentway?
HealthcareBluebookoffersanextensiveguideforunderstandingyourtreatmentoptionsandtalkingtoyourdoctor,includingalistofquestionsyoumaywanttoask.Visitbit.ly/hcbbguidetocheckitout.
Sources are available in the online version of this article: bit.ly/drtrust
10—May2017 WriteSamaritanMinistriesat:POBox3618,Peoria,IL61612
allbutterfliesandsunsets.Childrenareblessingswhentheykeeptheiroutfitsclean,obeycheerfully,andsaycutethings.Butblessingisn’tasimple,paint-by-numberskit.Withoutchallenges,lifewouldleaveallofus(ourkidsincluded)abunchofstunted,simplisticfools.SoGodinHisgreatlovesendsusproblems,trials,afflictions,andapackofwildmonkeysaffectionatelyknownasourchildren.
When God said children were a blessing, He
knew they were conceived in
iniquity. He knew they would
write on your walls with a permanent
marker.So,howisyourheart?Doyou
resentthefactthatthisisthefourthtriptothewoodshedthismorning?(Andyouwereplanningtogetyourdishesdone!)Wereyouhopingforaquieteveningafteralongdayofwork,butthekidswon’tbenicetoeachother?HowwillyoureceiveGod’sinterruptionofyourplans?
Godissovereign,andHehasgivenyouchildrenthatfussandquarrel.
Ifyourheartisalreadybentoutofshape,andthenextkidthatwalksbyisgoingtobeasinnerinthehandsofanangrygod,thenyou’rewellonyourwaytoforfeitingtheblessingGodistryingtogiveyou.
His scheme to blessThefirsttaskinreceivingthebless-ingofdisciplininglittleonesissee-ingwhatGodisupto.He’sschemingtoblessyou.He’sconspiringtoblessyoursocksoff.
Doyouseeit?WhenGodsaidchildrenwereablessing,Heknewtheywereconceivedininiquity(Psalm51:5).Heknewtheywouldwriteonyourwallswithaperma-nentmarker.
Whenthatolddragonofsinrearsupintheheartsofyourchildren,doyouthinksomethinghasgoneter-riblywrong?Remember,Godsendshisfavoritesonsintobattlewiththedragon.Hewantsyoutofightandgetthevictory.Hewantsyoutogettheblessing,renewedfellowship,thegraceofforgiveness.
Much too bigFinally,fordisciplineofchildrentobeablessing,theactitselfmustbefullofJesusandHisgospelofgrace.Jesusisthecenter,thefountainheadofeveryspiritualblessing.Andwhenthelittleguyshoveshismomanddeclareshisindependencefromtheempire,somethinginsideyoushouldsmilebecausenotonlyishishigh-handedrebellionterriblycutebutnowyougettopreachthegospeltohim.Ifyoulaughitoff,ifyourefusetointervene,ifyourefusetodiscipline,youarerefusinganevan-gelisticopportunity.Youarerefusing
Worldview
Recently,myson(age2)lookedupathisbigsis-ter(age5)sittingonthe
bathroomcounternexttothesink,raisedhislittlearmsandsaidcon-fidently,“Jumpmyarms!Mycatchwu!”[Letthereaderbeawarethatmysonsays“wu”insteadof“you.”]Whenmydaughterlaughedandtoldherlittlebrotherthatshewastoobig,heinsistedconfidently,“Wunottoobig.Mycancatchwu!”
WhenGodsaidthatchildrenwereablessing,hewasn’tkidding(Psalm127:3).I’vegotblessingsdoingcart-wheelsinmylivingroomandbless-ingssmearedonmykitchennookwindows.Thesignsofthisshockingblessednessareallovertheplace.MywifeandIspendoureveningsmoppinguptheremnantsofthisblessing,regrouping,catchingourbreath,gettingreadyforanotherdayofdrinkingthisblessingfromthefirehoseoffiveinsanelycute,creative,and(let’sadmitit)slightlycrazypeopleundertheageoften.
Part of the blessingButnotonlyarewejugglingdia-persandnapsandstudiesandbathtimesandstomachbugs,itturnsoutthattheselittlepeoplearesin-nersinneedofgrace.SoinahealthyChristianhome,wespendagoodishbitoftimecorrecting,disciplining,training,andspanking.Thepathtotheproverbialwoodshediswellworn,shallwesay.Thethingthatisoftenhardtorememberwhenthetwo-year-oldisgoingred-facedandscreaming,wheneverybody’sgettingtheirfeelingshurtandfussing,isthatthisispartoftheblessingtoo.
It’seasytothinkthatblessingis
When God said children are a blessing, He wasn’t kiddingbyTobySumpter
May2017—11 VisitSamaritanMinistriesInternationalonlineatwww.samaritanministries.org
achancetoproclaimthegraceofJesustoyourfamily.
Aspankingisnotprimarilypunish-ment.It’sdiscipline.Wearediscour-agingonewayoflifeandaimingforanaudiencewithourchildren.Ithurtsinthissmall,temporarywaybecausewedonotwantthemtogodownthepathofpainthatgoesonandon.Thisiswhyitislove.Comewithus,wesay,comewithusandfollowJesus.Hestoodinourplaceandtookthedeaththatwedeserve.Hisbloodmakesusallclean.Hedestroyedthegreatdragonsowecouldbefree.Let’sbeforgiven.Let’swalkinthelight.It’snotreallyaboutthetantrum.It’scertainlynotaboutyourpeaceandquiet.It’saboutacross,anemptytomb,andover-whelminggrace.
Inthisway,weseethatthebless-ingofGodisactuallymuchtoobigforustohandle,muchtoobigforustocatch.Butitisstillablessingfromtoptobottom,ablessinginthetears,ablessinginthelaughter.
Wegetmarried,weprayforchil-dren,forafamily,andGodissittinguponthecounterandwe’veaskedHimtojumpintoourarms.Wecanhandlethis,wethink.Wewantthisblessing.AndGodsmilesandlaughsandjumps.
Copyright Toby Sumpter. Reprinted by per-mission from DesiringGod.org.
Samaritan Member Toby Sumpter serves as a minister at Trinity Reformed Church in Moscow, Idaho, and is the author of the commentary Job Through New Eyes: A Son for Glory. He is married to Jenny and they have four children.
You can find more of his writing at DesiringGod.org or on his blog at TobyJSumpter.com
This is What Happened to Me
Billing was a mess, but I eventually got a 90 percent discount
byPhilRemmers
InOctober2016,IhadthroatsurgeryatahospitalinNorthCarolinatohelpaddressmy
obstructivesleepapnea.Ireceivedoutstandingcarefromthedoctorsandstaff,butthehospital’sbillingdepartmentwasamess.
Beforetheprocedure,Iwastoldthatthecostwouldbeabout$13,000forcash-paypatients(“unin-suredpatientdiscount”astheycalledit).However,onthedayofthesurgery,beforetheprocedure,Isatdownwiththefinancialcoun-selorandshetoldmethatthecostwouldbe$42,000.(Inshock,IthoughttheymightneedtoredirectmetotheERwithaheartattack!)
ThenaboutthreeweeksaftersurgeryIreceivedapaperbillinthemailsayingthatIowed$32,000.Icalledthebillingdepartment,remindingthemthatIwasacash-paypatientandhadbeentoldpriortotheprocedurethatitwouldcost$13,000.Shortlyafterwardstheysentmeanewbillforthislowerfigure.
Thenaboutthreeweekslaterthehospitalcalledagainandencour-agedmetofilloutanapplicationforfinancialassistance,whichIdid.Afewweekslater,theyinformedmethatmyapplicationwasapprovedandthatIwouldreceivea90percentdiscountonmyremainingbalance!
Afterallthedustsettled,thefinalbillcametoabout$4,500.SinceIhadobstructivesleepapnealongbeforebecomingaSamaritanmember,myneedwasnotpublish-ableasaregularneed.Iplanned
onsubmittingitasaSpecialPrayerNeedrequestfortheremainingbal-ance,butanumberofchurchesandindividualswhofinanciallysupportme(Iserveasamissionary)gaveadditionalfundingfortheremainingexpenses.
So,intheend,mymedicalexpenseswerezero!
Phil Remmers is a Samaritan Ministries member who serves as a missionary in Asia. He serves with the Robert Morrison Project, which seeks to publish reformed Christian books in the global south. To learn more please visit www.robertmorrisonproject.org
12—May2017
Twila BraseContinued from page 5
CallSamaritanMinistriestoll-freeat877.764.2426
Twila Brase,whoscrutinizeshealthcarepolicyforaliving,wasbeingpricedoutofthehealthinsurancemarket,soshedecidedtoinvestigatehealthcaresharing.
Theresultwasareportandcomparisonchartforherorganization,Citizens’CouncilforHealthFreedom,andamembershipforherselfinSamaritanMinistries.
“IlikedSamaritanbestbecauseit’ssocloselyalignedwithmyChristianbeliefsandphilosophy:thedirectpartnershipwithpeopleinneed,theprayers,theletters,”shesays.“Itjustseemedlikemoreofaministryandlessofabusiness.
“I’mpleasedforallhealthcaresharingorganizations,butformyownperspective,IlikedthepersonaltouchSamaritanhas.ItseemstofitmorewiththeGreatPhysicianandtheethicsofmedicine.”
Twilaalsocontinuestopushhealthcaresharingonherradiospot,“HealthFreedomMinute,”whichairseveryweekday.
“Iwanthealthcaresharingtobeasbigashomeschoolingsothegov-ernmentcannevertakeitaway,”shesays.“Thatisoneofmygoals.SoItalkabouthealthcaresharingontheradio,ItalkaboutitwhenI’mbeinginterviewed,Italkaboutitin‘HealthFreedomMinutes,’andItalkaboutitwhenIgivepresentations,becauseithastobecomethatbig.
“Wecan’teverletthemtakeitaway,becausebeingabletopaycashformedicalcare,atanaffordableprice,isessentialforhealthfreedom.”
Why SMI?
consent.BraseencouragespeopletoreadtheformsandtheNPPbeforetheysign.
“HIPAAisoneofthelargestdeceptionsfoistedontheAmericanpeople,andit’sadangertopatientsandmedicalethics,”Twilasays.“Weoftensay‘Hewhoholdsthedatamakestherules.’Oneofourkeytargetsistobringbackrealprivacy,whichmeanstobringbackconsent,sowehaveseveralprojectsinthistheme.”
Theorganizationisworkingtoprohibitcoerciveconsentforms,includingHIPAA.CCHFencouragespatientstodeclinetosignHIPAAformsoracknowledgmentsthattheyhavereceivedaHIPAAnotice,whichisperfectlylegaltodo,andtosendCCHFcopiesoftheseforms.
Coerciveconsentformsoftencomeasa“bundledconsent”instateswherestatelawactuallyrequiresconsent.Theseformshaveonlyonesignaturerequiredtoagreetotreatment,payment,theNPP,anddata-sharingsuchasforresearchor“healthcareoperations,”aHIPAAtermwitha390-worddefinition.
“Patientswanttosignfortreat-mentandpayment,buttheydon’twanttoagreetotherestandtheydon’tknowiftheycancrossoutwhattheydon’tlike,”Twilasays.“Youfeelthatinordertogettreat-ed,there’snothingtodoexceptsign,becauseifyoudon’tsign,sometimesthey’lltellyoutheycan’ttreatyou,whichisjustwrong.”
Thefederalgovernmentacknowl-edgesonlinethatpatientscanrefuse
tosigntheHIPAAform,Twilasays,andshewantspatientstoknowit.ShealsoencouragespatientstocrossoutobjectionablepartsofconsentformsandtocontactCCHFifcareisbeingdenied.
OtherCCHFprojectsinclude:•TheWedgeofHealthFreedom
(“TheWedge”),theefforttorestoreaffordabilityandconfi-dentialitythroughdirectpay-mentthatTwilawroteaboutintheOctober2016issueofSamaritan’sChristianHealthCareNewsletter.TheWedgeprovidesDPCandotherthird-partyfreedoctorsawaytoletpotentialpatientsknowwheretheyare,andpatientsawaytofindthem.(jointhewedge.com)
•RefusetoEnroll.org—CCHFmakesAmericansawareofthreelegalalternativestoACAenrollment.
•AffordableCareActRepeal—CCHFispushingforthefullrepealoftheACAandareturntoindividualandstatecontroloverhealthcare.
•MedicareFreedom—Twilaispushingforthecreationofanescapehatch,sinceMedicarePartA(hospitalization)isnowlinkedtoSocialSecurity.AClintonadministrationrulesaysyouloseaccesstoSocialSecuritybenefitsifyoufailtoenrollinMedicarePartAandaBushadministrationrulerequiresrepaymentofallbenefitsfromMedicareandSocialSecurityifyoudisenroll.Gettingridoftheruleandallowingseniorciti-zenstooptoutwouldnotonlyprotectseniorsfromrationing,butdecreasethe$48trillionunfundedliability,whichCato
May2017—13 WriteSamaritanMinistriesat:POBox3618,Peoria,IL61612
Institutesayscouldswellto$88trillionwithdouble-digithealthcareinflation.
•BabyDNA—Allstatesofferandmanystatesmandatenew-bornscreening,inwhichthenewborn’sheelisprickedandthebloodspecimensenttothestatehealthdepartmentfornewborn(genetic)screen-ing,withoutwrittenparentconsent.Religiousexemptionsareallowedin33states,and13otherstatesofferexemptionsforanyreason,butmostparentsdon’tknow.Somestatesstorethechild’sbloodsample(DNA)indefinitely,othersforacouplemonths.NewbornDNAhasbeengivenaway,sold,andusedforbarterandgeneticresearch.CCHF’seffortstoendtheware-housingofnewbornDNAhaveledtoparentlawsuitsinthreestates.CollectionsofnewbornDNAinTexasandMinnesotahavebeendestroyed.More
information,includingopt-outparentformsforseveralstates,isatcchfreedom.org.
•HealthFreedomMinute—Aradiospotwhichairsweekdayson782stationsin47states.Episodestypicallyincludea“nuggetofnews”andanocca-sionalcalltoaction.Twilasaysshefrequentlyletsherlistenersknowabouthealthcareshar-ing.“Iamprobablyoneofyourstrongestpromoters,”shesays.
Whenshe’snotworkingonhealthcarefreedom,Twilais“engagedinmaintainingfamilyandfriendrela-tionships.”Shedoesn’tgettotakepartinasmanyoutdooractivitiesasshedidbeforeCCHF,likecanoe-ing,skydiving,orwhitewaterrafting,althoughsailing,hiking,andcampingarestillfrequentlyonherschedule.
Shedoestravelalot,butnowit’smostlyonCCHFbusiness.
“Themorebusythisofficehasgotten,thelesstimeIhave,”shesays.“Wehaveagrowthstrategy
Shediscoveredpositiveaspectsofpayingcashforcare,shesays.
“Itprotectedmyprivacyfromthemedicalinformationbureau,anditgavemeexperienceatnegotiation.”
Forexample,sheneededtohaveamoleremovedandaskedtheder-matologisthowmuchitwouldcost,sinceshewaspayingcash.Afterchecking,hesaiditwouldbe$150,thenofferedtocharge$120.
“Ithought,‘Whatever,’”Twilasays.Aftertheprocedure,Twilaasked
himhowmuchaninsurancecompa-nywouldpayhimfortheprocedure.
Again,hedidn’tknow.“Isay,‘HowaboutifIgiveyou
$90?’Hegoes,‘OK,’”Twilarecalls.“AfterthatIthought,‘Shoot,Ishouldhaveaskedfor$75.’”
Anothertime,shewasgoingtogetanMRIscanofabrokentoe,butthought$1,190wastoomuchtopay.
ShewentonlineandfoundaSmartChoiceMRI,withnoMRIcostingmorethan$600,wasopen-inginafewdaysnearher.
“Isaid,‘OK,I’mwaiting.’“Whenyougetintoacashmind-
set,youcannegotiate.”
AfterTwilaBraseleftherjobasaschoolnursetostartConcernedCitizens
forHealthFreedom,sheboughtherownhealthinsurance,butprices“skyrocketedovertime.”
Evenwhileshehadinsurance,shepurposelyneverfiledaclaim,becauseshewasconcernedaboutlosingprivacy.Shesawinsuranceonlyasabackupforacatastrophicneed.
“Iwouldpay$2,000,$3,000ayearifIneededmedicalcare,”shesays.“Itdidn’tmakesensetobepayingasmuchasIwaspaying(forinsurance).”
Twila on getting into a cash-pay/negotiating mindset
herebecausewehavebecometoobusy.So,we’reworkingonaddingmorestaff.”
Inthemeantime,TwilaandCCHFneedhelpfrompatients.Peoplecan:
•SendHIPAAandotherconsentformsperceivedasbeingcoer-civetotheCCHFoffice.
•FileaformalfederalHIPAAcom-plaintifdeniedservicefornotsigningaconsentform.
•ShareinformationwithothersaboutoptionslikeTheWedgeandhealthcaresharing.
•Encouragestatelegislatorstopasstrueprivacylawswithpatientconsentrequirements.
•EncourageCongresstovoteforafullrepealoftheACA.
•Checkoutcchfreedom.orgforprivacynewbornscreeningoptionsbeforehavingachild.
•IfyouwanttopursuelitigationtostopstatestorageofBabyDNA,contactCCHF.
14—May2017
Prayer for the Persecuted Church
groupsindifferenthousesduetoharassment.PleasepraythatJin,hiswife,andthechurchmemberswillremainstrongintheirfaithandfindwaystoworshiptogether.
Imprisoned pastor suffersAnimprisonedpastorinChinaisreportedtobeindesperateneedofmedicalcare.PastorYangHuawasvisitedbyalawyerinMarch,whosaidYangwasinseverepainwithanulceratedleg.Thepastorwasarrest-edin2015onchargesof“deliberatelydivulgingstatesecrets”bypassingoutflyersaboutlocalgovernmentactionagainstachurch.PrayforcompletehealingforPastorYangHuaandthathewillbereleasedsoon.
Vietnamese pastors beatenTwoVietnamesepastorssaytheywerekidnapped,robbed,andbeat-enbysecurityofficers,accordingtoInternationalChristianConcernandChristianToday.TheRevs.NguyenTrungTonandNguyenVietTusaidtheyweretravelingtomeetactivistswhentheyencounteredagroupofmenwhoforcedthemintoavan,beatthem,andleftthem.Prayforthepastors’physical,emotional,andspiritualhealing.PrayalsothatthosewhobeatthemwillrepentandcometobelieveinChrist.PraiseGodthepastorswerefoundbyvillagers.
Indian church still closedAchurchintheIndianstateofChhattisgarhremainsshutteredafteraHindumobforceditsclosureinJanuary,WorldWatchMonitorreports.ThechurchinDalliRajharawassurroundedbythemobduringworshipandvandalized,thepas-
Hebrews13:3tellsusto“Rememberthosewhoareinprison,asthoughinprisonwiththem,andthosewhoaremistreated,sinceyoualsoareinthebody.”Ourbrothersandsis-tersinChristaroundtheworldarebeingpersecutedforthesakeoftheGospel.Weneedtoremembertheminprayer.Eachmonth,theChristianHealthCareNewsletterwillprovideupdatesgleanedfromsuchsourcesasWorldWatchMonitorandTheVoiceoftheMartyrsandofferprayerpoints.Pleaseusetheminyourpersonalorgroupprayertime.
80 believers arrestedChineseauthoritiesarrestedmorethan80ChristiansanddetainedsixothersforattendinghousechurchesinthedayssurroundingtheLunarNewYearinearlyFebruary,ChinaAidreports.The80werearrestedforrefusingtojointhestate-runchurchandthesixwerefinedfor“gather-ingandprayingunderthenameofChristianity.”Prayforthereleaseofthosearrestedordetained,andforastrongfaithinthefaceofpressure.
Pastor remains under arrestPastorJinTianmingofShouwangChurchinChinaremainsunderhousearrest,VoiceoftheMartyrsreports.Thechurchbuildingwasclosedin2009andJinhasbeenunderarrestsince2011forrefusingtojointhegovernment’sThree-SelfChurch.Heisgivenonlytwohoursofpersonaltimeeachday,andhiswifeispro-hibitedfromleavingthehomeonSundays.AfterShouwangChurchwasclosed,membersstartedmeet-ingoutside,butnowmeetinsmall
torsays.Localauthoritiesconsiderthecase“settled,”eventhoughthechurchremainsclosed.Praythatauthoritieswillact,thatthechurchwillbeabletoreopen,andthatmembersofthechurchareprovidedforspirituallyduringthistime.
Pastor starts businessPastor“Rahim,”wholivesinanorthAfricancountry,isunabletofindworkandprovideforhisfamilyafterbeingarrestedseveraltimes,VOMsays.HisreputationasaChristianhascausedpotentialemployerstoturnhimdownforjobs.Heisnowstartinghisownbusinessandleadsahousechurchofabout10believers.PrayforthesuccessofPastorRahim’sbusi-ness,andforthechurchmembers,whoalsofacepersecution.
Syrian pastor won’t leaveASyrianpastorrefusestoleavethatwarzonebecauseitwouldmeanabandoningthechurchesandChristiansthere,ICCreports.PastorEdwardAwabdehsaysthatthechallengesofinjury,death,andChristiangenocidehelpsbelieverstokeeptheirfocusonChrist.Healsosaidthatnewbelieversneedguid-ance.PrayforthesafetyofPastorAwabdehandhisflockastheyfacethenightmarishconditionsinSyria.Prayalsoforthenewbelievers’faithandforaspiritualawakeninginSyria.
For more information on the persecuted church, contact The Voice of the Martyrs (www.persecution.com, 877-337-0302), International Christian Concern (www.per-secution.org, 800-422-5441) or World Watch Monitor (worldwatchmonitor.org).
VisitSamaritanMinistriesInternationalonlineatwww.samaritanministries.org
May2017—15 CallSamaritanMinistriestoll-freeat877.764.2426
wherewebelievetheaccuserbeforetheevidenceisin,aresymptomaticofhowwearelosingabasicunder-standingoftheruleoflaw,andevenabasicabilitytoreason.Ifwecan-notgraspsuchsimpletruthsastheneedforevidencebeforebelievingaccusations,andtheneedforproofbeforetakingaction,thenwearetrulyatadangerouspoint.
WhatdoestheBibleteachusaboutthis?First,itteachesushowGodjudges.Itisnotaccordingtopartialityorprejudice,butratheraccordingtothetruth:“Hewilljudgetheworldwithrighteousness,andthepeopleswithequity”(Psalm98:9).Itisnothastyorimpulsive,butrathercarefulanddeliberate:“TheLordisslowtoangerandgreatinpower,andtheLordwillbynomeanscleartheguilty”(Nahum1:3).Itisnotaccordingtoanemotionalresponsetohearingorseeinganincident,butratheraccordingtoeternalprinciplesofjusticeandright:“HeshallnotjudgebywhatHiseyessee,ordecidedisputesbywhatHisearshear,butwithrigh-teousnessHeshalljudgethepoor,anddecidewithequityforthemeekoftheearth”(Isaiah11:3-4).
Second,itteachesusthatwearetojudgeinasimilarway.Ourjudge-mentsaretobeaccordingtotruthandfacts,ratherthanpartialityorprejudice:“Youshalldonoinjusticeincourt.Youshallnotbepartialtothepoorordefertothegreat,butinrighteousnessshallyoujudgeyourneighbor”(Leviticus19:15).Wearetobecarefulanddeliberate,nothastyandrash:“Theonewhostateshiscasefirstseemsright,untiltheothercomesandexamineshim”(Proverbs18:17).
Wearenottoletoursensesand
emotionscloudourjudgements,butratherwearetoestablishthefactsandprinciplesofacase:“Whatyoureyeshaveseendonothastilybringintocourt,forwhatwillyoudointheend,whenyourneighborputsyoutoshame?”(Proverbs25:8).
Ifallthisseemsobvious,fine.However,myobservationisthatthisisbecomingfarfromobvioustomanypeople,andweareseeingjudgementsandconclusionsmademoreandmoreonthebasisofemotions,partiality,andprejudice,ratherthanfacts,reason,andtruth.
Thiscanandwillleadtoawholehostofproblems.Itcanandhasledtomiscarriagesofjustice.Itcanleadtousmissingtherealcausesofsomeeventsandatrocitiesbecauseweblindourselvestootherpossibili-ties.Butperhapsmostalarmingly,itleadstoasortofconformist,mobmentalitywherethemediaexplodeswiththeirexplanations,andweareallsupposedtoacceptthelineonthebasisthat“themediasaysso”or“theintelligencecommunitysaysso”or“mostpeoplesayso,”regard-lessofwhetheranyevidencehasbeenprovidedtobackitup.Thisisinherentlydangerous,andleavesusextremelyvulnerabletomanipula-tionandpropaganda.
Again,theBiblewarnsusagainstfollowingthecrowdratherthantheevidence,depictingthemobmen-talityastheenemyofjusticeandrighteousness:
“Youshallnotspreadafalsereport.Youshallnotjoinhandswithawickedmantobeamaliciouswit-ness.Youshallnotfallinwiththemanytodoevil,norshallyoubearwitnessinalawsuit,sidingwiththemany,soastopervertjustice,norshallyoubepartialtoapoormanin
hislawsuit”(Exodus23:1-3).Ican’tstressenoughhowimpor-
tantallthisis.Ihavefounditincreasinglypainfultowatchthewayoursocietynowreactstoeventsbeforewaitingforevidencetocomein,usuallyinadinofcollectivehysteria,andoftenwithoutevenbotheringtowaituntilsuchthingsas“facts”emerge.AndIhavefounditincreasinglypainfultowatchaswehaveacceptedthesortofargu-mentputforthbyMrs.Clinton,thataccusersaretobebelievedbeforetheevidenceisin,justbecausetheybelongtosomedesignatedclassof“oppressed”people.
Thisisnothowvirtuouspeopleandsocietiesreact,anditiscertainlynothowChristiansshouldbereact-ing.OurGodisarighteousGod,Whojudgesaccordingtotruth,andwithexactdeliberation.Wedon’thaveHisperfectknowledgeofcourse,butHeexpectsustoassesssituationsinasimilarfashion.Ratherthanrelyingonassumptions,hear-say,andplaysonouremotions,wearetowaitforevidencetocomein,weighitinthebalance,andonlywhentheevidenceisbeyondarea-sonabledoubtarewetoarriveataconclusion.Unlesswesoonregainourabilitytofacecalamitiesdelib-erately,accordingtotheruleoflaw,wewillfindthatwebringawholehostofproblemsourwaywhichshouldhavebeenavoided.
Rob Slane lives with his wife and six home-educated children in Salisbury, England. He is the author of The God Reality: A Critique of Richard Dawkins’ The God Delusion, contributes to the Canadian magazine Reformed Perspective, and blogs on cul-tural issues from a Biblical perspective at www.theblogmire.com.1. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timothy_McVeigh
2 “Of course, Hillary’s statement was removed from her website.” National Review Online <bit.ly/hillarystatement>
Drawing conclusions without good evidence is a dangerous gameContinued from page 3
THEDOORPOST
Deuteronomy6:4-9;11:18-21
EvenwhenKingSolomonwroteEcclesiastes,beforetheinventionoftheprintingpressand
thenelectroniccommunication,therewasnoendtothenumberofbooksthatcouldbemadeandstudied.MilleniaafterSolomon,withthemoderninformationexplosion,ourchallengeisgreaterthanever.Thereisstillnoend.
Weneedtobecarefulthat,inourquesttogrowinourknowledgeandunderstanding,wearenotdistractedfromthemostreliableandlife-giv-ingsourceofteaching,thatourheavenlyShepherd
hasgivenusinHisWord.NeglectingHisWordisagreatdanger.
TherearemanygoodandhelpfulsourcesofinformationavailabletousaswewalkwithJesusChristinalloflife,butwemustbewise.Failuretousetheseresourcescanbeharmful,butitisevenworseiftheycrowdoutthebest.
FortheKingdom,
RayKing
The words of the wise are like goads,
and like nails firmly fixed are the col-
lected sayings; they are given by one
Shepherd. My son, beware of anything
beyond these. Of making many books
there is no end, and much study is a
weariness of the flesh.
Ecclesiastes 12:11-12