Faith in the surgery

A young man was riding pillion on a motorbike one evening in Belfast. The bike was hit by another vehicle and the rider on the front of the bike was killed instantly. The passenger was thrown into a petrol station and landed on his head. So serious were his injuries that those attending him expected he would die, in fact the medics did not think there was any more they could do for him. A nurse,  quietly and gently, asked him if he knew Jesus. The young man lived and remembered the question he had been asked by the nurse.

That young man celebrated his 80th birthday this year. He is my father and if it had not been for that nurse’s willingness to share her faith and hope in the Lord Jesus Christ I doubt he would have spent the last fifty years serving God as a missioner, vicar and prison chaplain. I also doubt I would be doing what I am doing today if it had not been for his love, witness and encouragement.

I wonder whether that nurse would have felt able to share her faith so readily today and if she had would she expect to find herself in front of a medical disciplinary council?

I’ve written this brief post as I’ve been reflecting on the issues raised by the latest case of a Christian doctor facing disciplinary proceedings for offering to speak to a patient about his faith. You can read more about the story over at Church Mouse’s blog.