Humanizing Medicine: How a Religious Understanding of Human Personhood Can Revitalize Medicine

Lester R. Bryant Auditorium
University Hospital-University of Missouri School of Medicine

Thursday
April 7, 2005

7pm Lecture followed by panel discussion

Humanizing Medicine: How a Religious Understanding of Human Personhood Can Revitalize Medicine

Any experience that requires us, as humans, to deal with others, as humans, requires us to formulate an adequate understanding of what it means to be human. Increasingly over the past couple centuries, much of higher education and particularly medical education has taken a view of human personhood that is based on assumptions which are not well founded philosophically and which do not end up serving well the needs of the clinician, patient or student. Taking a fresh look at a religious view of human personhood may help us to re-invigorate how we view our patients, our students, our colleagues and ourselves, especially as we seek to understand the growing complexity, wonder, and mystery of illness and healing, life and death in the human experience.

Speaker: Todd Best M.A. is Program Administrator at the Christian Study Center of Gainesville, an independent educational center that works alongside the University of Florida in exploring the intellectual resources of the Christian tradition for responding to the enduring questions of human experience and the challenges that emerge from contemporary cultural change. He has an M.A. in religious studies from the University of Florida where his research focused on philosophy of religion and educational philosophy. Much of his work revolves around how Christian thought intersects the various disciplines in the academy. Other areas of interest include social ethics, moral philosophy, and post-modern interpretation theories.

Funded by a grant from The George Washington Institute for Spirituality and Health

MU Forum on Intelligent Design

The Univeristy of Missouri Christian Faculty and Staff Fellowship is sponsoring a forum, "Conflicting Views on the Origin and Complexity of Life: Intelligent Design and NeoDarwinism," Wednesday, March 30, from 7-9pm in Monsanto Auditorium in the new Life Sciences Building.

Intelligent Design (ID) is a scientific theory that states natural causes alone are insufficient to explain the origin and diversity of life, and thus, that intelligent causes also played a role. It holds that design is empirically detectable in nature, and particularly in living systems. ID is also an intellectual movement that includes a scientific research program for investigating intelligent causes and that challenges naturalistic explanations of origins which currently drive science education and research. This view disagrees with NeoDarwinian claims that highly complex systems developed from chance mutations and random environmental pressures; ID proponents find this concept to be speculative and statistically problematic. Instead, they hold that a theory of origins which includes the intervention of an intelligent agent is more consistent with modern scientific evidence.

The speakers are William S. Harris, Co-director of the Lipid and Diabetes Research Center at Saint Luke's Hospital in Kansas City and Professor of Medicine at UMKC School of Medicine, and Jan Weaver, Director of the Environmental Studies Program and Research Assistant Professor in Biological Sciences at the University of Missouri, Columbia.

For additional information, see the poster and information sheet available here:

http://cfsf.missouri.edu/cfsf/pages/poster.pdf http://cfsf.missouri.edu/cfsf/pages/abstract.pdf

RUF Spring Banquet

The University of Missouri's Reformed University Fellowship is holding its Spring Banquet Saturday, April 2 from 6-8pm at Memorial Union, upstairs in the Mark Twain Ballroom. Buffet-style dinner will be served. A donation of $7/person is suggested. RSVP online at www.mizzou.ruf.org (click on "Social Events and Conferences," then "Spring Banquet"), or call Ross Dixon at 573-529-3142.

Westminster College Debate on Evolution and Intelligent Design

Westminster College in Fulton is hosting a debate between Dr. Stephen Meyer and Dr. Michael Shermer on "Intelligent Design versus Evolution." The debate is March 9 at 7:30 p.m. in Champ Auditorium, and is free and open to the public. Details are available here.

Sounds of Africa CD

Sounds of Africa CD's may be purchased at the information table. A group of talented young men from a sister church in Zimbabwe. These men recorded a powerful album confessing their faith in God during the difficult times in Africa. CD's are $10 and ALL of the proceeds will go directly back to the men so they can record more music, buy uniforms and instruments.

Pastor Thom Smith

Pastor Thom Smith will be preaching at Christ Our King Sunday, April 24. Don't miss an opportunity to hear Pastor Smith!

Open Arms Pregnancy Resource Centers' 14th Annual Banquet

The Holiday Inn Executive Center will be hosting the 14th Annual Open Arms Pregnancy Resource Center' Banquet. Governor Matt Blunt will be masters of ceremonies. H.B. London will be a guest speaker. H.B. London was a pastor for 31 years and host for a daily radio program for 14 years. Banquet tickets are $20 and reservations must be recieved by March 11.

Men's Retreat

Thom Smith will be the guest speaker for the Men's retreat. Thom is a good friend of Christ Our King Church. He is a very gifted pastor, writer, preacher and artist. Thom pastors the Randolp Street Baptist Church in Charleston WV and is a much soughtafter conference speaker. The Men's Retreat will take place April 22-23rd. Sign Up!