New World Outlook, January/February 2006

Health is not just the absence of disease, but on the flip side of that saying, being well doesn't necessarily mean being without disease either. Consider people who live with HIV/AIDS. If they do not receive adequate nutritious food each day, their chances of staying well are not good, even if they do receive antiretroviral drugs. Yet, if they eat well, exercise regularly, and take the drugs, they can be "well" for a long time, even though they are never free of the disease. People with diabetes, heart disease, and some kinds of cancer can also be well, though they deal with chronic illness. A lifestyle change can mean the difference between a well life or a long decline toward death.

Some of the articles in this "Health and Wholeness" issue suggest a Christian lifestyle that incorporates the Hippocratic notion of wellness and the Wesleyan theme of moderation in all things. Others suggest that wellness eludes people because they lack basic necessities. The Christian response is to provide the means to those necessities, such as solar ovens in Haiti; trauma counseling in Liberia; clothes, food, and job training for Native Americans in Oklahoma. Responding to the needs of others is also part of a Christian lifestyle that, in turn, contributes to the health and wholeness of both givers and receivers. Being well turns on being right in our relationship with God and with each other.

Primitive Physick, first published by John Wesley in 1747, outlined many of Wesley's ideas about health and wholeness. The preface to the book can be found on the web at http://gbgm-umc.org/health/johnwesley.stm.
Christie R. House

Dedication
Linda Elmiger, a former colleague and good friend worked to be well for a long time. She battled cancer more than once in her lifetime but lost the battle in November 2005. A lay member of the Greater New Jersey Annual Conference, she worked for the General Board of Global Ministries as an editor on most of the resources published by the Women's Division from 1990 to 2003, including the program books, handbooks, Call to Prayer resources, spiritual-growth studies, and a host of other print materials. She was meticulous and thorough, stubborn about detail, suspicious of sources and quotes - in other words, she was a good editor. She lived her life as a disciple of Jesus with great courage and faith. New World Outlook dedicates this issue to Linda, who rests securely in arms of God.