I have come to Pennsylvania for a conference of some 200 people who are involved in the ministries of Rachel’s Vineyard and Grief to Grace. More than 200 delegates from all over the world are here in one of the epicentres of the abuse scandal. In both these ministries we have for many years been hearing first-hand testimonies of clerical abuse which I wouldn’t even be able to put into print.
In order to try and shift the perspective slightly, I decided to talk to the conference about Jesus Christ, the Divine Physician. This ancient title for Christ first appears with Origen in the 3rd century. Many historians give as the reason for this the prevalence of cults of gods with healing powers in the ancient world. Christians, it seems, wanted to baptise this pagan culture.
