ometimes a light surprises the Christian while he sings . . .”
It often seems the task of editors to point out what is not working—in the production schedule, in the culture, even in the church. The idealism that makes us pick up pens and tap at keyboards also causes us to note how frequently things are not ideal, or even passably good.
But now and again, the lament we sometimes voice is interrupted by a surprising burst of light and good news. And anything like fairness requires that we give it as much attention as we do the more typical results.
That’s the simple explanation for this Adventist Review special issue about the ministry of Loma Linda University School of Medicine you are now reading. Not only has this vital engine for ministry and healing achieved its centennial milestone, but it continues to delight and even surprise the faith it serves by the clarity of its vision and the quality of its service. Each time I visit the LLUSM campus and interact with its teachers and students, I am struck by the spontaneity of the caring, the openness about personal faith, and the focus on compassionate effort in the community. As will become clear in these pages, the School of Medicine has identified—and sustained—its mission by underlining this faith’s commitment to wholeness—physically, intellectually, and spiritually. That is no small achievement in an age dominated by zealotry and the cynical exploitation of human brokenness.
My hat is off, and my heart salutes the men and women of the School of Medicine—faculty, administrators, support staff, students, and thousands of dedicated health professional alumni—as they move forward Christ’s mission to “make man whole.”
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Bill Knott is editor of the Adventist Review. This article was published April 22, 2010.
