Faith in Healthcare

Dr. Matt Woodley joins host Dr. Mike Chupp to share his journey from a teenage calling to medical missions to serving at Kudjip Nazarene Hospital in Papua New Guinea, where his love for the people grew alongside the weight of suffering and loss. His story, told in That Beautiful Question by his father, pastor Matt Woodley, offers an honest look at the personal cost of caring for others. He reflects on how lament helped him lean on God and what it meant to discover his identity beyond the work he had long felt called to do. Chapters (00:00:08) - Introduction to Faith in Healthcare and Dr. Matt Woodley(00:02:58) - The Book: That Beautiful Question(00:04:02) - Called at 15: The Path to Medical Missions in PNG(00:05:31) - Arrival in Papua New Guinea: Beauty and Brokenness(00:07:21) - Jordan's Story: A Child's Battle with Leukemia(00:09:37) - Writing the Book with His Father(00:12:57) - We Treat, Jesus Heals: Shared Hospital Philosophy(00:14:41) - The Weight of Losing Children(00:17:32) - Learning to Grieve Communally(00:18:46) - The Dancing Mentor: Bill McCoy(00:20:50) - Sponsor Break(00:22:27) - Senseless Violence and the Practice of Lament(00:25:26) - Breaking Point: Moral Injury and Physical Symptoms(00:27:43) - The Mountain Encounter: Hearing God's Voice(00:30:43) - Tammy's Experience and Family Support(00:32:43) - Leaving Well: Team Support and Identity Crisis(00:34:46) - His Father's Parallel Journey(00:35:52) - Did I Make a Difference? The Palliative Care Program(00:39:54) - Returning to PNG and Settling in Tennessee(00:40:53) - CMDA Community and Advice for Future Missionaries(00:44:14) - Integrating Faith and Medicine in American Practice(00:48:21) - Closing Thoughts and Farewell(00:49:06) - Episode Wrap-Up and Next Week Preview(00:51:22) - Podcast Credits and DisclaimerEvery episode is free. Keeping it that way isn't. Producing each conversation — the guests, the editing, the hours — takes real resources. Your gift keeps the mic on and the episodes coming, at no cost to those who enjoy them. Would you consider paying it forward? → Give to Faith in Healthcare: https://cmda.org/givepodcast Every tax deductible dollar goes directly into the production of this podcast resource.

Dr. Brick Lantz, CMDA’s Vice President of Advocacy and Bioethics, joins host Dr. Mike Chupp for another Q&A exploring difficult ethics questions facing Christian healthcare professionals. From pronouns and conscience concerns to IVF and end-of-life care, they discuss how you can respond when a patient’s request or an employer’s expectations conflict with your faith and medical judgment, considering what it means to hold to the truth while providing excellent care and loving the person in front of you. Chapters (00:00:08) - Introduction and Episode Overview(00:01:33) - Chatting About Brick's Alaska Adventure(00:03:07) - Transgender Pronouns and Conscience Issues(00:07:55) - Compassion vs. Complicity in Patient Care(00:10:29) - Positive vs Negative Autonomy and Trust in Medicine(00:13:26) - When Employers Demand Participation in Objectionable Care(00:16:32) - Refusing Care Wrongly: The World Magazine Case(00:18:25) - Abortion, Ectopic Pregnancy, and Maternal Risk Debates(00:21:38) - The Lindsey Clancy Case and Cultural Loss of Sanctity(00:22:52) - IVF Ethics and Restorative Reproductive Medicine(00:28:14) - CMDA Resources and Special Announcement(00:29:44) - Genetic Testing: Healing vs Selection(00:33:00) - Disability, Imago Dei, and the Value of Life(00:38:35) - Physician-Assisted Suicide and Dying Well(00:43:26) - Lessons from COVID-19 and Public Health Trust(00:49:19) - Risk, Compassion, and Serving in Danger(00:53:28) - What Is a Human Being? The Core of Bioethics(00:56:02) - Closing Thoughts and Call to Engage the Church(00:58:07) - Episode Wrap-up and Next Week's PreviewEvery episode is free. Keeping it that way isn't. Producing each conversation — the guests, the editing, the hours — takes real resources. Your gift keeps the mic on and the episodes coming, at no cost to those who enjoy them. Would you consider paying it forward? → Give to Faith in Healthcare: https://cmda.org/givepodcast Every tax deductible dollar goes directly into the production of this podcast resource.

How do you explain why you’re pro-life to someone who doesn’t share your faith? Scott Klusendorf, president of Life Training Institute and author of The Case for Life: Equipping Christians to Engage the Culture, joins Dr. Mike Chupp and Dr. Brick Lantz to discuss making a clear, reasoned case for the unborn and asking thoughtful questions when conversations become tense. They explore the role of healthcare professionals in these discussions and a question that touches every patient: Is human value inherent, or does it depend on what a person can do? Chapters (00:00:08) - Introduction and Guest Welcome(00:03:03) - Scott's Mentors and the Koukl Filter(00:09:02) - The Pro-Life Syllogism(00:11:26) - Worldviews and the Challenge to Intrinsic Human Value(00:15:40) - Natural Rights, Law, and Political Inconsistency(00:18:33) - Four Pillars: Law, Culture, Pregnancy Centers, Post-Abortion Healing(00:22:45) - Engaging the Mushy Middle and Legislative Prudence(00:26:16) - Sponsor Break: Book Offer and CMDA Events(00:27:51) - Discipling the Church on Sanctity of Life(00:30:53) - Medical Professionals Countering Pro-Abortion Myths(00:34:48) - Influencing Higher Education with Imagery and Evidence(00:38:16) - Abolitionists vs Incrementalists: Lessons from Lincoln and Wilberforce(00:42:49) - Strategies: Constitutional Amendments, Mifepristone, Free Speech(00:45:04) - Legal Strategies and Medical Malpractice Debate(00:46:48) - The SLED Acronym Explained(00:52:17) - Spiritual Warfare and Closing Thoughts(00:56:23) - Episode Wrap-Up and ResourcesEvery episode is free. Keeping it that way isn't. Producing each conversation — the guests, the editing, the hours — takes real resources. Your gift keeps the mic on and the episodes coming, at no cost to those who enjoy them. Would you consider paying it forward? → Give to Faith in Healthcare: https://cmda.org/givepodcast Every tax deductible dollar goes directly into the production of this podcast resource.

Dr. Matthew Loftus joins Dr. Mike Chupp to explore the growing influence of therapy language and what happens when it shapes how the church understands and responds to hardship. A family physician practicing in rural Kenya, Dr. Loftus shares the patterns he’s observing and discusses his new book, Resisting Therapy Culture: The Dangers of Pop Psychology and How the Church Can Respond. He also speaks candidly about his own experience with depression, bringing a personal perspective to the conversation about mental health and faith.   Chapters (00:00:08) - Introduction to Dr. Matthew Loftus and the episode(00:01:22) - Background: Loftus's journey to Kenya and family medicine(00:03:51) - Mental health clinics at Latane and Chigoriya hospitals(00:06:30) - Defining therapy culture and medicalization(00:09:34) - Loftus's personal experience with depression(00:11:11) - Risks of churches adopting therapy culture uncritically(00:13:52) - Church vs. mental health professionals: roles and responsibilities(00:18:30) - The church's mission is not to 'fix' people(00:21:32) - Sponsor announcements and CMDA promotions(00:23:33) - Spiritual care in clinical practice in Kenya(00:25:35) - Guidance for pastors on when to refer to professionals(00:28:09) - Therapy culture's crusade against suffering(00:29:30) - Diagnosis inflation and misuse of mental health language(00:32:22) - Loftus's writing career and major articles(00:34:49) - The 'good enough church' concept(00:39:04) - Maggie's role and supporting Matthew through dark seasons(00:42:31) - Closing thoughts and book recommendation(00:43:29) - Host reflection, next episode preview, and sign-offEvery episode is free. Keeping it that way isn't. Producing each conversation — the guests, the editing, the hours — takes real resources. Your gift keeps the mic on and the episodes coming, at no cost to those who enjoy them. Would you consider paying it forward? → Give to Faith in Healthcare: https://cmda.org/givepodcast Every tax deductible dollar goes directly into the production of this podcast resource.

What happens when we evaluate marriage, IVF, surrogacy, and reproductive technology from the perspective of the child instead of the adult? Katy Faust, founder and president of Them Before Us, joins Faith in Health Care to explain the philosophy behind her work and the Greater Than campaign, a coalition seeking to challenge Obergefell v. Hodges and restore what Faust describes as a child-centered understanding of marriage and family. Katy discusses some of today’s most difficult questions surrounding IVF, embryo freezing, sperm and egg donation, surrogacy, same-sex parenting, divorce, infertility, and emerging reproductive technologies. She explains why she believes Christians should scrutinize these practices through the lens of children’s rights, human dignity, and biblical teaching. The conversation also explores how Christians can hold firm convictions while maintaining genuine relationships with people who disagree. Katy shares her own family experience, her approach to truth and compassion, and why she believes Christians must distinguish between loving individuals and evaluating ideas or public policy. This is a challenging conversation about children, family, reproductive technology, Christian ethics, and the rapidly changing meaning of parenthood. Chapters (00:00:08) - Introduction and Episode Preview(00:01:56) - Welcoming Katie Faust Back to the Show(00:05:07) - The Greater Than Campaign Explained(00:07:51) - Church's Response to IVF and Reproductive Technology(00:11:49) - Coalition Support and Judicial Pathway for Overturning Obergefell(00:13:01) - Facing Backlash and Accusations of Hate(00:15:48) - Responding to Southern Poverty Law Center and GLAAD(00:20:07) - Being a 'Hot Potato' - Truth Over Comfort(00:24:30) - Loving LGBTQ Neighbors While Holding Principles(00:31:13) - Acceptance vs Affirmation - Personal Family Story(00:33:21) - Truth-Telling and Theology of Losing Friends(00:34:55) - IVF, Surrogacy, and the Ethics of Reproductive Technology(00:42:28) - The Children's Rights Scorecard by State(00:45:45) - Biblical Foundations - Genesis, Marriage, and Justice for Children(00:50:15) - Action Steps for Christians in Healthcare(00:53:12) - Closing Thoughts and ResourcesEvery episode is free. Keeping it that way isn't. Producing each conversation — the guests, the editing, the hours — takes real resources. Your gift keeps the mic on and the episodes coming, at no cost to those who enjoy them. Would you consider paying it forward? → Give to Faith in Healthcare: https://cmda.org/givepodcast Every tax deductible dollar goes directly into the production of this podcast resource.