The story
coming out of Liberia and now Atlanta about Dr. Kent Brantly bears us taking
note. Dr. Brantly is a 33-year-old
Christian missionary doctor who is showing us something of what makes
Christianity strong – heroic.
This past
Sunday in the Daily Beast, writer Michael Daly wrote about Dr. Brantly. This secular newsman coined WWKD – off the
much used WWJD (“What Would Jesus Do?).
Michael Daly says Kent Brantly’s actions in battling the African Ebola
epidemic elicit us to ask “What Would Kent Do?”
He is exemplary.
Mr. Daly
writes, "Among his fellow devout Christians, 33-year-old Dr. Kent Brantly
should be honored as someone who has lived the answer to the question of What
Would Jesus Do? But he is a no less worthy example for those of any
faith, or no faith at all. Even atheists could find a guide to goodness
in asking themselves What Would Kent Do?
Here’s
the story in a nutshell. Dr. Kent
Brantly is the real deal. You can listen
to the message he preached at his home church (Southeastern Church of Christ of
Indianapolis) this past July. Here’s the
link:
He packed
up his wife and two small children because of “the call of God” on his
life. Medicine was the means of showing the
love of Jesus. He signed on with
Samaritan’s Purse for a two year stint in the ravaged nation of Liberia.
Michael
Daly writes, “What Jesus would do is what Brantly did when he agreed to work in
an Ebola isolation ward in Liberia despite being admittedly terrified.”
To carry
it further, when he found that he had been infected, he also knew his
co-worker, Nancy Writebol, was in the same condition. With only one dose of anti-Ebola serum
available, he chose that she rather than himself be treated.
Christian history is filled with stories of faith,
sacrifice, and heroism. St. Tertullian of the 2nd Century declared,
"The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church." Dr.
Rodney Stark, in his book The Rise of Christianity, tells us that when pagans fled the plague-ravaged cities of the 2nd Century, Christians stayed behind to care for the sick. In so doing, by such acts of self-less love, they won over an empire.
Examples
of utter self-less devotion inspire us to pay the price in our day. Dr. Kent Brantly stands as a testimony to us
of the faith that overcomes the world.
Michael Daly concludes his article illustrating to us the power of sacrificial service. "Brantly becomes the first person actually in America known to have Ebola. He also returns to us as a reminder of how magnificently decent we can be by actually living in accordance to principles we are all supposed to share. Brantly would dismiss any comparison between him and Christ. But, even if you do not believe in Jesus, you can ask yourself WWKD?"
Pray today for Dr. Kent Brantly. And pray that God raise up more like him to touch our world.
No comments:
Post a Comment