Defining Health and Health-Related Concepts: Conceptual and Theological Considerations

EALTH IS A GOOD THAT IS ALMOST UNIVERSALLY DESIRED. IT IS NOT ONLY INstrumental to obtaining many other goods of life, it seems good in itself. Indeed, in most western cultures, health has become a virtual cultural obsession, resulting in steadily growing demands on health care systems and in burgeoning industries in wellness and alternative medicine. In the United States alone, billions of dollars are spent every year in pursuit of health. Clearly, health and healing are also central to the message of salvation throughout the Old and New Testaments, and particularly in the ministry of Jesus.