A Theology of Health and Human Flourishing

Source: 2rogan/AdobeStock

We all desire to be healthy. The practice of medicine seeks to restore health. Our institutions of public health aim to preserve and promote health. But what is health?

The World Health Organization defines health as “a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” Some people have criticized this definition as too broad. Is it reasonable or realistic for medicine to aim at something so expansive? We do spend a great deal of time pursuing health, but rather less time trying to understand what health really is. Perspectives on the matter may of course vary. What one considers health or healthy may differ by culture, context, or tradition. Etymologically, the word “health” is related to “wholeness.” But to consider what “wholeness” is, we need to understand the human body and human person, which will also vary by culture and tradition.

A well-developed understanding of the human person and wholeness thus requires some sort of normative framework. A new book I have authored, A Theology of Health, attempts to advance the discussion by providing an account of health or wholeness specifically from the Christian tradition. A lot has previously been written on the theology of healthcare: for example, what it means to be a good clinician from a theological perspective. However, much less has been written from a theological perspective on the concept of health itself. This book attempts to fill this gap and some of that content is described below.

Health of the Body Versus Health of the Person

An important distinction is that we have two concepts of health: the health of the body and the health of the person. Our narrower concept of the “health of the body” concerns the body’s parts and systems being and functioning as normal to allow for the full range of characteristically human activities. The broader concept of the “health of the person” is essentially synonymous with “flourishing” or “complete human well-being.” Both the narrower and the broader concepts of health arise in our ordinary language concerning health. Both can even be manifest in the same sentence, such as “Every day he just sits in his room; he is physically healthy, but he is not a healthy person.” Arguably some of the conceptual confusions and puzzles around health arise from failure to recognize these two distinct concepts of health and to clarify which is in view in any particular context.

A Theology of Health

In terms of our understanding of health, one might consider the nature of health, the nature of ill health, and the nature of healing, or the restoration to health. While the new book explores these from a theological perspective, there are connections to empirical data as well. We can, for example, empirically examine what people mean by "health" and "well-being" and what aspects of this they think are important. With regard to the causes of ill-health, there is empirical evidence that injustice and unkind acts not only detract from well-being but also propagate. Finally, many "spiritual" paths to health and well-being such as hope, or community, or religious participation, or gratitude, or forgiveness can be examined empirically.

I do think that laying out an explicit understanding of health can also help others to consider what they mean by “health.” Having an understanding of health explicitly laid out can also help promote dialogue around this question of what it is that we are pursuing when we pursue health. It can, for example, help those who are not Christians develop a greater understanding of how many Christians and Christian organizations around the world, perhaps somewhat implicitly, approach the topic of health. Likewise, when others from different cultures, traditions, and religions clarify perspectives on health I believe this too facilitates greater understanding and dialogue, and greater opportunities for partnership and collaboration. Additionally, some of the insights arising from a theological perspective on health may be of interest, value, and relevance even to those who do not embrace the same faith. Some of the implications concerning community, forgiveness, and love as pathways to healing, for example, do not necessarily require a distinctively theological perspective.

Non-Theological Implications

We have, as a society, done a remarkable job of discerning how public health efforts can preserve health and prevent disease and how medicine can bring healing in the context of illness. However, our success in these regards has arguably led us to neglect other pathways to health and healing—psychological, relational, and spiritual pathways, for instance. Extensive research has documented the powerful effects of purpose and hope and psychological well-being on health. Extensive research has likewise documented the power of relationships, of community, and love on health. Similarly, extensive research has documented the effects of religious and spiritual community participation on health—both the health of the body and the health of the person. While not neglecting more traditional efforts at health and healing, we should also pursue, embrace, support, and make better use of these psychological, relational, and spiritual pathways as well.

The power of love and forgiveness have likewise arguably been neglected within our efforts at health promotion. Love—whether from family, friends, colleagues, or God—seems to powerfully alter well-being. Love is something that we all desire to receive, and to give, and greater effort could be made to think about how to promote love within society. The WHO’s proposed right to the “highest attainable standard of health” is arguably not attainable if we neglect to love and care for one another. To promote love we also need to address issues of wrongdoing, suffering, and hurt. While a variety of approaches are necessary, including the pursuit of justice, to restore love, we also need forgiveness. All of these various, and often neglected, pathways can help expand our vision of health and our pursuit of health. Such considerations can prompt further reflection on the nature of health, and hopefully allow us to better pursue health and human flourishing together: the health of the body and the health of the person.