Dear #Pro-Choice

Dear pro-choice friend,

I got to my office this morning and discovered your message on my white board. I’m assuming you took the time to read the various postings on my door and drew the conclusion that I’m passionately pro-life – and you were right about that. It would’ve been hard to conclude otherwise, especially given the prominent “#DefundPlannedParenthood” sign right above the message board. So, for what it’s worth, I’m grateful that you did me the honor of standing there, scanning my signage, and giving it all some thought. That’s the beginning of dialogue. That’s what leads to increased mutual understanding and respect.

Unfortunately, your consideration of my evident pro-life position led you to opt for a less than respectful response. You could’ve left me a note asking for more information on why I’m against abortion. You could’ve come back during my posted office hours to introduce yourself and share with me your reasons for supporting abortion rights.

Instead, you snagged my dry-erase marker and wrote “#ProChoice” in big letters. Why? What were you hoping to accomplish? In a sense, what you did amounts to vandalism. Yes, it’s true that I invite folks to leave messages on my door by hanging the white board and marker there, but clearly your intent here was aggressive and so unwelcome. If I came across your door plastered with pro-abortion messages, how would you feel if I left a “#Pro-Life” scrawl there? Wouldn’t it make you mad? Wouldn’t you interpret it as a form of assault?

My initial reaction wasn’t anger, however, but mirth. I saw your message and laughed out loud – how ironic! You were declaring yourself (anonymously) to be on the side of choice, but you totally overrode my choice with regards to the kinds of messages I want to appear on my door.

But my mirth quickly turned into sadness. Here we are, you and me, at an institution of higher learning, and we totally missed an opportunity to expand our minds by learning from someone with whom we disagree. Frankly, I feel ripped off rather than offended. I’m bummed that you deprived us both of the chance to grow as human beings. I doubt I could’ve persuaded you to change your point of view, and I’m absolutely certain that you wouldn’t have changed mine, but I would’ve welcomed the occasion to meet and chat with you. Believe it or not, I would’ve listened, really listened. And, of course, I would’ve expected you to listen to me. Then we could’ve parted in peace – maybe not as friends, but at least as friendly acquaintances. Who knows? We might’ve even agreed to talk some more another time.

Anyway, consider this an invitation. I’m leaving your “#Pro-Choice” message on my door in hopes that you’ll see it, that you’ll be surprised it's still there, and that you’ll approach to discover this letter to you. Won’t you please come talk to me? Like I said, I’ll listen, but I’ll want you to listen to me in return.
_______________________________

Dr. Ruth E. Davidhizar (1946-2008)

I knew Ruth Davidhizar from afar my first years at Bethel College. She was the dean, a nationally known scholar, and an accomplished author; I was a second-career pre-licensure nursing student with a bunch of kids and very little self-confidence. She was the big cheese; I was a condiment at best.

In time, however, Ruth took me under her wing, and I came to see her as a mentor and even friend. After receiving my ADN and RN in 2000, Ruth had me come back to Bethel and tutor undergraduates in chemistry — not that I was a chemistry wiz, mind you, but only because I seemed to have a knack for helping people at least pass the class.

After two years of working in oncology nursing and hospice home care, I returned to Bethel to work on my BSN. Ruth made appearances in all undergraduate classes back then, presenting her rich insights regarding transcultural nursing and cross-cultural competence. At a school dedicated to missions and missionary training, Ruth’s expertise in this area was especially valuable, and it was particularly valuable to Bethel's nursing students regardless of their destination post-graduation. For, as you know, every family system — every individual — is a culture unto itself, and Ruth prepared us all to view nursing service as a cross-cultural encounter, whether it happened in the jungles of Asia, the steppes of Russia, or a med-surg floor at the local hospital.

And she was kind. Ruth was tireless in seeking out resources — i.e., money — for her nursing school and especially her beloved nursing students. Ruth, who had no children of her own, really did see us all as her family. She loved the art and science of nursing, and she was truly dedicated to instilling in her students — her heirs — a love for it as well.

When I was preparing to graduate a second time from Bethel with my BSN, I had some time to chat with Ruth during my exit interview, and she asked me what my intentions were in the future. I told her then that I hoped to begin a master’s program in nursing education and then someday come back to Bethel to teach. Pretty much at that moment, the exit interview concluded, and I saw Ruth’s eyes go glassy as the wheels in her head start to churn.

Within a day or two, she called me to ask if I’d consider taking a teaching post right away — with the proviso that I’d make steady progress on my master’s and graduate within a reasonable amount of time. I was floored and flattered, and I said I’d certainly think about it. Ruth then told me that she’d already set up an appointment for me with Bethel's President Bridges so that I could get additional information. This appointment turned out to be a pre-employment interview — something I only discovered at its conclusion when the president mentioned the starting salary for new associate faculty.

Ruth shepherded me through the application process and additional interviews, and she hired me to teach that next fall — and I’ve been at Bethel ever since. What a privilege it was to serve under and with Ruth in this tremendous profession — to have her feedback as I learned how to teach, to receive her encouragement and support, to know she had my back as a rookie nursing instructor.

I continued work on my M.A. throughout my first years as an instructor at Bethel, and I managed to complete it the same summer Ruth fell gravely ill. The last time I saw her, she was at home, and a number of us on the faculty were visiting to express our love and affection. Given how important Ruth was to me, both professionally and personally, it was hard to think of an appropriate token to present her, but in the end I decided on a copy of my final master’s research project. Anyone else would’ve (understandably) politely received such a “gift,” and set it aside to be disposed of at a convenient time. Ruth, though, recognized it for what it was: a milestone in an individual’s career in which she was hugely influential. Her expression of gratitude at that moment, I believe, was heartfelt and genuine.

I miss my colleague and friend. Rest in peace, Ruth.
________________________________

Ruth Davidhizar served the nursing students at Bethel College for over twenty years until her death on September 11, 2008. A version of this tribute appears on the Transcultural Nursing Society website.

Statement of Faith

Byzantine mosaic of the Creation of Adam (12th c.)

Bethel College, my alma mater and employer, is in the news these days. A couple weeks back, the College released a "philosophical statement" regarding creation and evolution that had been in the works for years. That statement has led to the resignation of an esteemed colleague on account of his association with BioLogos, an outfit in Michigan seeking to reconcile Evangelical Protestantism with scientific majority opinion, especially when it comes to evolution and human origins.

Bethel is associated with the Missionary Church, a conservative Protestant denomination, but I'm Roman Catholic. Consequently, I'm an outsider with regards to the squabble over human origins – it's primarily an Evangelical tussle. Still, my proximity to the current controversy might give rise to a question: How is it that a devout Catholic is teaching at an Evangelical college anyway? It's an unusual situation, to be sure, but not unprecedented. Besides, I grew up in the Evangelical tradition, so I'm very comfortable with Bethel's culture, its vocabulary of faith, and its values. I've happily participated in the life and mission of Bethel for over ten years now, and I don't expect that to change any time soon. 

However, now that this whole origins thing is out in the public eye, I'm starting to get queries – like this one from my son: "Dad, you've signed a contract saying you don't believe in evolution?" The simple answer is "no," although it's an incomplete answer. The fact is that I did sign a Statement of Faith (with appended interpretive remarks) back when I was hired in 2004, but it did not include any mention of human origins. It's that original Statement of Faith, along with my appended comments, that I have in mind each year when I sign my annual contract.  

So, in the interest of full disclosure – and for my family and friends who may well wonder how it is that a practicing Catholic can teach at an Evangelical school – here's that statement, beginning with Bethel's "We Believe" affirmation (as it originally appeared on my contract), followed by my interpretive annotations:
______________________________________________

As a Christian college, we believe...

• God is the Creator and Sustainer of all things, and the Author of salvation. 
• The Bible is the divinely inspired, only infallible, authoritative Word of God, and the unchanging rule of faith and practice.
• Man's relationship to God, which was lost through sin, is restored through faith in the redeeming work of Christ, God's divine Son.
• The Church is composed of persons who are born of the Spirit and empowered by him to live a holy life devoted to the fulfillment of the Church's Great Commission.
• The personal return of Christ will bring about the end of the present age, the Judgment and the beginning of the glorious age to come.

Can you personally and unreservedly agree with this creed? Describe any exception you would make.

I do personally agree with the creedal statement as far as it goes, and yet I feel compelled to clarify that my belief and understanding extend beyond that which is explicitly articulated. The following addendum, therefore, is not an "exception" I would make, but rather a further fleshing out of how I embrace and try to live out all the points specified in the creedal statement.

Without reservation, I firmly believe that the Bible is the divinely inspired, only infallible, and authoritative written Word of God. I further believe that the Word of God includes both Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition – the dynamic, divinely inspired transmission of apostolic teaching from one generation to the next. St. Paul refers to the dual nature of God's Word when he writes, "So then, brethren, stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught by us, either by word of mouth or by letter" (II Thess. 2.15 [RSV]).

Furthermore, I believe that the twofold Word of God – like a single, unified Deposit of Faith – has been entrusted to the Church by Christ, and that the Church has the obligation to preserve it intact and proclaim it to the world. With the guidance of the Holy Spirit, the Church also has the responsibility of interpreting the Word of God, and does so today with the same apostolic authority Christ granted the original disciples.
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For more information on Catholic beliefs regarding human origins, see the Catechism of the Catholic Church (§282-289).

Invocation at a Nursing Pinning

Holy God, we are gathered here to honor You through honoring these nursing graduates.

We all know how hard they’ve worked to get here, but no one knows it better than You.

And so, we ask for Your blessing—both on our celebration here today, and on the graduates themselves as they go forth to serve You as nurses.

Father God, Creator of all, You are the Author of Life.

Give these nurses courage to be defenders of life in a culture—and an industry—that too often sees death as a solution to difficult problems.

Make them warriors on behalf of the vulnerable, the weak, the defenseless, particularly the unborn and the elderly.

Lord Jesus, You are the Savior of the world.

Give these nurses a passion for the Gospel—for witnessing to their faith in both word and deed.

Make them bridges in their encounters with patients, families of patients, and co-workers—bridges to You and the salvation You offer the whole world.

Holy Spirit, You animate the church with love.

Give these nurses a capacity to love those whom the world despises—the diseased, the dying, the poor, the enemy.

Make them vehicles of Your infinite love, Holy Spirit, and cause them to be transparent in compassion and selfless in charity.

We honor and adore You, Holy God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.
_______________________

Offered on April 28, 2007, at Bethel College, Mishawaka, Indiana.

The Spirit of Nursing

Nursing is a high calling, one that brings us to the very threshold of heaven. It's a work that is as much a benefit and blessing to nurses as it is to the recipients of their care.

How so? What is it that drives us to be nurses? 

Crazy hours; tiring, sometimes even exhausting work (and that not only physically, but mentally and emotionally exhausting as well); a huge amount of responsibility; innumerable multi-faceted and multi-layered demands that stretch the concept of multi-tasking to the extremes of human endurance.

So why do we do it?

Well, starting with the obvious, there’s the paycheck, and it's true that compensation for nurses has significantly improved over the last generation. No one’s going to get rich being a nurse, but certainly you can make a comfortable enough living, and job security is virtually guaranteed for the foreseeable future.

O.K., there’s the paycheck, but is that enough? Well, there’s also a prestige attached to nursing and a real opportunity for professional advancement. Survey after survey shows that the American people trust nurses more than any other profession, and for good reason: The kind of people who make it in nursing are the kind of people you want in your corner no matter what the crisis or problem. 

And as a career, the sky’s the limit for nurses. We all start off at the bedside, but after that, we can go in countless directions: Research, management, entrepreneurship, a host of specialty areas, advance practice nursing – even education! With all that opportunity, there really shouldn’t be such a thing as a bored nurse!

So, a paycheck and professional excellence – that’s a pretty good combination for most career paths.  But for the Christian nurse, that’s only the start, for the heart of Christian nursing – the soul of Christian nursing, as it were – is an encounter with Christ Himself.

Jesus Himself refers to this encounter in His parable of the sheep and the goats: 

The King will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, O blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ 

Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see thee hungry and feed thee, or thirsty and give thee drink?  And when did we see thee a stranger and welcome thee, or naked and clothe thee?  And when did we see thee sick or in prison and visit thee?’  And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.’

And so, the young girl dying from cancer; the elderly man in the nursing home with no family; the parents of the child in the ICU; the frightened woman facing a major surgery – are not all of these Christ? When we care for them, aren’t we ministering to the Lord Himself?  Aren’t we on Holy Ground?

I want to share with you my nursing hero. Most of us who choose nursing as a profession are inspired by at least one nurse-hero in our lives – maybe a mom or an aunt who was a nurse; maybe a friend, or maybe the example of a compassionate nurse who cared for us or our loved ones. Although the example of many nurses influenced my decision to go into nursing, the one that stands out is a woman I never met – a woman who died almost 80 years ago: Rose Hawthorne.

Rose was the daughter of writer Nathaniel Hawthorne and grew up in a privileged home. Following a very profound conversion later in life, she determined to demonstrate her love for Christ through some form of service – but not just any service would do. For Rose, it had to be the hardest work, the least desirable; a work that was commensurate with the depth of her new Christian commitment.

At the time, cancer was a disease not very well understood, and those afflicted with it were shunned – much as lepers in biblical times and throughout history. People whose cancer didn’t respond to available treatments were considered hopeless, and they were often relegated to die lonely, miserable deaths.

So, Rose took a nursing course, went to the poorest section of New York City, and began taking in and caring for the indigent who were dying from cancer. In effect, she started a kind of hospice in her own apartment.

And what was this courageous woman’s philosophy? Why did she do this thing? Here are her own words:

I have set out to love everyone. I do very little, and am as stupid as I can be about it. But even this imperfect effort is so beneficent in being according to God’s plan, and, in so far as it goes, free from selfishness and sloth, that each person coming into contact with it is refreshed. I myself tremble to see the power, even in me, of a little of the right spirit. It is as if God brushed me aside each moment saying, ‘I am here.’

This, for me, was electric. Here was something I could dedicate myself to! Here was a work – an employment – that could be more than just a job; it was a work that could make me a direct instrument of the Lord’s love and mercy every day!

So, my friends, congratulations! You have reached a significant milestone on your road to a nursing career – a career that is both financially and professionally rewarding. 

But allow me to remind you – and those of your family and friends that are here gathered with you to celebrate your accomplishment – that your chosen career path is also one that will afford you many, many encounters with Our Lord Jesus in the face of the sick and the suffering. Watch for those encounters; do not neglect them; humbly embrace them and take full advantage of them. I assure you, they will be your greatest, your richest rewards.
___________________________________
 
This essay was adapted from an address to first-year nursing students at their Nursing Dedication ceremony, Bethel College, Indiana (15 January 2005). A version also appeared on Catholic Exchange.