Values in Conflict: Christian Nursing in a Changing Profession

Can nursing be Christian?

The answer may seem obvious, yet in our pluralistic society, Christian nurses are often told to keep their values out of their work. In fact, Judith Shelly and Arlene Miller ask, can anyone nurse without being guided by some values? Or do advocates of "value-free" nursing actually struggle in their own, non-religious values?

In response to such pressures, many Christian nurses adopt attitudes that don't really fit their faith. For instance, are "rugged individualism" and "the right to privacy" deeply Christian values? Shelly and Miller challenge believing nurses not to forget Christian values, but to better understand and apply those beliefs. Only then can they adopt a true "discipleship strategy" and more ably practice both their faith and their profession.

This straightforward, practical book will immensely help and encourage Christians involved in the troubled (and troubling) contemporary profession that is nursing.

Shelly and Miller challenge believing nurses not to forget Christian values, but to better understand and apply those beliefs. Only then can they adopt a true 'discipleship strategy' and more ably practice both their faith and their profession.

Judith Allen Shelly, R.N., B.S.N., M.A., D.Min., is publications director for Nurses Christian Fellowship, director of NCF Press and former editor of the Journal of Christian Nursing. Her editorial work has won numerous awards from the Evangelical Press Association.

Shelly has written many books including Spiritual Care: A Guide for Caregivers (IVP, 2000) and The Changing Face of Health Care (Eerdmans, 1998). Her articles have appeared in journals such as Ethics and Medicine, Christian Counseling Today and Christian Bioethics. She has also been an adjunct professor at Yonsei University in Seoul, Korea, and at North Park University in Chicago, Illinois.

Arlene B. Miller (R.N., Ph.D.) is retired from the Department of Nursing at Messiah College in Grantham, Pennsylvania. She continues to teach occasional classes there. Her books include Values in Conflict and Called to Care.