Western Theological Seminary

While modern medicine has advanced in many areas, serious chronic illness is on the rise. For many, the gift of life continues amid affliction, including chronic pain, fatigue, and other forms of physical and mental distress.

Most Christians rightly seek healing through prayer and medical interventions. We pray and long for a bodily cure. But what happens when illness persists?

Christians today usually live within a narrow set of storylines about how God works in relation to illness. The chronically ill and their communities often assume God's calling -- to bear witness to God's love -- is paused while they are ill, that a life of discipleship can only resume once they are "healed."

Thankfully, Scripture and church history offer more compelling visions of God’s ongoing calling and work. We need these pathways, which have been forgotten or obscured, to revitalize the modern Christian imagination.

For this reason, the Girod Chair is launching the Faith and Illness Initiative (FII), a think-tank-like set of gatherings with a lofty goal:

to discover a theology of vocation and virtue
for Christians living with chronic illness

Year Three: Chronic Illness and Eschatology

September 21-24, 2025

The previous two Faith and Illness Initiative colloquies have laid the groundwork for an academic book project on themes of Chronic Illness and Christian vocation.
In this third and final colloquy year, the core group of 12-14 pastors, scholars, medical professionals, and students will turn to more focused reading on chapter drafts for J. Todd Billings's upcoming book. The second half of the colloquy will feature reading and discussion on the theme of Chronic Illness and Eschatology, planned and led by our 2025 Planning Team.

2025 Planning Team

Dr. Kate Sonderegger

Theologian
Author, Systematic Theology, vols. 1-2.

Dr. Gayle Doornbos

Theologian

Dordt University

Dr. J. Todd Billings

Theologian

Author, Rejoicing in Lament and
The End of the Christian Life

What led to the idea for the Faith and Illness Initiative?

Find out more

Where can I find resources about a theology of chronic illness for my church?

Find out more

Year Two In Review:

Chronic Pain and Christian Discipleship, September 16-18, 2024

Ancient Christian Approaches to Soul Healing and Healing Today

This public panel event featured Dr. Helen Rhee, author, Illness, Pain, and Healthcare in Early Christianity (Eerdmans, 2022), Laura Winn, Western Theological Seminary Master of Divinity Student, Rev. Kevin Adams, pastor, Granite Springs Church, Sacramento, CA and was moderated by Dr. J. Todd Billings.

Due to technical difficulties, we were unable to get a good video recording, but a transcript of the conversation is available below!

Download the Transcript

Chronic Pain, Medicine, and the Calling of the Church

This evening panel event featured Dr. Matthew Loftus, family physician and writer, Litein, Kenya; Dr. Michael Page, ER doctor, Holland, MI; Rev. Jen Rozema, pastor, Faith CRC, Holland, MI; moderated by Dr. J. Todd Billings.

Panelists discussed the intersection of their vocations in medicine and ministry with chronic pain and illness.

View the Recording

Year One In Review:

Chronic Illness and Virtue, September 18-20, 2023

Light in the Darkness: Discipleship and Witness for Christians with Chronic Mental Illness

This panel featured Dr. Elizabeth Pennock, Director of the Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling; Dr. Irene Kraegel, Director of the Counseling and Wellness Center at Calvin University, and Dr. Kate Finley, Associate Professor of Philosophy at Hope College. They discussed key questions about the Christian life and witness in the context of Christians experiencing ongoing mental health challenges.

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A Long Obedience: Cultivating Christian Virtue in Long-term Illness

This panel featured Dr. Rebecca Konyndyk DeYoung, Professor of Philosophy at Calvin University; Dr. Matthew Levering, Professor of Theology at Mundelein Seminary; Dr. Peter Jaggard, M.D. in Internal Medicine and Geriatrics in Evanston, IL; and Rev. Wendy Haack, Hospital Chaplain at Northwestern University Hospital. Panelists explored the theme of the Year One colloquy .

View the Recording

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