The Christian Medical Fellowship (CMF), founded in 1949, is an

evangelical Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide interdenominational movement within Protestant Christianity that affirms the centrality of being " born again", in which an individual expe ...

interdenominational Interdenominationalism is an evangelical Protestant movement of cooperation among various Christian denominations. History The movement has its origins in the founding of the London Missionary Society, a missionary society, in 1795 by variou ...

organisation that links together Christian doctors,

medical student A medical school is a tertiary educational institution, or part of such an institution, that teaches medicine, and awards a professional degree for physicians. Such medical degrees include the Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS, MB ...

s, nurses and midwives in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

(UK). CMFs stated aims are "uniting Christian doctors", "supporting Christian medical students", "advancing Christian mission", "publishing Christian literature", "encourage and equip Christian doctors and nurses to live and speak for Jesus Christ" and "promoting Christian values". The organisation publishes two journals, ''Triple Helix'' (for doctors) and ''Nucleus'' (for students), several smaller publications, and some books. CMF organises

conferences A conference is a meeting of two or more experts to discuss and exchange opinions or new information about a particular topic. Conferences can be used as a form of group decision-making, although discussion, not always decisions, are the main ...

on a local and national basis and promotes and supports Christian medical mission overseas. CMF is linked to similar organisations in many countries through the

International Christian Medical and Dental Association The International Christian Medical and Dental Association (ICMDA) is an international organisation of Christians in medicine and dentistry. Its vision is to see a Christian witness through doctors and dentists in every community in every nat ...

and the

Universities and Colleges Christian Fellowship Universities and Colleges Christian Fellowship (UCCF) is a UK-based charity that was founded in 1928 as the Inter-Varsity Fellowship of Evangelical Unions. UCCF's dual aims are: #To advance the evangelical Christian faith amongst students, gr ...

for its

Medical ethics

CMF regularly contributes to debate on issues of medical ethics, such as making submissions to the UK

House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by appointment, heredity or official function. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminste ...

enquiry into

physician-assisted suicide Assisted suicide is suicide undertaken with the aid of another person. The term usually refers to physician-assisted suicide (PAS), which is suicide that is assisted by a physician or other healthcare provider. Once it is determined that the p ...

, and is opposed to legal access to

abortion Abortion is the termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. An abortion that occurs without intervention is known as a miscarriage or "spontaneous abortion"; these occur in approximately 30% to 40% of pre ...

and

euthanasia in the United Kingdom Active euthanasia is illegal in the United Kingdom. Passive euthanasia Although it is an offence to actively end a patient's life, many doctors still assist their patients with their wishes by withholding treatment and reducing pain, "accordi ...

. In some of these activities, CMF works together with other faith-based and non-faith-based groups, such as the Care Not Killing Alliance and the Lawyers' Christian Fellowship. The position of the Christian Medical Fellowship has been to actively encourage doctors and medical students to use opportunities arising from the doctor-patient relationship to discuss faith with patients.

Criticism

The Christian Medical Fellowship has been the subject of complaint from several

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

leaders to the

Select Committee on Religious Offences objecting to a claim that

Hinduism Hinduism () is an Indian religion or '' dharma'', a religious and universal order or way of life by which followers abide. As a religion, it is the world's third-largest, with over 1.2–1.35 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global p ...

was a 'false religion.'. In October 2007, the Christian Medical Fellowship was accused by ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' newspaper of attempting to skew the balance of evidence presented at the Parliamentary review of the UK's laws on abortion due to a number of its members presenting evidence at the Parliamentary Select Committee without revealing their membership and seniority within the organisation. The members concerned stated that they were submitting evidence as individuals, not as representatives of CMF, and they declared their affiliation when asked to do so in an unusual step by the Committee.

References

External links

Christian Medical Fellowship Official Site
* {{authority control Evangelicalism in the United Kingdom Medical associations based in the United Kingdom Organizations established in 1949 Evangelical parachurch organizations

Medical ethics

Criticism

See also

References

External links