Christians and Cancer

I'm not quite sure what to make of this.

Of course studies can be wrong, and how were these people really "religious"? Nevertheless, it is somewhat disturbing. Of course we should fight cancer, or any other disease or injury. But at what point do we stop? Is there a line that we should not cross? I think it all has to do with your heart. Perhaps life has become an idol for you. Perhaps you really don't believe that Christ should be more important than even life itself. We say that we are doing it for the Lord, allowing him the ability to heal us, or convinced that we have work yet to do, but we are really afraid of losing something else we have made ultimate. Maybe our families, or something else.

I am treading on delicate ground here. My point is not that we shouldn't fight or stop praying. My point is that we simultaneously do that and believe deeply that "God's will be done." I think Paul's heart was in the right place when he said, "I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body," (Philippians 1:23-24).

My sense is that this study included a lot of heath-and-wealthers. This errant theology has infected much of the American church, unfortunately. Satan uses prosperity theology, it seems, precisely so that we will lose hope. If your only hope is that God will heal you in accordance with your faith on this planet, then you most assuredly lose faith, because God doesn't always see fit to heal miraculously. We must learn to cry "Glory!" to God for healing or for killing. And perhaps this will guide us at the end of life. But how much, how long should we fight? I don't know.

For more on health and wealth, I commend to you randy Alcorn's article here.