Evangelicals Now
<< February 2003 >>

On Eagle's Wings

A Christian Perspective on ME

Weary and burdened?

ON EAGLE'S WINGS
A Christian perspective on ME
By Hazel Stapleton
Quinta Press. 71 pages
ISBN 1 89785613 X

Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME) is a distressing and controversial condition.
More accurately known as 'Chronic Fatigue Syndrome', it is, as the name suggests, characterised by a feeling of ongoing tiredness and lack of energy. The cause is unknown but anecdote attributes it to viral infections. On Eagle's Wings is a 71-page booklet written by an ME sufferer which seeks to provide a Christian view point of the illness and give some practical advice. It is aimed at those with ME, their families and friends to encourage them 'to hope in the Lord however difficult their situation may be'.

The book makes a number of unsubstantiated assertions which require comment. First, there is no evidence that ME can potentially be fatal (p.17). Nor is there any evidence that ME can be precipitated by vaccination (p.16). The author points out that ME is often associated with depression but is emphatic that this is a consequence of ME and not the cause. The jury is still out on this one. I suspect that this book is really aimed at those people who have self-diagnosed ME, because the dynamic is to 'get an early diagnosis' and 'find a GP who is sympathetic' and, if necessary, change GP until one gets the desired professional endorsement (p.23).

The question gnawing at the back of my mind as I read this book was this: could it be that some of our brothers and sisters in Christ are self-diagnosing ME because the rest of us have a problem with depressed Christians, or people just plain burnt out often in Christian service? In this case 'sympathetic GPs' may be tacitly endorsing a convenient diagnostic safe haven to help their patients get the support they genuinely need from our churches.

The book gives a thumbs up for the efficacy of Homeopathy - so depending on what take you have on this therapy may determine how you view ME. Regardless of whether you see ME as a physical or a psycho-somatic illness it still needs to be taken seriously and sympathetically, I feel.

Incidentally, I hope that EN readers will appreciate that not all medical websites are helpful. There isn't a committee somewhere vetting what goes on the internet. You will find good stuff there but also sensationalism, lobby groups with their own agendas and, of course, the crazies - just like any other genre. Caveat emptor.

On Eagle's Wings does have a good section on 'Why Does God Allow Us To Suffer?' and contains helpful advice on coping with a chronic illness as a Christian. But these are not enough, in my opinion, to redeem this book. It isn't all bad but frankly the flaws are too significant, the medical advice too partial and the perspective too superficial for me to commend it. There has to be a better Christian approach to these issues.

Peter Swift, London

Peter is a senior staff nurse on a children's intensive care unit, and is also on the executive committee of Christian Nurses and Midwives (CNM).