Spirituality and Medicine

About the Book

Spirituality and Medicine:  can the two walk together, summarizes the Howard University Hospital's Seminar Series on Spirituality and Medicine over a ten-year period, from 1998-2007.  It meticulously presents a compelling discussion through five chapters which summarize such titles as, Perspectives on death and dying, The spiritual side of medicine:  the art and science of healing, The power of faith and the use of prayer, Renewing the mind and its impact on health and The scientific and spiritual aspects of the soul. 

The foundation for the discussion is grounded in the history of medicine and cultural anthropology and is explicated in a "reader friendly" fashion throughout the text.  As the discussion integrates various aspects of the union of spirituality and medicine, helpful tools are provided that shed light on relevant legal and scientific issues concerned with end of life care.  The book includes a glossary of terms that is very helpful to the reader.

The scientific information presented is based upon fact and the standards of medical research as published in peer-reviewed journals.  Additionally, many testimonials attesting to the connection of spirituality and health and the first-hand knowledge of physicians and clergy experiencing this connection are also included.

The language, content and context of this book are designed in such a way as to appeal to readers from all walks of life and leave them with the resounding conclusion that spirituality and health have always and shall continue, to walk together.

About the Author

Glenda F. Hodges, PhD, JD, MDiv is the Director of Community Relations at Howard University Hospital in Washington, DC.  In 1998, Dr. Hodges, along with Robert H. Williams, MD, hosted the hospital's first Spirituality and Medicine Seminar Series.  The seminars have been held yearly at the hospital since that time.  As an ordained Itinerant Elder in the African Methodist Episcopal Church, Dr. Hodges has been "up close and personal" witrh parishioners and patients who have struggled to understand the presence of a higher power as they have fought for their lives in the midst of various illnesses. Although a serious academician, with five university degrees (BA, MA, PhD, JD, MDiv), Dr. Hodges is quite relaxed in her role as hospital administrator at Howard University Hospital and extremely passionate about the union of spirituality and medicine.  A native of Selma, North Carolina and the seventh of eight children borne to Bishop Clinton Franklin Hodges and Elder Lillian M. Hodges, Dr. Hodges is a respected scholar, preacher and teacher.  

Harold B. Betton, BS, MS, MD, MA, PhD, is a Family Practioner in Little Rock, Arkansas in his thirty-first year of practice and in his 15th year as Pastor of New Light Baptist Church. also in Little Rock.  He and his two associates conduct more than 26,000 patient visits annually.  His passion for the synthesis of spirituality and medicine is very evident in his practice of medicine.  As co-author of Spirituality and Medicine:  can the two walk together, Dr. Betton brings a refreshing touch that exposes the science of medicine in conjunction with its spiritual side.  This stimulating exchange helps the reader grapple with the truth that Dr. Betton espouses, that spirituality and medicine are partners in God's magnificent handiwork.