Michael Horton, Darryl Hart on “Church Parents,” and the Death of Private Practice

Michael Horton, Darryl Hart on “Church Parents,” and the Death of Private Practice March 26, 2010

If you haven’t read recent texts by Westminster West professor Michael Horton, you should.  He’s a cultural critic of evangelicalism and has much good to say.  Here are some videos to check out.

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While we’re on the subject of cultural critics of evangelicalism, we visit historian Darryl Hart’s blog for a provocative piece.  I heard Hart at the recent Wheaton conference on the early church, where he jokingly called the church fathers the “church parents” in light of gender inclusive language.  I found that hilarious, though it proved highly socially awkward, as no one else laughed.  He also went after the term “gathering”, noting that “we Presbyterians have conferences, not gatherings.” 

By the way, does anyone find it funny that Hart has a blog?  Seems so–I don’t know–modern.  He’s a must-read, wherever he writes.

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From the NYT, we find that “More Doctors Taking Salaried Jobs” over private practice:

[A]n increasing share of young physicians, burdened by medical school debts and seeking regular hours, are deciding against opening private practices. Instead, they are accepting salaries at hospitals and health systems. And a growing number of older doctors — facing rising costs and fearing they will not be able to recruit junior partners — are selling their practices and moving into salaried jobs, too.

As recently as 2005, more than two-thirds of medical practices were physician-owned — a share that had been relatively constant for many years, the Medical Group Management Association says. But within three years, that share dropped below 50 percent, and analysts say the slide has continued.

For patients, the transformation in medicine is a mixed blessing. Ideally, bigger health care organizations can provide better, more coordinated care. But the intimacy of longstanding doctor-patient relationships may be going the way of the house call.

Of course, I’ve never had a house call.  But despite the paper’s assurance that these changes have “very little” to do with recent developments in health-care legislation, I’m calling bluff here…

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I just saw the list of some of the books for the Band of Bloggers event at T4G, and it is a sweet collection.  Just saying.


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