The Science and Practice of Public Health in Dialogue with Christian Faith

Public health is the discipline of disease prevention and health promotion among populations. Preceding modern medicine, public health represents the earliest human attempts to reduce morbidity and mortality at the population level. As such, the science and practice of public health has been influenced by Christian theology and the contributions of Christian public health scientists from its beginnings. In the modern era, public health functions as a government agency, but is supported by many non-profit organizations, including the faith community. This review article defines public health, including the process by which public health was formalized as a science and a practice, including public health education and certification. It also describes the contributions of Christian scholars and Christian organizations to public health. Gaps in the scholarship addressing Christianity and public health are identified throughout, including where Christian scholarship in public health may uniquely enrich an understanding of public health and its practice.