My wife went to church last Wednesday night and brought home a CD of the pastor's message. As she handed it to me, she said, "You should listen to this; you'll like it." Our family regularly goes to church and our faith plays a major role in our lives.
The pastor began his message by telling us ways he was beginning to notice he was getting older. He related that recent activities had moved him to visit his doctor of chiropractic, who is also a member of our church. He went on to discuss how his chiropractor had adjusted him and made some additional recommendations for his health. While you may have already experienced your pastor talking about chiropractic as part of their sermon, this was my first time.
What made this sermon especially poignant for me is my immediate recollection of several religious groups who, decades ago, labeled chiropractic a "cult."1 This was based upon their reliance on false statements made by a very anti-chiropractic group that called itself the National Council Against Health Fraud.2 This group was essentially comprised of a handful of individuals who were adamantly against any form of alternative health care and were particularly vocal against chiropractic.
Over the years, Dynamic Chiropractic has published many articles about the council's activities, which waned over the years and finally came to an end with the demise of its leaders.3-4
As our pastor shared information about his visit with his DC, he talked about how his body didn't recover the way it used to. He shared that his chiropractor gave him "adjustments" and how these benefited his health. He also noted that his doctor talked to him about exercise and other things that would help him be healthier.
While I greatly appreciated the pastor's endorsement of chiropractic from the pulpit, I found myself wondering just how his extensive discussion of going to his chiropractor and getting adjusted would relate to the rest of his message. And then I heard it: "God wants to make an adjustment in your life."
What a great line! Our pastor was equating the life-giving impact of a chiropractic adjustment to the life-giving impact of a spiritual adjustment. I couldn't help but get excited at how this analogy would help the congregation better understand the value of chiropractic.
The rest of the message played upon this analogy, consistently reinforcing the concept that an "adjustment" is powerful and can change your life. Even the most naïve attendee would have left the service with a clear understanding of how important the chiropractic adjustment is.
In closing, the pastor shared that "the adjustment God makes in these few moments is wonderful, but like with the chiropractor, you need to go home and you need to exercise this out."
If you haven't been a member of the chiropractic profession for the past 30-plus years, you may not fully appreciate the value of having the chiropractic adjustment so well-understood and valued by churchgoers. We enjoy endorsements from sports figures on a consistent basis. Now, at least in my church, we have an endorsement that recognizes how an adjustment can make an important impact on your health.
Helping our communities understand the value of the chiropractic adjustment is not as hard as it may seem. There are many opportunities that may be going unnoticed. Think about new ways you can share chiropractic this week. In fact, if you'd like to share them with me (and your colleagues), visit my Facebook and Twitter pages.
References
- Hendrickson RM. "Just When You Think You've Heard It All." Dynamic Chiropractic, July 4, 1990.
- "National Council Against Health Care Fraud." Dynamic Chiropractic, Oct. 10, 1990.
- "President of National Council Against Health Fraud Dies." Dynamic Chiropractic, Oct. 2, 2000.
- Sportelli L. "Bye Bye Barrett." Dynamic Chiropractic, Aug. 27, 2007.
Read more findings on my blog: http://blog.toyourhealth.com/wrblog/. You can also visit me on Facebook.
Click here for more information about Donald M. Petersen Jr., BS, HCD(hc), FICC(h), Publisher.