Granulomatosis With Polyangiitis (Acts 11:26)

There is a movement in medicine to rename diseases, previously designated by eponyms. Some of these diseases were named after German physicians who have been shown to have worked and collaborated with the infamous medical experimentation of the Nazi German regime, during World War II. One of these physicians was Friedrich Wegener. Dr. Wegener was a pathologist who discovered a disease in 1937. This rare disease, soon dubbed Wegener’s Granulomatosis, is an autoimmune disease, a condition where the body’s immune system attacks the blood vessels leading to devastating complications in the skin, kidneys, and lungs. However, once more information was revealed about Dr. Wegener’s past affiliations, a movement started to rename this disease descriptively as Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis, a cumbersome but accurate description of the pathology of the disease. Because of the negative personal and professional associations of Dr. Wegener, other physicians no longer wanted to dignify a disease, which he discovered, with his name. The name evoked too many painful and negative memories.

...And in Antioch the disciples were first called Christians.
Acts 11:26

The Bible informs us that followers of Jesus Christ were first called Christians in the city of Antioch. Prior to this, they were known as followers of the Way. But the name Christian is so much more powerful. It identifies the believer with their namesake, the object of their highest devotion.

A name is a powerful reminder of a person. Some names evoke shame and hatred and are best left unspoken. Others evoke love and awe and should be proudly declared. If you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, the name of Jesus Christ should be spoken with reverence and love, wherever and whenever possible. There is no shame or hatred associated with the name.

Love and trust the Lord; seek His will in your life.