This series of articles offers some snapshots from history to demonstrate that the world has been changed immeasurably for the better because of the life and witness of Christ’s followers. In this fourth article we see that Christians through history and today are in the forefront of providing healthcare and other humanitarian reforms for a world in great need of such.

The God of mercy has compassion on all he has made, and his followers have been at the forefront of efforts to relieve suffering and need. The West has a strong tradition of philanthropy that has created a culture of giving and sharing that is unmatched in any other civilisation in history. The parable of the Good Samaritan has been described as the parable that changed the world.