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Education news and issues in the Ozarks.

What's the Connection Between Religion and Health?

An old illustration of a person tending to a sick person in bed.

How did early American Protestants respond to disease and suffering? What role did religion play in their response to sickness?

In her new book, “The Course of God’s Providence: Religion, Health, and the Body in Early America, author Dr. Pippa Koch explores the doctrine of providence – a belief in a divine plan for the world – and its manifestations in 18th century America. 

Koch, an assistant professor of religious studies at Missouri State University, shares why she wrote the book and what it covers.

Read the full transcript

You can buy Koch’s book online, such as Amazon or NYU Press.

A native of Malaysia, Emily moved to Springfield in 2010 and started working at Missouri State University in 2014. She’s currently the assistant director in the Office of Strategic Communication. She has a BA in Mass Communications from Colorado State University-Pueblo and a Master of Journalism from Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada.
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