Faith, Prevention and Suffering

A children's board game is used as a springboard to discuss the challenges Christians and Christian organizations face when they attempt to curb the spread of HIV/AIDS, and to assist those who are infected. The challenges include issues of human sexuality and the socio-economic conditions exacerbating the spread of the disease. Also facing the issues of the condemnation of homosexual activity and the opposition to condom use. The stigma attached to the disease, however, could be the most comprehensive and difficult dilemma. It stems from a complex psychological fear of the unknown, an aversion to people who are different, and the fundamental drive for self-preservation. How the church deals with this crisis could determine its viability as a public institution in the 21st century.