RECLAIMING THE BODY
Christians and the faithful use of modern medicine
By Joel Shuman and Brian Volck. Brazos Press. 174 pages. £10.00
ISBN 1-58743-127-0
This book is one of a series published by the Ekklesia Project, ‘an ecumenical gathering of pastors, theologians and lay leaders committed to helping the church recall its status as the distinctive real-world community dedicated to the priorities and practices of Jesus Christ’. One of the authors is a paediatrician, the other teaches moral theology at a Catholic college in Pennsylvania.
It is not a conventional textbook on medical ethics, but rather an attempt ‘to explore medicine as if God actually mattered’. The ‘body’ of the title refers to the church (which, for the authors, consists of those who are baptised and participate in the Eucharist) and readers are encouraged to adopt a communal approach to medicine and illness. The early chapters are somewhat philosophical, and explore the nature of modern medicine, including it, rather unconvincingly in my opinion, among Paul’s ‘principalities and powers’. We are reminded that Christians should never consider a doctor’s care sufficient for the needs of the ill, but should provide care within the church.
