BIOETHICAL ISSUES
Understanding and responding to the
culture of death
By John R Ling
DayOne. 312 pages. £10.00
ISBN 978 1 846 254 277
John Ling’s book sets out to instruct ‘ordinary’ Christians – not academics or scientists – in the range and depth of bioethical issues with which society grapples.
It takes on everything from abortion to euthanasia (via in-vitro fertilisation, surroga-cy, human embryo experimentation, cloning, stem cell technologies, genetic engineering, screening for genetic disabilities, gene therapy and infanticide), putting them in the context of biblical teaching. He does so not merely to educate, but to spur us to stand up for an informed, Bible-based alternative to our prevailing culture, where human life is devalued and so casually destroyed – the ‘culture of death’ of the subtitle. He proposes that the appalling scale of the deliberate, legally-sanctioned ending of human life is in part a result of the silence and inaction of Christians.
Issues in depth
Most of the book is devoted to describing the main issues in some depth, as well as a number of more peripheral issues and concepts. One chapter is devoted to the history of abortion law, illustrating how we have got to where we are and how lessons can be learned for future engagement on this and other life-and-death issues. Each chapter ends with questions to provoke further individual thought or group discussion. This is not light reading, but the author’s extensive knowledge and years of experience of bioeth-ical debate in public life are evident. We are challenged to recognise how these matters touch us all, and each of us is urged to act as Christ’s ambassadors wherever we encounter them, whether through individual conversations, teaching and discussion in our churches, or by public debate in our communities.
The final chapter is a comprehensive, balanced and persuasive overview of the range of actions towards which our knowledge and beliefs should drive us. Without action, our claim to hold those beliefs is of questionable benefit (James 2:16). Although this book is about bioethical issues, this chapter contains wisdom for exercising faithful discipleship which is applicable to more than just the bioethical arena. The call to snap out of our apathy is complemented by a warning to exercise restraint and take a biblical stand within the law. In between those two extremes there are things which all of us can and should be doing.
