UNDERSTANDING SUICIDE AND EUTHANASIA:
A contemporary and biblical perspective
By D. Eryl Davies
Christian Focus. 104 pages. £4.99
ISBN 978 1 527 104 204
Understanding Suicide and Euthanasia is part of the Christian Pocket Guides series, and seeks to give a contemporary and biblical perspective on these pressing issues of our time.
In a world where the human right to have control over our lives is assumed, having some idea of where we stand on matters of life and death is vital for Christians. In this book Eryl Davies gives a decent overview of the upward statistical trends in assisted death and euthanasia, the cultural climate that has led our society to increasingly view euthanasia as a ‘right’, and a solidly biblical view of why – if God has made us in His image – this is not a viewpoint Christians can share. Even as he holds this position, Davies still rightly endeavours to compassionately identify with the incredibly sensitive and painful circumstances that might lead one to consider euthanasia, and seeks to show how a knowledge of Christ and a biblical view of suffering could help sufferers and their families.
The intended ‘pocket size’ of the book is helpful, giving a decent introductory overview of the matters at hand without requiring too long to read. It is perhaps not the most flowingly written, but the information is clear enough.
Although the bulk of the book discusses euthanasia, at the end Davies includes a section on suicide. He again rightly wants churches thinking and speaking about this painful subject, and gives some brief but helpful guidance on what it might look like to walk alongside those feeling suicidal. It is however unclear at points whether he is speaking to those feeling suicidal or those walking alongside them; in this section his approach feels at times slightly simplistic or even brusque, with advice that includes mentioning ‘We ought to change our attitudes towards ourselves and become more positive’. This seems easier said than done for anyone in severely depressive ruts. If readers do know those tempted to suicide, this might not be the most helpful book to give them; in any event, I’m sure the author would agree that nothing can substitute for the patient friendship and love of a Christian walking alongside any such sufferer.
As an introductory guide, this short book gives a decent contemporary understanding and biblical overview for how to think about issues we increasingly need to speak out on.
