Matters of life and death: Human Dilemmas in the Light of the Christian Faith

by John Wyatt

This volume offers biblical perspectives on humanness, infertility, the quest for the perfect child, genetics, biotechnology and stem cells, abortion and infanticide, euthanasia and assisted suicide, and concludes with a look at the future of humanity. Sensitive and gracious, it acts as a companion to those engaging with the issues in their professional and personal lives, and in public debates. John Wyatt examines the issues surrounding the beginning and end of life against the background of current medical-ethical thought. Writing out of a deep conviction that the Bible's view of our humanness points a way forward, he suggests how Christian healthcare professionals, churches and individuals can respond to today's challenges and opportunities.

Genres: Christian, Theology, Nonfiction

304 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

Reviews

[Olivia Abrams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Must read for any Christian going into healthcare.
Whether or not you agree with all the stances, John’s principle of using Gods word to seek godly wisdom which enables him to work through both what it means to be human and how, as caregivers, we can love and respect all of humanity as image bearers, models a career lived for Jesus.

[Tim Murphy · Rating 5 out of 5]

John Wyatt is a neonatal doctor and educator in Britain; he has for decades been on the front line of the difficult questions of life and death at both ends of the question. In this book, he explores those hard questions from a thoroughly biblical and Christian point of view. He covers the hard questions of conception, surrogates, testing and medical problems in the womb, neonatal problems, then questions about assisted suicide, aging, end-of-life and death. He does not shirk from the hard questions, nor does he posit glib answers to excruciating and difficult dilemma that medical technologies have raised. Rather, he lays out a biblical worldview for examining the questions and invites all to exhibit some humility in answering them.

Highly recommended reading.

[Olesya · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a must-read for every Christian doctor! The author in a very consistent manner tries to explain the most important challenges of the medical ethics of our times. He is not presenting his thoughts as dogmas but tries to understand the problem from both secular and Christian point of view. And yet somehow after reading this book, you feel more confident, more valuable, more secure about ethical choices. Physician as art restorers, caring of patients process as expert-expert relationships, compassion as respect-based interaction against pity...
Definitely recommended!

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a Christian book aimed at a Christian audience, but even as a nonchristian I found it interesting and enlightening. I support the intrinsic worth of all human beings, even though I'm an atheist, and I found good information in this.

[Pdaves · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite books - provides a clear understanding and a biblical view of ethical issues related to life and death.

[Jake Ruefer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Much better than other books in this field! Gets relatively specific which many of these books don’t.

[Violeta Altmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rich & well documented material, with pursuit of objectivity and yet personal and vulnerable at times. Quite thought provoking. I found out new things definitely. And my perspective broadened.

[Ian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Firstly, it should be noted that this book is written from a Christian perspective. Very interesting and helpful book on contemporary biomedical controversies. John Wyatt's basic premise is that Christians are called to be renovators of the human body rather than design it in any way they want. Great overview for general interest and I think also quite technical to be helpful for medics.