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Begotten or Made?
“Though written decades ago, this little book by O’Donovan is a masterpiece and still one of the best reflections on what it means to be human in our modern world. It transformed my own thinking on key issues and deserves to be widely read by a new generation of theologians, philosophers, and pastors.”
– Carl R. Trueman, Professor of Biblical & Religious Studies, Grove City College “Oliver O’Donovan is a giant of our time. This is among his most important books, and it becomes more relevant and necessary every day. A prophetic classic!”
– Matthew Levering, James N. Jr. and Mary D. Perry Chair of Theology, Mundelein Seminary “Forty years after it first appeared, Begotten or Made may be more relevant than ever. Oliver O’Donavan displays the best of theological method in engaging contemporary moral, cultural, and political questions in thinking holistically about how technology can support or undermine human dignity and human flourishing, and how it can transform our thinking and living. The chapter on sexual identity and transgender ‘medicine’ is worth the price of the book alone.”
– Ryan T. Anderson, President of the Ethics and Public Policy Center, and author of When Harry Became Responding to the Transgend er Moment
How is it that we have so lost sight of the meaning of the human person that our very biological sex is seen as just another medical problem to be solved by technique? In a society that has rejected all moral norms, that refuses to honor God as Creator, what hope do we have of stemming the tide of scientific intervention into even the most sacred dimensions of our humanity? In this prescient volume, originally published in 1984, the eminent theological ethicist Oliver O’Donovan offers a penetrating analysis of our confusion over human nature and the proper boundaries of medical science. O’Donovan exposes the assumptions that underlie new technologies that presume to “make” human life, and offers Christians the philosophical clarity they need to navigate the torrent of increasingly baffling ethical questions they face. Today we need this wisdom more than ever, which is why the Davenant Institute is proud to be publishing this affordable new edition for the 21st century, complete with a new introduction by Matthew Lee Anderson and a retrospective by the author.
– Carl R. Trueman, Professor of Biblical & Religious Studies, Grove City College “Oliver O’Donovan is a giant of our time. This is among his most important books, and it becomes more relevant and necessary every day. A prophetic classic!”
– Matthew Levering, James N. Jr. and Mary D. Perry Chair of Theology, Mundelein Seminary “Forty years after it first appeared, Begotten or Made may be more relevant than ever. Oliver O’Donavan displays the best of theological method in engaging contemporary moral, cultural, and political questions in thinking holistically about how technology can support or undermine human dignity and human flourishing, and how it can transform our thinking and living. The chapter on sexual identity and transgender ‘medicine’ is worth the price of the book alone.”
– Ryan T. Anderson, President of the Ethics and Public Policy Center, and author of When Harry Became Responding to the Transgend er Moment
How is it that we have so lost sight of the meaning of the human person that our very biological sex is seen as just another medical problem to be solved by technique? In a society that has rejected all moral norms, that refuses to honor God as Creator, what hope do we have of stemming the tide of scientific intervention into even the most sacred dimensions of our humanity? In this prescient volume, originally published in 1984, the eminent theological ethicist Oliver O’Donovan offers a penetrating analysis of our confusion over human nature and the proper boundaries of medical science. O’Donovan exposes the assumptions that underlie new technologies that presume to “make” human life, and offers Christians the philosophical clarity they need to navigate the torrent of increasingly baffling ethical questions they face. Today we need this wisdom more than ever, which is why the Davenant Institute is proud to be publishing this affordable new edition for the 21st century, complete with a new introduction by Matthew Lee Anderson and a retrospective by the author.
143 pages, Paperback
Published December 2, 2022
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About the author
Oliver O'Donovan
47 books58 followersOliver O'Donovan FBA FRSE (born 1945) is a scholar known for his work in the field of Christian ethics. He has also made contributions to political theology, both contemporary and historical.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
March 16, 2025
Definitely piqued my interest in theological bioethics. My only complaint is how short this was. I want more.
March 10, 2025
Most books become less relevant as time goes on; not so with this one. While originally published in 1984 (no doubt, an ironic year), O'Donovan's cautions about reproductive technologies are prophetic and increasingly necessary to grapple with, warranting this 2022 re-publication.
"Begotten or Made?" is one of the most important books from one of the most important moral theologians of the last century, addressing one of the most important moral topics of our technological society. This is a bold and wise work from O'Donovan, which greatly enhanced my own thinking about reproductive technology and ethics.
"Begotten or Made?" is one of the most important books from one of the most important moral theologians of the last century, addressing one of the most important moral topics of our technological society. This is a bold and wise work from O'Donovan, which greatly enhanced my own thinking about reproductive technology and ethics.
September 20, 2025
thanos fine i’ll do it myself dot gif but with class readings
October 3, 2024
What is the nature of mankind? Are we objects that can be experimented upon? Or do we bear a divine stamp? And what does that imply about how we treat our bodies and babies? O’Donovan spoke prophetically about all this in 1983 and this book captures those speeches and made me seriously examine my assumptions about what are the moral implications of IVF, gamete donation, and transgender surgery.
It is not a dogmatic book, but O’Donovan carefully asks the necessary questions of what are the assumptions of all this medical technology. The crux of his book is what is our collective understanding about what a human is. If we are fundamentally objects that can be made, then morality has no real constraints on either surgery or reproductive technology. Profiteering and “freedom” are given free rein. If instead we are divinely created, then we need to re-think much of what has become commonplace medical practice. It seems once again the Christian foundations Western society rests upon are tampered with at our own risk.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who wrestles with any doubts on the morality of medical practice, especially around fertility.
It is not a dogmatic book, but O’Donovan carefully asks the necessary questions of what are the assumptions of all this medical technology. The crux of his book is what is our collective understanding about what a human is. If we are fundamentally objects that can be made, then morality has no real constraints on either surgery or reproductive technology. Profiteering and “freedom” are given free rein. If instead we are divinely created, then we need to re-think much of what has become commonplace medical practice. It seems once again the Christian foundations Western society rests upon are tampered with at our own risk.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who wrestles with any doubts on the morality of medical practice, especially around fertility.
October 14, 2025
Feels ridiculous to rate a book that demands to be studied rather than read. So much here that is worth pondering deeply. Particularly the nature of a technological mindset, technique, artifice, and the effects these have on our relationship to ourselves and the created order.
January 4, 2023
Review forthcoming
December 17, 2023
This really helped me clarify my thinking.
January 10, 2023
I wish there were 10 more books just like it. This is a masterclass in theological ethics or moral theology. It may be too erudite for the non-academic inclined, but well worth reading and sitting in.
O'Donovan in the afterword, which may shed some light:
"The title of the book was not intended merely as a witty analogy. It pointed back to the unique divine action in the light of which one might, and might feel compelled to, _believe_ in the possibility of such a non-technical human act as 'begetting' a child." [109]
O'Donovan in the afterword, which may shed some light:
"The title of the book was not intended merely as a witty analogy. It pointed back to the unique divine action in the light of which one might, and might feel compelled to, _believe_ in the possibility of such a non-technical human act as 'begetting' a child." [109]
October 16, 2025
I’m not sure who this book is for. It’s not academic enough for scholars (there is no bibliography or other sourcing), but it is far too academic for the layman. This book was recommended to me in sorting through issues of IVF and personhood, but it came up lacking in multiple ways:
1) Points are often unproven or simply assumed. This paragraph left me confused: “The implication would be that the parents who begot a child did so for the sake of the parents who were to care for it. The biological parents acted in order to provide the adoptive parents with a child. The notion that adoption might be conceived in this way is very generally viewed with moral repugnance, and for good reasons.“ Is moral repugnance really the general public response, and if so what are the good reasons for that? The author never says.
2) Major counterpoints are insufficiently addressed. In “Procreation by Donor,” there is a brief section on how the Old Testament views a representative begetting of children with an apt mention of Levitate marriage (a widow marrying the brother of the deceased), but this seems to undermine at least part of the book’s begotten-not-made thesis. The author addresses the question but gives no answer: “What if, taking a leaf out of the levirate marriage system, we suggested that the donor might be the husband's brother? Would we there have such a natural ground of identification between the two men that might make personal representation conceivable without intrusiveness and without the alienation of personal powers? And would this strong ground of identification compensate for the loss of anonymity, with the consequently limited possibility of self-effacement? I leave these questions as questions, not knowing how to answer them.”
3) Subject connections are confusing. There is an extended discussion of transsexual surgery in the “Sex by Artifice” chapter that I could not figure out how it fit into the book’s larger thesis. I thought perhaps the point is that sex is begotten not made, which (whether true or not) would certainly fit into the framework of the book. But surprisingly that doesn’t seem to be the author’s primary emphasis in addressing it. I read this long section twice, and I still couldn’t tell what exactly his point is there.
O’Donovan is clearly intelligent and thoughtful, but to the reader this book is unclear and unhelpful. I too often lost track of his thesis to even be able to assess whether it is true or not. I had high hopes, but my expectation was unmet. Not recommended.
1) Points are often unproven or simply assumed. This paragraph left me confused: “The implication would be that the parents who begot a child did so for the sake of the parents who were to care for it. The biological parents acted in order to provide the adoptive parents with a child. The notion that adoption might be conceived in this way is very generally viewed with moral repugnance, and for good reasons.“ Is moral repugnance really the general public response, and if so what are the good reasons for that? The author never says.
2) Major counterpoints are insufficiently addressed. In “Procreation by Donor,” there is a brief section on how the Old Testament views a representative begetting of children with an apt mention of Levitate marriage (a widow marrying the brother of the deceased), but this seems to undermine at least part of the book’s begotten-not-made thesis. The author addresses the question but gives no answer: “What if, taking a leaf out of the levirate marriage system, we suggested that the donor might be the husband's brother? Would we there have such a natural ground of identification between the two men that might make personal representation conceivable without intrusiveness and without the alienation of personal powers? And would this strong ground of identification compensate for the loss of anonymity, with the consequently limited possibility of self-effacement? I leave these questions as questions, not knowing how to answer them.”
3) Subject connections are confusing. There is an extended discussion of transsexual surgery in the “Sex by Artifice” chapter that I could not figure out how it fit into the book’s larger thesis. I thought perhaps the point is that sex is begotten not made, which (whether true or not) would certainly fit into the framework of the book. But surprisingly that doesn’t seem to be the author’s primary emphasis in addressing it. I read this long section twice, and I still couldn’t tell what exactly his point is there.
O’Donovan is clearly intelligent and thoughtful, but to the reader this book is unclear and unhelpful. I too often lost track of his thesis to even be able to assess whether it is true or not. I had high hopes, but my expectation was unmet. Not recommended.
January 26, 2023
A helpful book that has aged surprisingly well. The introduction to this edition points out that this book raises many important questions, but does not point to answers so many Christians will be divided on some of the conclusions, particularly with reference to contraception.
May 11, 2024
This was a helpful but not uniquely insightful little book. I think it would be good for a first foray into these reproductive science issues. I was not swayed either way by his thoughts to be sure, but it gave me new questions. I will continue to think about this for a while.
February 22, 2023
I would not have thought a book about IVF to be such a thought provoking treatise on what it means to be human, and how technological thinking frames our society.
December 29, 2023
Everyone needs to read this.
June 5, 2024
Excellent.
December 8, 2023
I thoroughly enjoyed reading O'Donovan's ideas on these topics. It was scholarly and accessible at the same time. He did a phenomenal job of working through the topic and arguments and then bringing all the pieces back together.
March 8, 2025
An Amazing Book
Oliver O’Donovan’s Begotten or Made? lives up to its reputation. It is a dense read but well worth the struggle to grasp O’Donovan’s arguments. It is truly astounding that he wrote this book 40 years ago. His arguments are even more pungent 40 years later, when many of his predictions have come to pass (in ways far more troubling than even O’Donovan predicted.)!
Oliver O’Donovan’s Begotten or Made? lives up to its reputation. It is a dense read but well worth the struggle to grasp O’Donovan’s arguments. It is truly astounding that he wrote this book 40 years ago. His arguments are even more pungent 40 years later, when many of his predictions have come to pass (in ways far more troubling than even O’Donovan predicted.)!
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews