Suffering Presence: Theological Reflections on Medicine, the Mentally Handicapped, and the Church

by Stanley Hauerwas

In Suffering Presence , ethicist Stanley Hauerwas delivers a well-formed theological perspective that illuminates the moral life, particularly medical care and the care of children and the handicapped.

Genres: Theology, Disability, Religion

233 pages, Paperback

First published April 30, 1986

About the author

Stanley Hauerwas (PhD, Yale University) is the Gilbert T. Rowe Professor of Theological Ethics at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. He is the author of numerous books, including Cross-Shattered Christ, A Cross-Shattered Church, War and the American Difference, and Matthew in the Brazos Theological Commentary on the Bible.

America's Best Theologian according to Time Magazine (2001), though he rejected the title saying, "Best is not a theological category."

Reviews

[Jared Korver · Rating 5 out of 5]

Phenomenal. Hauerwas gets at a number of really important topics in the world of medicine. Shows the danger in basing everything on "rights" language, makes an incredible case for the role of suffering in our lives, and points to the absurdity of a medical profession existing at all except as a community's ethic of caring well for suffering people over and above curing them.

[Nathan Douthit · Rating 3 out of 5]

Helpful little book. A good intro to some thoughts on Christian medical ethics. While I disagreed with the author theologically, and was a bit frustrated by some of the lack of conclusions, I was aided by his thought process and found his questions guided me in my thought process.

[steds · Rating 2 out of 5]

thought provoking, disagree on implications theologically and is dated with regard to mental health.