How to Be a Christian in a Brave New World

April 3, 2006
Tada, known among evangelical Christians for living courageously with a spinal cord injury, joins bioethicist Cameron in an engaging, if sometimes strident, critique of biotechnology. While both authors come from the Christian Right and lionize President George W. Bush, they make adept connections across the ideological spectrum—from disability advocacy groups to feminist critics of cloning—with those concerned about the fate of vulnerable individuals in a society that expects biological perfection. At the root of biotech temptations, the authors see a culture that is terrified of suffering. Based on the observation that "all pursuit of medical advancements reflects somebody's morals," they argue that debates over human cloning, embryo research and assisted reproduction are not only necessary but overdue. They fear that already, "millions of Christians have learned the wrong lesson at the outset of the biotech century" because "the evangelical church has consistently avoided facing the question and inquiring and advising appropriately." Readers should warm to the book's combination of personal anecdote, biblical interpretation, humor ("this is not a slide down the slippery slope—this is downhill skiing") and pointed rhetoric that usually leaves little doubt as to where the authors personally stand.

May 1, 2006
Tada, the central player of Joni and Friends, a Christian-focused disability outreach organization, as well as a former member of the National Council on Disability, and Cameron (bioethics, Illinois Inst. of Technology) here attempt to come to terms with just a few of the hot-button issues in medical and technological ethics: stem-cell research, in vitro fertilization, cloning, and end-of-life issues. While their perspectives are confessedly conservative -the book is dedicated to George W. Bush -their work is thoughtfully argued and thoroughly researched. Averse to snap judgments and easy conclusions, the authors ultimately provide biblically based food for thought about serious issues for many readers and study groups.

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