We may be entering a golden age in healthcare thanks to dramatic improvements being made in diagnostic procedures and therapies. Many individuals will soon live longer, healthier, and more productive lives. But do these advances also bring the risk of losing one's humanity? Could this progress require the transformation of humans into a new and different species?  
  
In many respects, medicine serves as a surrogate religion in today's societies. Although a proper concern for health is compatible with Christian faith, recent and anticipated advances in extending human longevity are often based on philosophical presuppositions and religious values that are adverse to core Christian beliefs and convictions. In This Mortal Flesh, theologian and ethicist Brent Waters examines the Christian moral life in light of critical bioethical issues, such as biotechnology and physical/cognitive enhancement, reproductive technology, human genetics, embryonic stem cell research, and regenerative medicine. He also examines the "posthuman project," exploring what it means to be human in light of the denial of mortality. Grounding his theological reflections in the doctrine of the incarnation, Waters argues that it is good to be embodied, finite, and mortal.  
  
"This Mortal Flesh represents the distillation of much fine thinking. Brent Waters is concerned less with resolving bioethical dilemmas and more with probing the significance for medicine of the fundamental Christian claim that the Word became flesh. The result is an unusually illuminating display of Christian wisdom concerning technological ambitions that puts in question the meaning of humanity itself."--__Robert Song__, senior lecturer in Christian ethics, Durham University

__Brent Waters__ (DPhil, University of Oxford) is Jerre and Mary Joy Stead Professor of Christian Social Ethics at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary in Evanston, Illinois, where he also directs the Jerre L. and Mary Joy Stead Center for Ethics and Values. He is ordained in the United Church of Christ; has authored, edited, or contributed to many books; and serves on the advisory board of Christian Bioethics.

Although a proper concern for health is compatible with Christian faith, recent and anticipated advances in extending human longevity are often based on philosophical presuppositions and religious values that are adverse to core Christian beliefs and convictions. In this solid text, theologian and ethicist Brent Waters reflects on the formation, practice, and meaning of the Christian moral life in light of selected bioethical issues. Theologically grounding his reflections on the doctrine of the incarnation, Waters considers issues such as biotechnology and physical/cognitive enhancement, reproductive technology, human genetics, embryonic stem cell research, and regenerative medicine. He also examines the "posthuman project," exploring what it means to be human in light of the denial of mortality.

A leading ethicist addresses critical issues in bioethics through the theological lens of the incarnation.

1\. How Brave a New World? God, Technology, and Medicine  
2\. A Theological Reflection on Reproductive Medicine  
3\. Are Our Genes Our Fate? Genomics and Christian Theology  
4\. Persons, Neighbors, and Embryos: Some Ethical Reflections on Human Cloning and Stem Cell Research  
5\. Extending Human Life: To What End?  
6\. What Is Christian about Christian Bioethics?  
7\. Revitalizing Medicine: Empowering Natality vs. Fearing Mortality  
8\. The Future of the Human Species  
9\. Creation, Creatures, and Creativity: The Word and the Final Word  
Index

Waters, Brent

Back Cover

Although a proper concern for health is compatible with Christian faith, recent and anticipated advances in extending human longevity are often based on philosophical presuppositions and religious values that are adverse to core Christian beliefs and convictions. In this solid text, theologian and ethicist Brent Waters reflects on the formation, practice, and meaning of the Christian moral life in light of selected bioethical issues. Theologically grounding his reflections on the doctrine of the incarnation, Waters considers issues such as biotechnology and physical/cognitive enhancement, reproductive technology, human genetics, embryonic stem cell research, and regenerative medicine. He also examines the"posthuman project," exploring what it means to be human in light of the denial of mortality.

Although a proper concern for health is compatible with Christian faith, various advances in extending human longevity are often based on philosophical presuppositions and religious values that are adverse to core Christian beliefs. This book reflects on the formation, practice, and meaning of Christian moral life in light of bioethical issues.

Although a proper concern for health is compatible with Christian faith, recent and anticipated advances in extending human longevity are often based on philosophical presuppositions and religious values that are adverse to core Christian beliefs and convictions. In this solid text, theologian and ethicist Brent Waters reflects on the formation, practice, and meaning of the Christian moral life in light of selected bioethical issues. Theologically grounding his reflections on the doctrine of the incarnation, Waters considers issues such as biotechnology and physical/cognitive enhancement, reproductive technology, human genetics, embryonic stem cell research, and regenerative medicine. He also examines the 'posthuman project', exploring what it means to be human in light of denying mortality.

Brent Waters (DPhil, University of Oxford) is Jerre and Mary Joy Stead Professor of Christian Social Ethics at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary in Evanston, Illinois, where he also directs the Jerre L. and Mary Joy Center for Ethics and Values.

The Good Book Stall

Are there no limits to what science can achieve? Should there be self-imposed limits – for humanity’s sake? These are the questions that are never far from any of the chapters in this book.  
Professor Waters, who is the Director of a Centre for Social Ethics and Values at the Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary, USA, and a minister in the United Church of Christ, begins by noting the extraordinary achievements of modern scientific medicine and healthcare and the promise of more astonishing things to come. We are destined to live healthier and more productive lives well into advanced old age, thanks to better diagnosis, treatment and therapies. But just how desirable is all of this?  
Waters offers a critique of these advances from the perspective of the Christian faith, both its doctrines and its ethics. There is a general introduction to the brave new world of modern technology and medicine, and then separate chapters that consider specific issues. Each issue is described in non-technical language – though any commonly used technical terms are introduced and explained – and then commented on using the resources of the Christian tradition.  
So he considers, among other matters: reproductive techniques; genomics; embryos, stem cell research and human cloning; extending human life; bioethics; ‘revitalizing medicine’; euthanasia; and so on.   
His critiques are generally the result of reflecting on the doctrine of the incarnation and what that tells us about human nature and destiny. On the whole, he is rarely enthusiastic about modern trends, but fears what many of these developments may be revealing about our understanding of what it is to be human. His greatest fear is that in the name of creativity we are justifying a ‘growing technological ability to extract and manipulate data, an act that is inherently destructive and violent.’  
You might not agree with all of Water’s criticisms, but reading him will make you think through your own position more clearly.

This Mortal Flesh

This Mortal Flesh [eBook]

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