Bioethics 101: Preserving Human Dignity

Author and Professor David Vandrunen writes, “… the harvest of new medical technology in the past generation has brought issues of [bioethics] to a level of difficulty, importance, and promise never before seen in human history.” We all exist within a technological golden age, rivaled by no other generation. Technology advances at a pace unprecedented since its inception by the sons of Cain. Unfortunately, this has precipitated a problematic consequence: our advances have outpaced our theology. This is nowhere more true than in the world of medicine and health. From abortion, to gene editing, to cloning, what seemed at one point unfathomable and borderline fiction has become an ever-increasing reality. The Christian, therefore, must take up the responsibility of installing our theology in the world of bioethics, asking “just because we can, does it mean we should?” This series will tackle this question while presenting a Christian approach to bioethical challenges - challenges every one of us will face. Therefore, the question isn’t if we will be affected by bioethical issues, but how we will respond when said issues do occur.

All of the lessons and the corresponding notes can be found below.

Bioethics 101, Part 1 - Introduction to Bioethics

In his book, Bioethics and the Christian, David Vandrunen writes, “Wise action now may prevent a bioethical crisis later.” He then adds, “If Christians wait until a crisis arises to show interest in the character traits necessary to deal with that crisis in a godly way, it is too late.” Therefore, here in lesson 1 - and for the next several weeks - we are going to spend some time thinking about bioethics and how Biblically informed Christians should respond to bioethical situations. The goal of our first lesson is simple: to define bioethics, identify the primary challenges we face, and construct a theological foundation from which we will build our conclusions. Overall, we will learn that for the believer, bioethical decisions must be made as an outpouring of our faith in Christ.

Bioethics 101, Part 2 - Making Life

Our first bioethical issue we will address in this series is the bioethical issues around procreation, specifically in light of infertiliy. What we will learn is that though modern bioethical solutions may solve infertility, perhaps they do so in a way that compromises Scriptural moral truth – truth that must be important for every believer. With that in mind, we will observe what infertility is, the bioethical solutions availaible, the autonomy that fuel them, and the right response of the Christian. In the end, what we must realize is that the one true inalienable right of the Christian isn’t to produce a life but to be raised to new life.

Bioethics 101, Part 3 - Ending Life

Former Franklin Forman Chair of Ethics, Professor of Bioethics and Contemporary Culture, and Director of Bioethics Degree Programs at Trinity International University, Dr. John Kilner joins us as our guest speaker for week three in our Bioethics 101 series. Dr Kilner guides us with wisdom through end-of-life issues, including the problems of overtreatment and undertreatment, how Christians view death, and how we can faithfully respond to treatment options and decisions when at the end of life.

Bioethics 101, Part 4 - Sacrificing Life

Week four of bioethics endeavors to lay out a biologically and scientifically faithful explanation of the bioethical issues surrounding abortion and human embryonic stem cell research. As we face the modern impetus to exterminate the few to favor the many, we are confronted by a disturbing trend to sacrifice life as though it could be ethically categorized as “good.” In the eyes of secular bioethics, the parasitic being - from embryo to fully developed fetus - is ours to do with as we wish. Part 4 of our series will seek to provide the Christian’s response to these morally repugnant realities,

Bioethics 101, Part 5 - Curing Life

Gilbert Meilaender says it well when he writes: “…we have begun to think of ourselves not simply as cooperators with a power greater than our own but as ultimate life-givers. And… we cannot avoid the impetus toward ‘quality control.’” In part 5 of our series in bioethics, we are going to take a look at this process of “quality control” and seek to understand the bioethical issues behind gene editing. Our main idea is simply this: While curing illness is good, curing our God-given humanity is not.

Bioethics 101, Part 6 - “Enhancing” Life

The proverbial saboteur of genetic, biotechnical, and medicinal enhancement is the transition from restoring our health to revising our health. In part 6 of our series in bioethics, we will be looking at enhancement medicines and technologies and how these augmentations present a countertheology - a theology contrary to our own that seeks the worship of a different god. But as we will see, this countertheology is not creative in that in mimics and mocks Christian theology. In comparing and contrasting theologies, we will realize that In place of glory won by Christ, the “enhancement” gospel wants a Christless glory.

Bioethics 101. Part 7 - Giving Life

In Part 7 of our bioethics series, we will be addressing organ donation and human experimentation. We’ve titled this lesson “giving life” because these two issues revolve around the priority of using whatever means possible to give of oneself so as to benefit the lives of those who suffer or are in need, either now or in the future. At first glance, this does not seem contrary to a Christian worldview. We are called to consider the needs of others higher than we do our own (Phil. 2:3), and we are told that there is no greater love than to lay one’s life down for his friends (John 15:13). However, as has been the case for each of the topics we’ve surveyed in our series thus far, there is a subtle, idolatrous tendency within these practices that we must be careful to avoid, lest we seek salvation through medical means and devalue the integrity of the human body. In the end, what we will see is that the greatest gift of life is not in medicine but in Christ.

Bioethics 101, Part 8 - Final Exam, Conclusion, and Q/A

In this final lesson of our series on bioethics, we spend time testing what we’ve learned so far, addressing topics we couldn’t fully flesh out in the series, and answering the thoughtful and important questions that came from students of the course. If you would like to test your knowledge and take the “Final Exam,” the link to the Kahoot quiz will be below. After being redirected to the Kahoot page, simply click “Play Solo,” and then hit “Classic Mode.” After putting in a nickname, you’re good to go!