On Behalf of God: A Christian Ethic for Biology / Edition 1

by Bruce R. Reichenbach, V. Elving Anderson

Overview

This timely work develops a stewardship model of Christian ethics that delivers solid biblical insight into the moral controversies surrounding such biological issues as assisted reproduction, genetics, technology and experimentation, human sexuality, and environmental care. By applying the three divine commands of Genesis 1 and 2 — to fill, rule over, and care for creation — to the most recent research in biology, the authors bridge the expanding gap between science and ethics.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780802807274
Publisher:	Eerdmans, William B. Publishing Company
Publication date:	05/05/1995
Series:	Studies in a Christian World View
Pages:	367
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.82(d)

About the Author

Bruce R. Reichenbach is professor of philosophy, Augsburg College, Minneapolis, Minnesota. His previous books include Reason and Religious Belief: An Introduction to the Philosophy of Religion, The Law of Karma: A Philosophical Study, and Evil and a Good God.

V. Elving Anderson is professor emeritus of genetics, University of Minnesota at Minneapolis. He is coauthor of The Psychoses: Family Studies and co-editor of Genetic Strategies in Epilepsy Research.

Editorial Reviews

Richard H. Bube
—Stanford University
"A comprehensive and useful discussion of Christian ethics applied to a variety of difficult and timely issues is no simple task, but Reichenbach and Anderson have risen to it. They have provided a book that is a great starting place for further consideration of topics such as the environment, assisted reproduction, abortion, surrogacy, the human genome, the pursuit of knowledge, the brain-mind issue, and human sexuality. Their treatment of these issues is integrated by the adoption of a biblically based paradigm from Genesis: 'filling,' 'ruling over,' and 'caring for.' This is a book packed with information, suggestions, and challenges."

Arthur F. Holmes
—Wheaton College
"This fresh, engaging, cutting-edge approach to pressing bioethical concerns is the most significant evangelical work on such matters for decades. Authored jointly by a biologist and a philosopher, based on an ethic of stewardship, and marked by carefully argued proposals, this book merits serious discussion by ethicists, policy makers, and practitioners of every persuasion."

R. J. Berry
—University College London
"An important book for the Christian community. The authors have rescued creation from the polemical battlefield it has become for too many Christians and have applied God's creation ordinances to some of the pressing practical issues of our time. . . . Their approach is wide-ranging and novel, getting us away from the tired debates about conservatives and liberals. Their arguments will be unpalatable to some, but they need to be faced. On Behalf of God may provide the fresh look at ethics that is badly missing in entrenched Christian circles. . . . I believe we may look back ten years time from now and see this book as a watershed for Christian witness in the real world."

From the Publisher