The Beginning of Life

D. A. Carson: “This Is Now the ‘Must Read’ Book in the Field”

Justin Taylor 2:52 pm CT 

Dr. Carson writes of Dr. Megan Best’s new book, Fearfully and Wonderfully Made: Ethics and the Beginning of Human Life (Matthias Media, 2012): “At last—a single volume examining beginning-of-life issues that is equally competent in biology, theology, philosophy, and pastoral care. This is now the ‘must read’ book in the field, a necessary resource not only for pastors, ethicists, and laypersons who share her Christian convictions, but also for anyone who wants to participate knowledgeably in current bioethical debates.”

Here is the publisher’s description of the book:

• What sort of contraception, if any, should I use?
• When does human life begin—at fertilization or at some point after that?
• What are the arguments for and against abortion?
• Is it OK to use genetic screening and other pre-natal tests to check for abnormalities in my unborn baby?
• Should Christians use IVF and other assisted reproductive technologies?
• What is the current state of embryonic stem cell research?

These are just some of the many complex and emotion-laden questions we face in the rapidly changing field of reproductive medicine, and most Christians do so with two very significant handicaps:

• We don’t have accurate up-to-date information about the medical and technological issues involved
• We have not thought through a sound, biblical framework for making ethical decisions in this area

Dr Megan Best provides what is lacking in both of these vital areas. Built on extensive historical, biblical and medical research, Fearfully and Wonderfully Made is the comprehensive, accurate, biblically-based ethical handbook that Christians have been waiting for.