Allen Verhey

The Body and the Bible: Life in the Flesh According to the Spirit

This essay begins by attending to the positions of two Protestant theologians concerning persons and their embodiment. Each represents his position as an interpretation of Christian scripture and tradition. In order to test such representations the central section of this essay examines the Biblical tradition itself. Because reading scripture is for Christian communities not simply an academic enterprise but an ecclesial practice, the tone of that section is deliberately as “homiletical” as “scholarly.” The essay does not attempt to explain or defend the practice of reading scripture as important for the formation and reformation of the moral life, but it does attempt to display it.1 The final section returns to the two Protestant theologians with whom the essay began, draws the conclusion that one of the two positions is more faithful to scripture than the other, echoes a call for “an energetic revision of [the church’s] anthropology in the light of its eschatology” ([1], p. 390), and suggests something of the relevance of such a revision to medical ethics.

Talking of God - but with Whom?

Allen D. Verhey challenges the meaning of public discourse. Verheys concern is whether it is appropriate to speak of God and use religious language outside these communities. He recommends theological candor to evoke a natural piety among medical practitioners and patients and to remind a pluralistic culture of its minimalistic moral standards.

Technology and Tragedy

Allen Verhey attempts to employ narrative categories to help us understand our complex relationship to medical technology. Verhey invites us to think about medical technology in the context of the story of tragedy, and he demonstrates a masterful knowledge of tragedy in Western thought. He then presents a compelling and profound account of how the Christian story illuminates a way “beyond tragedy.”

Bioethics in the Reformed Tradition

As part of its 1995 review of its health care policy and program the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) adopted a resolution, a “call to healing and wholeness”: This church, as the body of Christ, is called to be a community of health and healing in every level and location of its common life. It is called to live out, sustain, and promote health within its own life and within the larger community. It is called to carry out the purposes of a sovereign, health-giving God, through ministries of compassion, service, and advocacy for justice. It is called to reclaim its heritage of healing and wholeness ([3], p. 3).

Voices in the Wilderness@@@Theological Voices in Medical Ethics

Book reviewed in this article: Theological Voices in Medical Ethics. Edited by Allen Verhey and Stephen E. Lammers