|
Introduction
The end of the 20th century has brought unusual technological
advances to our society. Christians today face dilemmas that were
completely beyond imagination just a few years ago. Abortion became
legal in the U.S. in 1973. Organ transplantation came into its own
in the latter half of the century. When I attended medical school
in the late 1970s, AIDS was not a part of standard medical school
curriculum. Since then, the AIDS epidemic has exploded in America
and around the world.
New diseases, technologies, and health treatment options raise
many complicated questions. When does life begin? When does death
transpire? What is "Quality of Life", "Sanctity of
Life", and how do they differ from each other? When is care
futile? Who owns the life that we each live?
Christians are to be light in a dark world and a seasoning salt
in a corrupt society. If we are to serve God in these roles, we
must engage the prickly issues of the day. To do this John Wesley
used four tools to make decisions that have since been labeled the
Wesleyan Quadrilateral. These are: Scripture, Reason, Tradition-including
the wisdom of the Church through the ages, and Experience-including
God's work in our lives and the inner witness of the Holy Spirit.
We will always observe and respect these same four signposts as
we travel through this process. We will reason together around scripture
and pray for the Holy Spirit's illumination as we do so. Since many
of the bioethical dilemmas we will engage were not extant in ages
past, we will tap not only into the great creeds of the church and
the wisdom tradition within our own churches, but also into the
new tradition of Christian bioethical thought.
It is my belief that our ethics must be, in the words of John Kilner,
(See Lesson Twelve), "God-Centered… Reality-Bounded…(and)
Love-Impelled." As I work through ethical dilemmas, using Wesley's
quadrilateral, I am always guided by these three parameters.
This is a brief introduction for the committed Christian to the
world of bioethics. An evening fellowship and discussion group might
be its most appropriate setting, but a Sunday School class study
group may also prove effective. I hope that it will whet your appetite,
and stimulate further learning so that as Christians we will be
a part of the discussion, keeping God in the public forum.
God Bless you as you read and study together.
Notes for Discussion Leaders
This curriculum is designed for use in one of several settings.
It may be used in a standard Sunday School class, or perhaps more
effectively in a longer class format, such as an evening adult Bible
study group. It is important to emphasize that much of the learning
in this endeavor will occur as your discussants prepare for the
classes ahead of time and then process the information afterward,
either singly or in groups. If your group's participants cannot
make the commitment to read the entire lesson ahead of time, I suggest
that you ask as a minimal effort that they agree to carefully read
the scripture passages prior to class.
I would recommend in your group discussions each week that you
limit your group size to no more than ten. Larger groups may be
split into smaller cells, but for effective discussion, maximum
cell size optimally should not exceed ten. Each group should be
isolated enough from the other groups that they do not distract
each other.
As you prepare for your classes, I would suggest that in addition
to the week's reading and scripture passages, you try to read some
of the background information contained in "For Further Reading".
If your group's funds are limited, I would recommend that you purchase
Scott Rae's book An Introduction to Ethics, as a helpful single
reference book. The Bio Basics series booklets are also quite good
for the topics they cover, and are relatively inexpensive.
This is probably not the kind of study for which you can easily
delegate weekly teaching responsibilities. I would anticipate best
results from leaders with strong interest or background in the subject
matter. The dynamics of your particular group may prove this suggestion
unnecessary.
Your group may discover that each chapter merits two weeks of study
and discussion. If you try and cover each lesson in one week you
will probably find that there is too much material to answer all
the questions. As a leader, you may wish, the week before, to designate
specific questions for discussion the next week. Some of these suggestions
will be more or less necessary, depending on the composition of
your group. I recommend that you read the notes for the upcoming
lesson early in the week. By doing this, the concepts can percolate
in your mind throughout the week. You may then choose to focus the
discussion on one of the areas covered in the lesson, as opposed
to trying to cover all the questions.
Finally, in an effort to continually focus on the process with
which we address these complicated questions, I might suggest that
on the blackboard or on a poster in your discussion room, you place
in large letters the four guideposts that will help you through
this complicated discussion. These are Scripture, Reason, Tradition
and Experience. Each week as you process your discussion, make an
effort to direct your thoughts along these lines. This is more fully
explained in the introduction and in the first two lessons.
May the Lord direct your words and thoughts.
Acknowledgments
Special thanks to the Free Methodist Church of North America,
Bishop Les Krober, and the Study Commission on Bioethics for encouraging
me in this work, and for allowing me a forum through which to share
this information. The Free Methodist Church has been a part of my
life since long before I was born. I am grateful for the church
and its impact on me and my family.
This curriculum was fostered directly by coursework at Trinity
International University, in Deerfield, Illinois. Trinity Graduate
School, at TIU, offers a modular, on-campus M.A.degree in Bioethics
for the full-time professional. John Kilner, Ph.D., directs this
program, and served as my advisor. He, along with C. Ben Mitchell,
Ph.D., Nigel M. de S. Cameron, Ph.D., David Schiedermayer, M.D.,
David Fletcher, Ph.D. and other outstanding faculty members have
helped me to begin to learn about the fascinating world of bioethics.
Some of the case illustrations, and much of my own personal interest
in bioethics is derived from work at Carle Clinic Association and
Carle Foundation Hospital with the Ethics Committee and Consult
Team. Thanks, Steve Johnson, M. A., (Ph.D., soon), Kevin Powell,
M. D., Ph.D, Dr. Tamara Mitchell, and the entire team.
Professor U. Milo Kaufmann, Ph.D., retired from University of Illinois
at Urbana-Champaign, offered much valuable editorial advice. Thank
you, Brother Milo.
Special thanks to my wife, Barbara Finger Cranston, who along with
our children, have supported and encouraged me through this process.
Barb is a Godly, talented woman, and God's best single gift to me.
Thanks also to Mattis Avenue Free Methodist Church, in Champaign,
Illinois. The good people of this church helped create and critique
this, as I worked these issues through with them.
Soli Deo Gloria.
Robert E. Cranston, M.D.
|
|
