By framing aging theologically as a life of discipleship, Willimon avoids vapid cultural messages that seek to ignore or minimize aging, yet also criticizes the notion of retirement as freedom from secular and sacred responsibilities.

By framing aging theologically as a life of discipleship, Willimon avoids vapid cultural messages that seek to ignore or minimize aging, yet also criticizes the notion of retirement as freedom from secular and sacred responsibilities.

Kapic writes in a well-researched yet accessible and engaging manner. With today’s societal obsession with youth, health, diet, and optimization of physical performance and personal appearance, Kapic firmly but gently reminds us that despite our best efforts, we are all aging and dying and that this is not necessarily bad.

Download PDF: COMING SOON Gender Identity & Faith: Clinical Postures, Tools, and Case Studies for Client-Centered Care Mark A. Yarhouse and Julia A. Sadusky, IVP Academic, 2022. ISBN 978-0-8308-4181-3, 224 pages, Paperback, $28.00   Wrestling with our flesh is a tough battle. We all experience mental and emotional pain when struggling to understand how we feel or who we are. This struggle is especially true of gender identity, which has become a sensitive and controversial topic in recent years. It is profoundly personal and increasingly politicized. More research and data are needed to discern the issue properly, but people need help now. In their new book, Gender Identity & Faith, psychologists Mark Yarhouse and Julia Sadusky offer insights to aid clinicians caring for clients with gender identity issues. Though sometimes theologically questionable, the book is a worthwhile contribution to the debate. Yarhouse and Sadusky bring extensive academic, clinical, and personal credentials to this subject. They have previously teamed up to write other works on sexuality and gender in a Christian context. This volume is a shift from the philosophical to the practical, written for a broader audience within the mental health profession. Their purpose is to “serve as a resource […]

“Embodiment is the proper state of human existence,” according to Gregg Allison, author of Embodied: Living as Whole People in a Fractured World (p. 14). His purpose is to unpack an understanding of what is meant by the term and to develop a “theology of human embodiment” (p. 15). The idea of embodiment is under attack in our society. On the one hand, modern variations of Gnosticism teach that the body is inherently evil and merely an instrument for our use, justifying such moral controversies as seen in sexual dysphoria and transgenderism. On the other hand, some elevate their bodies to an object of worship, striving for perfection through physical exercise and cosmetic procedures to enhance their appearance, even when the end goal is unclear. Allison brings clarity to embodiment and what it means for how we should live out our lives amongst the mixed signals of the world.

Words are powerful. They impart shared meaning and serve as the foundation for any area of human study, and bioethics is no different. In addition, the meanings of terms may change over time, influenced by prominent cultural thinkers. With this in mind, William Eisenhower has crafted A Bioethicist’s Dictionary to help ethicists and clinicians alike speak the same language and recognize the contributions of key individuals who have formed our modern understanding of bioethics.

In Losing Our Dignity, Camosy’s central driving thesis is that the authority and power of modern medicine “have put an increasing number of human beings outside the circle of protection based on fundamental human equality” (p. 13). This loss of human equality and dignity is based primarily on cognitive disadvantages among neurologically diverse individuals, from those with Down syndrome to others with Alzheimer’s disease. In the eyes of an increasingly secular world, such people have less to offer, therefore less dignity.

Along with nurses and medical doctors, pharmacists have long been recognized, and honored, by the public as professionals exhibiting honesty and high ethical standards. Serving as the medication expert in the healthcare system, both other medical professionals and patients alike rely heavily on the pharmacist’s knowledge and skills related to an increasingly complex landscape of medications and the diseases (or situations) that such are intended to prevent or treat. And it is expected—assumed even—that the pharmacist will leverage such expertise in the best interest of the patient—as a fiduciary, if you will—exercising a competent, selfless, and wise approach to each patient’s care.