Biology and Christian Ethics (New Studies in Christian Ethics)

"This book mounts a profound enquiry into some of the most pressing questions of our age, by examining the relationship between biological science and Christianity. The history of biological discovery is explored from the point of view of a leading philosopher and ethicist." "What effect should modern biological theory and practice have on Christian understanding of ethics? How much of that theory and practice should Christians endorse? Can Christians, for example, agree that biological changes are not governed by transcendent values, or that there are no clear or essential boundaries between species? To what extent can 'Nature' set our standards? Stephen R.L. Clark takes a reasoned look at biological theory since Darwin and argues that an orthodox Christian philosophy is better able to accommodate the truth of such theory than is the sort of progressive, meliorist interpretation of Christian doctrine which has usually been offered as the properly 'modern' option." "Orthodox Christianity and sensible biological theory alike can agree that we are sinners, that every individual is an end in itself, and that the true values to which we should direct ourselves transcend the needs of survival."--Jacket.