Reviews

"Shuman, an ethicist, and Volck, a pediatrician, are on a mission to persuade Christians to stop worshiping the medical establishment and to start 'using medicine as if God mattered.' It is easy to put medicine in the place that only God should occupy. . . . Christian theology, however, teaches that 'because we come from God, belong to God, and are destined finally to return to God, we need not fight without restraint to control all the circumstances of our existence, or to preserve our lives as they near their end.' As they develop this theme through literature, contemporary stories and theological reflection, the authors affirm the goodness of the human body, the importance of the church as the gathered body of Christ and the necessity of hospitality toward the world's helpless and suffering. Brilliantly reasoned and artfully written, this quotable book should reach well beyond its obvious market of medical and spiritual caregivers to engage anyone concerned about human values in a technological age."--Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"The contemporary literature of bioethics, although vast, can often make for unsatisfactory reading. It tends to place too much emphasis on patient autonomy, yet fails to adequately examine the ethical implications of procedures such as genetic testing, abortion, and euthanasia. . . . It is refreshing, in this environment, to read Joel Shuman and Brian Volck's Reclaiming the Body. Theirs is not a typical jargon-laden bioethics treatise. Shuman, a moral theologian, and Volck, a pediatrician, have crafted a different kind of book: a readable monograph that takes as its starting point theology and faith, not medicine. . . . Shuman and Volck offer very few concrete answers to the questions they pose; this is in fact one of the great strengths of the book. The authors offer a new and more illuminating perspective, not merely prescriptions for behavior. The book is an extended conversation with medicine, not a condemnation, and it is a conversation that yields a wealth of insights into the challenges that our contemporary health technologies pose."--Christine Rosen, Commonweal

"Shuman, a theologian who writes about medicine with a Hauerwasian accent, and Volck, a pediatrician who reads Hebrew and publishes poetry, cooperate in an accessible volume that seeks to rework how Christians think about their engagement with medicine. They want Christians to consider not only the individual bodies that they present to the doctor for repair, but also the corporate body of Christ, which for Christians is not less important than its individual members. Rather than a case-study approach to ethical conundrums, this is a series of stories about what it might mean to practice 'medicine as if God mattered.'"--Christian Century

"[The authors'] hope of capturing the reader's imagination for living a communally formed, distinctively narrated, embodied Christian life is a gracious offering. They help us be formed in a life of soulful, embodied personhood that bears witness to the delight of the Creator with whom we were created for relationship. The challenge [this book] give[s] to any illusions of some ethereal, overly spiritualized notion of the Christian story is refreshing and to be commended. . . . The challenges and considerations offered by Shuman and Volck . . . provide a context for pondering the possibilities of what a reformed and redeemed medicine might look like."--Keith G. Meador, Christian Reflection

"This book is recommended for anyone with a serious interest in healthcare ministry."--Living Church

"Reclaiming the Body will be of interest to doctors and others interested in exploring the relationship between medicine and the church."--Michael Thompson, Evangelicals Now

"[This] book is relevant. . . . The authors call us to use medicine as if God mattered . . . well said! . . . [They] do a nice job of rattling our cage, encouraging us to be bolder, reminding us of our heritage in Christ and the importance of the community of believers as a resource. It is well thought out, nicely footnoted, and most importantly 'applicable.'. . . Worthy of reading."--Bill Harper, Reformation21

"The authors neither bash the medical profession nor support spirituality as a wellness technique but instead propose a new vantage point from which Christian faith might make a difference in how we interpret and experience the practice of medicine. . . . There is much here that would be of interest and benefit to those of us engaged with disability. . . . This well-written volume combines solid scholarship with thoughtful reflection on lived experiences, punctuated with examples from art and culture (broadly ranging from Shakespeare and Dostoyevsky to Monty Python and Harry Potter). This variety makes the text useful and interesting to all readers. Some of their analyses or proposals will be controversial, but their open engagement with difficult issues makes even these sections feel like disagreements among friends rather than openings for contentious debate. . . . Extensive footnotes offer abundant opportunities for further study, and the writing style itself makes the text easy to engage and difficult to put down. Highly recommended for all readers."--Deborah Creamer, Journal of Religion, Disability, & Health

"Theologian Shuman and pediatrician Volck argue that approached uncritically, modern medicine and its technologies are a type of 'power' (as in 'powers and principalities') that has been granted undue authoritative status--greater than the authority of a Christian worldview. They seek to readjust that misplaced authority by emphasizing the biblical concept of 'body' and the practice of hospitality in accordance with orthodox interpretations of Christian doctrines. . . . This book is aimed at congregations that want to responsibly connect their theology to their faith practices in a variety of medical situations."--Terri Laws, Religious Studies Review