Is it ethical for physicians to assist patients in hastening their own death? Should Christians who are facing death accept the offer of an assisted death? Carl and Todd talk to physician Ewan Goligher about these important issues addressed in his book How Should We Then Die? In his book, Ewan draws from general revelation and Scripture to persuade and equip Christians to oppose physician-assisted death.
The logic of assisted death is predicated on the idea that you’re rendering someone better off by ending their life. And [in] the philosophical and ethical literature where people write about this, they represent the logic as a kind of calculus where you weigh up the good of remaining alive and the bad of remaining alive, and you essentially decide that if the bad of remaining alive outweighs the good, then it makes sense to end my life. And the glaring gap in that logic is that it ignores the question of what it is like to be dead. – Ewan Goligher
Proponents of euthanasia presume what it is like to be dead. But for Christians, death is not the end. Christ Jesus has destroyed death and brought life and immortality through the gospel. For this reason, Christians must think deeply about these life-and-death issues.
We are pleased to offer three copies of How Should We Then Die? to our listeners, thanks to the generosity of our friends at Lexham Press. Register here for the opportunity to win.
Show Notes:
The Desecration of Man by Carl Trueman
On Death and Dying: A Catechism for Christians by Ewan Goligher