BIOENHANCEMENT TECHNOLOGIES AND THE VULNERABLE BODY: A Theological Engagement by Devan Stahl, ed. Baylor University Press, 2023. 252 pages. Paperback; 54. 99. ISBN: 9781481318273. *New biomedical technologies purportedly do things such as prolong life, heal infirmities, and increase the overall quality of life. Often, these technologies appear limited due to their use by wealthy and privileged clients. In this edited volume, Devan Stahl, associate professor of bioethics and religion at Baylor University, along with a host of other scholars, present minority perspectives on bioenhancement technologies to "develop axioms for an ‘ontology of the vulnerable, '" (p. 11). Seeing in Jesus an invitation both to care for the vulnerable and to honor the image of God in each person, the contributors share their unique perspectives to consider "how Christians should understand enhancement technologies" (p. 15). *The writing occurred through a 2019 gathering of twelve scholars in Christian ethics, biotechnology, and medicine to address growing concerns around bioenhancement technologies and their impact on minority populations. The group established twenty-five working propositions addressing key problems, or conceptualizing human creatureliness, in response to bioenhancement technologies. They organized these propositions around five primary categories: problems/concerns, Christian responses to transhumanism and bioenhancement technologies, ontology/nature and grace/eschatology, ontology and techne, and, finally, embodying Christ and ecclesiology (pp. 9-10). The authors then used the propositions to organize writings into two sections that address the concerns of using bioenhancement technologies with people whose bodies seem outside the "norm" (p. 11). *Section one includes various philosophical arguments for the goodness of the vulnerable body within a Christian theological worldview. Jonathan Tran and Jeffrey P. Bishop utilize the term "ontology, " that is, any philosophy of being or existence, as shorthand for specific perspectives. The authors claim ontologies come from a specific time and place and that humans create ontologies to make sense of the world around them. A Christian ontology, then, might be that suffering is good because it conforms us to the person of Christ. A Western secular ontology, on the other hand, might assert that suffering serves as a hindrance to attaining happiness, and people should use medicine and technology to overcome and/or alleviate suffering. Persons living in a Western context often use technology and science to enhance the well-being of human bodies, assuming that such an approach is a good thing. People with privilege primarily adopt this ontology; the authors believe that this action can quickly lead to "social segregation" (p. 39). In contrast, Tran and Bishop assert that a Christian perspective recognizes the value of suffering, as well as the value of diversity and difference. This Christian view does not completely exclude the use of medicine and technology, but neither does it completely embrace it. A Christian ontology is firmly rooted in the hope of bodily resurrection, rather than the hope provided by human technologies. *The authors of chapters five through nine demonstrate how Christ is present in and with the disabled. Christ is there to "suffer with" the disabled (p. 109), not necessarily to heal them and raise their bodies to a physical standard created by humans. Brian Brock gives real-world examples of the fundings of bioenhancement technologies that are later promoted by extremely wealthy men who use disabled people to cultivate the image of people healed and given new life by these technologies. Terri Laws discusses how medical institutions continue to treat Black female bodies differently from Anglo-European bodies. Kimbell Kornu asserts that the telos of the Christian life remains to attain deification through cruciformity. Letting Christ transfigure our bodies into something divine is the goal for all Christians, not fitting our bodies to the expectations of society. For Christian communities, the response to the presence of the disabled should create "an equitable ‘being with' in a fulsome community of the vulnerable sharing life" (p. 145). *The authors clearly establish axioms for an ontology of the vulnerable in this volume. One axiom asserts that the body is the site of God's presence. Commentary on the prelapsarian state of humanity in Genesis 2 proves enlightening on this issue. Through this commentary, linked with eschatological interpretations, disability comes to be framed no longer as a result of sin or a bodily defect to be left behind after the resurrection, but as a marker of God's image and creative work in the human body. *The authors in this volume could elaborate on how sin prevents the recognition of God's presence in vulnerable bodies. One author suggests that sin is primarily corporate in nature, existing as a series of structures which denigrate others. Therefore, one way to counteract sin may occur through political action on behalf of the disabled. Perhaps calling on churches to participate in a form of corporate repentance for the ways the church has historically treated the disabled would be helpful. *Another well-documented axiom calls for caring for the vulnerable. The authors insightfully identify racism and eugenics as having historical ties. Perhaps this book can generate unifying discussions on two issues which tend to fall on different sides of the political spectrum: racial justice and abortion. For example, eugenics takes on a new form by way of prenatal screening technologies, through which parents can choose to eliminate unborn children with Down syndrome. Churches can work against eugenics and thus foster discussions and actions that get at the underlying degradation of racism wherein some people believe that humans with certain traits or features are less worthy than others. *Those with an interest in technology and theology will benefit from reading this volume as the authors probe questions such as "what does it mean to enhance the body? " and "what does transcendence mean? " Pastors will also find helpful ways of thinking about how to fully incorporate the disabled into their church communities and ministries. *Reviewed by Cade Chrastina, independent scholar, Winfield, IL 60190.
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