Texas Faith
Texas Faith is a weekly discussion that poses questions about religion, politics and culture to a panel of religious leaders. This week's question is: In thinking about health care, have we gotten to the point that we put too great a premium on our biological lives? As we have become more secularized, have we lost sight of the transcendent?
William Lawrence, Dean and Professor of American Church History, Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University:
An increase in secularization and a loss of appreciation for the transcendent may go hand in hand. And it certainly is possible that we have turned physical health into a kind of idolatry.
But there is nevertheless a strong theological argument to be made that attention to our biological lives is spiritually significant. Life that emerges from the womb is a gift of God to be nurtured, treasured, valued and affirmed.
The fact that our biological existence has a point of termination on earth does not mean we should ascribe something less than sacred worth to it.
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