The Bioethics Podcast
By The Center for Bioethics & Human Dignity
The Challenge of Pastoral Leadership Today: What Is Our Technological Age Doing to Us?
20 Years of The Bioethics Podcast: The One Who Smiles A Lot
This episode of the podcast celebrates the 20th anniversary of The Bioethics Podcast. The inaugural episode was uploaded on February 3, 2006, and we thought it might be interesting to listen again to that first episode as we mark the 20th anniversary of this project.
Show Notes
Ross Douthat’s interview with Noor Siddiqui: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/07/opinion/genetics-children-noor-siddiqui.html
Spoken Word Poetry Podcast – Emmanuel: The Word Made Flesh
This poem, written by and read for us by CBHD Research Scholar Anna Vollema, intersperses poetic reflection with quotations from Scripture and excerpts from “O Come, O Come Emmanuel.”
Read the poem at https://www.cbhd.org/intersections/emmanuel-the-word-made-flesh
We are very excited about a new era for CBHD at LeTourneau University! The alignment of mission, vision, and values between CBHD and LeTourneau is exceptional. We are in awe of the work God has done.
Please remember us in your end-of-year giving.
You can mail checks to the address below or give online at https://www.letu.edu/development/give-now.html
(Choose Other as the Designation and specify CBHD in the box)
LeTourneau University
CBHD
PO Box 7333
Longview, TX 75607-9913
The Future of CBHD
We're moving to Texas!
We are deeply grateful to our supporters and donors who have stood by us as we sought a new home!
Read the full announcement: https://www.cbhd.org/announcements/cbhd-to-letu
If you would like to make a celebratory gift for the Center to help launch our work at LeTourneau, you can mail checks to the address below or give online at
https://www.letu.edu/development/give-now.html
(Choose Other as the Designation and specify CBHD in the box)
LeTourneau University
CBHD
PO Box 7333
Longview, TX 75607-9913
Don’t Die
In this episode of The Bioethics podcast, CBHD Research Scholar Anna Vollema and CBHD Research Analyst Heather Zeiger join CBHD Executive Director Matthew Eppinette for a discussion of the Netflix documentary film Don’t Die: The Man Who Wants to Live Forever.
The film is a profile of Bryan Johnson, a tech entrepreneur who is devoting his fortune to extending his life through careful and detailed monitoring of various biomarkers, as well as experimental treatments and other methods.
Show Notes
Trailer: https://youtu.be/kf9e1o7rUeo?si=WlDYOepN3nId5BS7
Watch on Netflix: https://www.netflix.com/title/81757532
Katie Drummond, "Bryan Johnson Is Going to Die," Wired https://www.wired.com/story/big-interview-bryan-johnson/
Todd T.W. Daly, Chasing Methuselah: Theology, the Body, and Slowing Human Aging, Cascade Books, 2021, https://a.co/d/dhZLvuv
In Chasing Methuselah, Todd Daly examines the modern biomedical anti-aging project from a Christian perspective, drawing on the ancient wisdom of the Desert Fathers, who believed that the incarnation opened a way for human life to regain the longevity of Adam and the biblical patriarchs through prayer and fasting. Daly balances these insights with the christological anthropology of Karl Barth, discussing the implications for human finitude, fear of death, and the use of anti-aging technology, weaving a path between outright condemnation and uncritical enthusiasm.
Denyse O'Leary, "A Science-Based Case for the Immortality of the Human Soul," CBHD https://www.cbhd.org/intersections/a-science-based-case-for-the-immortality-of-the-human-soul
Kent Dunnington, Addiction and Virtue: Beyond the Models of Disease and Choice, IVP Academic, 2011, https://a.co/d/fc8bRLQ
Neither of the two dominant models (disease or choice) adequately accounts for the experience of those who are addicted or of those who are seeking to help them. In this interdisciplinary work, Kent Dunnington brings the neglected resources of philosophical and theological analysis to bear on the problem of addiction. Drawing on the insights of Aristotle and Thomas Aquinas, he formulates an alternative to the usual reductionistic models.
Walking with Those Who Weep
When we desire to walk well with those who suffer, it is a beautiful reflection of God’s heart in his children. When we are invited into the sacred spaces of loss, we can feel paralyzed in knowing how to do it.
Read the piece on our Intersections Forum
Kirsten’s website, Faithful Paradox
Center Update: We Need Your Help
This episode of the podcast features Executive Director Matthew Eppinette's update from this year’s conference on CBHD’s future in light of the changes coming at our host institution, Trinity.
Show Notes:
Give Now: https://www.tiu.edu/giving/bioethics/
Cradled in Glass: An Interview with Filmmaker Savannah Crossfield
Lucidity Pictures and Cradled in Glass: https://luciditypictures.com/projects/cradled-in-glass/
International Institute or Restorative Reproductive Medicine: https://iirrm.org/
Register for Living in the Biotech Century: The First 25 Years https://www.cbhd.org/conference
Review and Comment on Recent Bioethics News Items
Show Notes
- "AI and All Its Splendors," Christianity Today
- "AI Is Making Dating Even Harder," Men’s Health Magazine
- "Moral Resilience: Nurses experience deep suffering when they can’t act according to their moral compass. Our research shows a way forward," Aeon
- "What is a Relational Virtue?" Philosophical Studies
After IVF, Effective Altruism, and More: An Interview with Ari Schulman of The New Atlantis
Show Notes:
“The World Isn’t Ready for What Comes After I.V.F.” by Ari Schulman, New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/09/opinion/ivf-debate.html
“Open Wallets, Empty Hearts” by Ari Schulman, The New Atlantis https://www.thenewatlantis.com/publications/open-wallets-empty-hearts
“Silicon Valley’s Trendy Ethic: Effective Altruism” by Heather Zeiger, Mind Matters News https://mindmatters.ai/2024/09/silicon-valleys-trendy-ethic-effective-altruism/
“I was adopted from China as a baby. I’m still coming to terms with that” by Cindy Zhu Huijgen, New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/15/opinion/china-adopted-babies-identity.html
The New Atlantis Donation Page: https://www.thenewatlantis.com/collections/2024-annual-campaign
CBHD Donation Page: https://www.tiu.edu/giving/bioethics/
The Burdens and Privileges of Caregiving
In this episode of The Bioethics Podcast, we have one of the most powerful pieces we have ever published.
It is read for us by the author, Lori Way, and it comes from her experience caring for her husband through illness, recovery, and a “new normal.”
This piece is part of our "Faces of the Church Series" of articles, which are posted on our Intersections Forum at our website, https://www.cbhd.org/
Our Intersections Forum is meant to discuss, equip, and inspire pastors, ministry leaders, and laypeople regarding the real-life issues people are experiencing and seeking Christian guidance on at the intersection of medicine, technology, and the Christian life.
Review and Comment on Bioethics News
In this episode of the podcast, CBHD Research Scholar Anna Vollema and CBHD Research Analyst Heather Zeiger join CBHD Executive Director Matthew Eppinette for a discussion of several recent bioethics-related news items.
Support the work of The Center for Bioethics & Human Dignity: https://www.tiu.edu/giving/bioethics/
Show Notes:
- “What Silicon Valley’s New Ethical Thinking Gets Right–And Wrong,” Christianity Today
- Todd Daly, "The New Asceticism: Biohacking the Body for Greater Longevity," Dignitas
- "AI Has Become a Technology of Faith," The Atlantic
- "This doctor has helped more than 400 patients die. How many assisted deaths are too many?" National Post
- George Orwell, Why I Write
- J. Todd Billings, The End of the Christian Life
- Allen Verhey, The Christian Art of Dying
Support the work of The Center for Bioethics & Human Dignity: https://www.tiu.edu/giving/bioethics/
An Orthodox Approach to Reproductive Technologies
We at CBHD have been addressing reproductive technologies throughout our history. In 2017, at our 24th annual conference, we held a colloquium on Catholic, Protestant, & Orthodox Approaches to Reproductive Technologies. Three speakers walked through their convictional approach to these issues, each in turn.
This episode of the bioethics podcast is the third of three that carries these talks.
In the first episode, Marie T. Hilliard, JCL, PhD, RN, of the National Catholic Bioethics Center. presented A Catholic Approach to Reproductive Technologies.
The second episode had Scott B. Rae, PhD, of Talbot School of Theology, Biola University, with Protestant Approaches to Reproductive Technologies.
The series concludes in this episode with Gayle E. Woloschak, PhD, on an Orthodox approach.
Dr. Woloschak is Professor of Radiation Oncology, Radiology, and Cell and Molecular Biology in the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University.
She is also adjunct faculty at Lutheran School of Theology, Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, and St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Seminary.
Protestant Approaches to Reproductive Technologies
This episode is the second in a series of three looking at reproductive technologies from Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox perspectives.
In the first episode, Marie T. Hilliard of the National Catholic Bioethics Center presented a Catholic approach to Reproductive technologies.
This episode has Scott B. Rae, PhD, of Talbot School of Theology, Biola University, with a protestant approach.
The series will conclude in the next episode with Gayle E. Woloschak, PhD, on an Orthodox approach.
A Catholic Approach to Reproductive Technologies
Reproductive technologies, especially in vitro fertilization (IVF), remain at the forefront of the news and societal conversation in 2024.
In 2017, at our 24th annual conference, we held a colloquium on Catholic, Protestant, & Orthodox Approaches to Reproductive Technologies. Three speakers walked through their convictional approach to these issues, each in turn.
This episode, then, begins a series of three episodes that will carry these talks.
The first, in this episode, is by Marie T. Hilliard, JCL, PhD, RN, of the National Catholic Bioethics Center, presenting a Catholic approach to Reproductive technologies.
The next episode will feature Scott B. Rae, PhD, with a Protestant approach, and the series will conclude with Gayle E. Woloschak, PhD, on an Orthodox approach to reproductive technology.
Details on The Future of Health: Faith, Ethics, and Our MedTech World
Show Notes:
Conference Information and Registration: https://www.cbhd.org/conference
Register for the Friday Night Dinner: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/ev/reg/9fyzevg/lp/c604e9b9-db55-45c4-85f9-81ae6554caf8
An Invitation
Our 31st annual conference, "The Future of Health: Faith, Ethics, and Our MedTech World," will take place June 27-29 of this year on the Campus of Trinity International University in Deerfield, Illinois.
For more information and to register, visit https://www.cbhd.org/conference
Dual-Use Technologies and Genetic Surveillance of Ethnic Minorities in China: An Interview with Yves Moreau
CBHD Research Analyst Heather Zeiger interviews Yves Moreau, professor of engineering at the University of Leuven, Belgium. His research is located at the interface between artificial intelligence and genetics, focusing in particular on mass surveillance technology.
SHOW NOTES
"Unethical studies on Chinese minority groups are being retracted — but not fast enough, critics say," Nature, https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-00170-0
"US company must stop supplying China’s regime with DNA surveillance tech," The Hill, https://thehill.com/opinion/international/4421537-us-company-must-stop-supplying-chinas-regime-with-dna-surveillance-tech/
"U.S.-made Dna Id Equipment Is Being Sold to Xinjiang’s Police," MindMatters, https://mindmatters.ai/2021/07/u-s-made-dna-id-equipment-is-being-sold-to-xinjiangs-police/
"China: Dna Phenotyping Profiles Racial Minorities," MindMatters, https://mindmatters.ai/2019/12/china-dna-phenotyping-profiles-racial-minorities/
"A Christian Response to Xinjiang: Technological Repression and Cultural Genocide," Dignitas, https://www.cbhd.org/dignitas-articles/a-christian-response-to-xinjiang-technological-repression-and-cultural-genocide
CBHD Current Work, Future Plans
As you may know, April marks the end of our fiscal year, so our Executive Director, Dr. Eppinette, provides updates on some of the work we’ve been doing and some of the plans we have for the future.
Barbenheimer & Bioethics Part II – The Manhattan Project and the Seduction of Technology
This is a special episode of the podcast featuring the second half of our own Barbenheimer, a phenomenon you may remember from the summer of 2023 when both Greta Gerwig’s Barbie movie and Christopher Nolan’s Oppenhiemer were in theaters.
Both of these movies highlight themes relevant to our consideration of bioethics, and so, with Oscar season upon us, we are featuring pieces by CBHD staff members exploring the nexus of film and bioethics.
In this episode, CBHD Research Analyst Heather Zeiger presents a piece titled “The Manhattan Project and the Seduction of Technology.”
INTERSECTIONS: "The Manhattan Project and the Seduction of Technology"
Barbenheimer & Bioethics Part I – On Being Human: Reflections on Greta Gerwig’s Barbie Movie
This is a special episode of the podcast featuring the first half of our own "Barbenheimer," a phenomenon you may remember from the summer of 2023 when both Greta Gerwig’s Barbie Movie and Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer were in theaters.
Both of these movies highlight themes relevant to our consideration of bioethics, and so with Oscar season upon us, we are featuring pieces in this episode and the next by CBHD staff members exploring the nexus of film and bioethics.
In this episode, CBHD Research Scholar Anna Vollema presents a piece titled “On Being Human: Reflections on Greta Gerwig’s Barbie Movie.”
INTERSECTIONS: “On Being Human: Reflections on Greta Gerwig's Barbie Movie”
Christian Psychologist Responds to Megan Best, “Fearfully and Wonderfully Made”
In this talk, Dr. Stephen Greggo, Chair of the Counseling Department and Professor of Counseling at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, part of our host institution, responds to and extends Dr. Megan Best’s presentation, which we featured on the previous episode of the bioethics podcast, on the moral status of the embryo and other ethical issues that arise at the beginning of life, which are especially relevant to the conversations happening in the wake of the Alabama Supreme Court’s recent ruling.
Our 31st annual summer conference is coming up in June, and Early Bird Pricing will be in effect through the month of March. For more information and to register, visit https://www.cbhd.org/conference
Megan Best, “Fearfully and Wonderfully Made”
The recent Alabama Supreme Court ruling regarding cryogenically preserved human embryos raises numerous questions about the process of in vitro fertilization (IVF), the moral status of human embryos, the cryopreservation of embryos, the status of embryos as a matter of law, and more.
These are questions that we at The Center for Bioethics & Human Dignity have been addressing for 30 years now. We have a number of resources on our website that speak to these and other questions surrounding reproductive technologies like IVF and the issues that arise from them.
For this episode of the podcast, we’ve chosen a presentation by Dr. Megan Best, an Associate Fellow of CBHD, a Researcher at the Institute of Ethics & Society at the University of Notre Dame Australia, and an honorary Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of Sydney.
In the presentation, Dr. Best looks at the moral status of the embryo and other ethical issues that arise at the beginning of life, which are especially relevant to the conversations happening in the wake of the Alabama Supreme Court’s ruling.
I should also add that our next episode will feature a response by a psychologist and Christian counselor on how we can extend this conversation even further into our churches, so stay tuned for that!
- Video version of Dr. Best's presentation: YouTube
- Alabama, Embryos, and Ethics at cbhd.org
- CBHD resources on Reproductive Ethics
Artificial Intelligence: More than Byte-Sized Issues
This episode of the podcast features an article written by our Executive Director on recent developments in artificial intelligence, particularly within the realm of healthcare. What do we need to know about these rapidly developing new technologies, and how might Christians think about and respond to AI?
Show Notes:
FREE Lecture, in person OR online, "How Assisted Dying Creates New Realities: Looking back on 40 Years of Euthanasia Experience," by Theo Boer, PhD. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/bioethics-lecture-how-assisted-dying-creates-new-realities-tickets-796371457467
Bonus Episode
As we close out 2023, our Executive Director wanted to take a few minutes to talk about where we’ve been this year and where we’re planning to go next year.
Show Notes:
- Our 31st annual conference, The Future of Health: Faith, Ethics, and our MedTech World, June 27–29, 2024
- Intersections: "Artificial Intelligence: More than Byte-Sized Issues"
- YouTube: "Our Executive Director On the Newly Approved CRISPR Gene Editing Treatment"
Our thought leadership in the arena of bioethics is more crucial than ever, and we need your help to continue this work. If you have never given to CBHD before, this is a great time to make that first gift. If you’ve given before, first of all, thank you! Would you consider giving again, and perhaps giving a larger gift this year? With your help—and only with your help—will we be able to do the work to which we are called. https://give.tiu.edu/CBHD
Review and Comment on Bioethics News
In this episode of the podcast, we try something new and different. CBHD Executive Director Matthew Eppinette, CBHD Research Scholar Anna Vollema, and CBHD Research Analyst Heather Zeiger discuss current bioethics news items posted on bioethics.com.
Topics they discuss include artificial intelligence, CAR-T therapy, medical debt, and ways churches and individuals might care well for those in their congregations and communities who are going through a time of illness.
To keep up with all of the latest news from the arena of bioethics:
- Visit bioethics.com: https://bioethics.com/
- Follow on X (twitter): https://twitter.com/bioethicsdotcom
- Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bioethicsdotcom/
- Follow on Threads: https://www.threads.net/@bioethicsdotcom
- Follow via RSS: https://bioethics.com/rss-2/
In addition, the Call for Proposals for our 2024 conference—The Future of Health: Faith, Ethics, and our MedTech World—remains open until December 18. For more information, see the Submission Guidelines on our website.
Also, help spread the word to others in your circle of influence. Perhaps someone you know has a great idea for a paper and just needs a little encouragement!
The Challenges and Opportunities of Genomic Editing: A Christian Perspective
In this episode of the podcast—our second ever video episode—we have an address given by William Hurlbut, MD, of Stanford University on genomic editing.
This is a topic that is much in the news – in fact, the United Kingdom has just become the first country to approve a treatment using the gene editing technique known as CRISPR.
But what, exactly is genomic editing, what opportunities does it provide, what challenges come with it, and for those of the Christian faith, how do our theological beliefs help us to evaluate it?
These are the topics of this address.
2024 CALL FOR PROPOSALS
CBHD invites healthcare and other professionals, scholars, researchers, educators, and students to submit abstracts of papers that address questions associated with our conference theme—The Future of Health: Faith, Ethics, and our MedTech World—or that engage more broadly with other foundational and emerging bioethical issues raised at the intersections of medicine, science, technology, and our common humanity. For more information, see the Submission Guidelines at https://www.cbhd.org/conference/cfp
The Most Pressing Bioethics Issues
In this edition of the podcast, our Executive Director, Matthew Eppinettte, provides an update on the work of The Center for Bioethics & Human Dignity, framed by what he sees as the most pressing bioethics issues of the coming years.
We cannot do the work of unpacking and addressing these vital topics without your help.
Your donation today will help us continue to advance our research on these and other vital areas of life and health.
With your help—and only with your help—will we be able to continue to stay ahead of the curve on these and other areas in the academic arena of bioethics.
In addition, your backing will allow us to continue to provide resources and support to physicians, pastors, and other church leaders on the front lines who face these issues in their work, their congregations, and their communities each day.
Bioethics Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow
This episode of the podcast features our Executive Director's Plenary Address from 30th annual summer conference. In the talk, he makes a few comments on the history of bioethics over the past 30 years before spending the bulk of the time talking about the present state of bioethics and what it might look like in the coming years.
Are you a member of CBHD? If so, thank you! If not, join today. By becoming a member of The Center of Bioethics & Human Dignity, you gain access to content from the Center that can’t be found anywhere else!
Members receive:
A print subscription to Ethics & Medicine: An International Journal of Bioethics.
Access to past CBHD Conference audio & video through our web portal on CBHD.org.
Discounts at prominent publishers such as University of Chicago Press & InterVarsity Press.
Discounts on prominent journals such as the American Journal of Bioethics.
Book discussion groups available only to CBHD members.
Members-only email newsletter with more in-depth content from CBHD.
And more!
And it’s worth noting that next week we’ll be sending out an email to all our members announcing the next book discussion title as well as a few other pieces of member-specific info.
Membership is $75/per year (or for students it’s $40/year or only $5/month).
Join today at https://www.cbhd.org/sign-up
The Meaning of Children: Competing Narratives
Welcome to our first video podcast! This episode features Dr. Gilbert Meilaender’s presentation of the 2023 John F. Kilner Bioethics Lectureship from March of this year.
The lecture is entitled "The Meaning of Children: Competing Narratives," and it encourages us to consider whether it is best to view children as gifts to be received or projects to be undertaken, and what each view indicates regarding our own humanity.
Also, please save the date June 27–29, 2024, for our 31st annual conference, "The Future of Health: Faith, Ethics, and our MedTech World."
Edmund Pellegrino (2002): “The Needs of the Patient vs. the Needs of Others”
As we prepare for our 30th annual conference, this episode of The Bioethics Podcast features a plenary addresses from our 2002 conference, "Bioethics at the Bedside."
The speaker is the late Dr. Edmund Pellegrino, and in this address he looks at issues of justice with respect to the physician-patient relationship.
Edmund D. Pellegrino, MD was Professor Emeritus of Medicine and Medical Ethics at the Kennedy Institute of Ethics and the founding director of the Center for Clinical Bioethics, which was renamed the Edmund D. Pellegrino Center for Clinical Bioethics in his honor in 2013, at Georgetown University Medical Center.
Our 30th annual conference, The Christian Stake in Bioethics Revisited, is coming up June 22-24, and will be available to attend in-person, online, or on-demand. Register now at cbhd.org.
Allen Verhey (1994), “Luther's 'Freedom of the Christian' and Patient Autonomy”
As we prepare for our 30th annual conference – The Christian Stake in Bioethics Revisited, June 22-24, available in person and online – this podcast episode features another of the plenary addresses from the very first conference, The Christian Stake in Bioethics, in 1994.
Our speaker in this episode is the late Dr. Allen Verhey, and in this address, he takes a careful look at the concept of autonomy and compares it to Martin Luther’s Freedom of the Christian.
Dr. Allen Verhey was published widely and was the author, editor, or co-editor of 12 books. He is perhaps best known for Reading the Bible in the Strange World of Medicine, and his final book was The Christian Art of Dying. Dr. Verhey died at age 68 in February 2014, after a long struggle with Amyloidosis.
An Update on The Center for Bioethics & Human Dignity
In this episode of The Bioethics Podcast, CBHD Executive Director Matthew Eppinette shares an update on the Center. In short, as we approach the end of our fiscal year on April 30, we need to raise $60,000 to maintain our momentum and continue providing leadership in supporting and training pastors and Christian thought leaders in the critically strategic areas of bioethics.
The need for sound, biblical wisdom on the issues of bioethics has never been greater. We can meet these challenges only with the help of people just like you. Please give as generously as you are able today. Thank you in advance!
“From Science Fiction to Reality: The Bioethics of Emerging Technologies”
In this episode of the podcast, we have a recent lecture by Michael J. Sleasman, PhD, Associate Professor of Bioethics and Director of Bioethics Degree Programs at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and Trinity International University.
His lecture is entitled “From Science Fiction to Reality: The Bioethics of Emerging Technologies”
“The Moral Health of Medicine” by Dr. Nigel M. de S. Cameron
As we look forward to our 30th annual conference – The Christian Stake in Bioethics Revisited, June 22-24 – this episode of the podcast looks back to the very first address from the very first conference, way back in May of 1994. In this address, Dr. Cameron identifies a profound cultural shift in public life, in institutions, and in professions that has seen each of these areas move away from Judeo-Christian underpinnings. Cameron focuses on medicine and what he identifies, from the Hippocratic Oath, as the three covenants involved in the profession of medicine, one of which in his view has been abandoned. He concludes with two suggestions on what might be done to respond to these changes.
CBHD Members Reading Group: Read Frankenstein with the CBHD Staff
The novel wrestles with themes of creation and destruction, alienation and loneliness, birth and life, the toxicity of revenge, and the quest to conquer the unknown at the cost of one’s own humanity.
Literature professor Karen Swallow Prior has created an edition of this classic that illuminates Shelley’s intended themes and messages, including an extensive introduction to the original author and context of the novel. Through her footnotes and discussion questions, Prior’s commentary also helps the reader understand how to read Frankenstein in light of the gospel.
We will meet via Zoom during the week of April 10 for the book discussion. Exact date and time TBD.
To Participate, become a CBHD Member: https://www.cbhd.org/sign-up
30th Annual Conference
Registration for our 30th annual conference, The Christian Stake in Bioethics Revisited is open and early bird rates are still in effect. For more information and to register, visit https://www.cbhd.org/conf2023
Two Big Announcements from CBHD
First, CBHD Membership is now open -- become a member today!
For information on the benefits of membership and to join, visit https://www.cbhd.org/sign-up
Second, Conference Registration is now open -- and early bird pricing is in effect!
The theme for this, our 30th annual conference, is The Christian Stake in Bioethics Revisited: Crucial Issues of Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow. It will take place June 22-24 on the campus of Trinity International University in Deerfield, Illinois.
For more information and to register, visit https://www.cbhd.org/conf2023
Intersections: Embodied Souls and Ensouled Bodies
Our first podcast episode of 2023 features the latest article from our Intersections forum, which is now hosted on our all-new website at cbhd.org. The article is entitled "Embodied Souls and Ensouled Bodies," and it was written by our own Bryan Just, MA. Bryan also serves as our reader for this episode.
If you had a chance yet, please do stop by and check out the all-new cbhd.org. It has a clean, easy-to-navigate design and works equally well on desktops, laptops, tablets, and phones.
2022 Recap, 2023 Preview
In this episode of the podcast, CBHD Executive Director Matthew Eppinette provides an end-of-year update and a preview of things to come in 2023.
The challenges to life and health have only increased in significance. Genuinely Christian engagement is needed as much now as it has ever been. Please give as generously as you are able today! And please, please keep us in your prayers. Thank you in advance for your support.
We are incredibly grateful for the work that has been given to us to do and for the provision of God through the people of God that enables us to do it. Thank you for investing in CBHD's mission and work!
For more information about The Center for Bioethics & Human Dignity, and to support the work of the Center—and projects like this podcast—please visit our website, cbhd.org
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Music: Carol Of The Bells by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Artist: http://audionautix.com/
"Why Intersections?" Revisited
This episode of The Bioethics Podcast marks the launch of an all new cbhd.org website. The new website has a new look and feel and is mobile-friendly! In addition, we are moving our Intersections Forum (and the other content from Everyday Bioethics) to cbhd.org.
To mark this occasion, we’ve reposted one of the first Intersections entries, entitled “Why Intersections?,” this time titling it “‘Why Intersections?’ Revisited,” and adding an editor’s note of introduction.
The latest Intersections entry is available on the home page, and the complete archives are available by clicking on Intersections under the heading Everyday Bioethics at the top of the page.
In addition, this episode features a big announcement regarding the CBHD staff and a reminder that our Call for Paper and Poster Proposals is open until December 19.
New Book from CBHD -- Listen to the Editors' Introduction
This episode is all about a new book just released by The Center for Bioethics & Human Dignity entitled Bioethics in Real Life: Lessons We’re Learning from COVID-19.
While we may be a bit weary of thinking about COVID, this book is actually forward-looking. It asks: what can we take away from the COVID experience that will help us face similar challenges that will surely arise in the future?
CBHD Executive Director Matthew Eppinette introduces the book, its editors, its authors, and its chapters.
Bioethics in Real Life: Lessons We’re Learning from COVID-19 is available through Amazon.com in paperback or Kindle format, and it is free for those participating in the kindle unlimited program.
A Letter From A Current Bioethics Student | Stephen Largent & The Work Of CBHD
At the start of this semester, one of our MA in Bioethics students, Stephen Largent, wrote a letter describing his appreciation for CBHD's work, and urging those who can to financially support the work of the center.
Here is the letter in it's entirety:
"Dear Friend of CBHD,
The work of The Center for Bioethics & Human Dignity is a great help to me as a student, and I know it will continue to help me long after I finish my college years here at Trinity International University.
My name is Stephen Largent, and I’m a fourth-year student in the bachelors + MA Bioethics program at Trinity. I am in the biology, pre-med emphasis undergrad, and I plan on going on to medical school after I graduate.
When I came to Trinity, I honestly had no idea what bioethics was. During my first semester, however, I registered for an undergraduate bioethics course and quickly knew I wanted to study bioethics further. I saw that the field encompassed a number of topics I’d been interested in since high school, like gene editing, transhumanism, abortion, and more.
As my interest grew, I realized that I needed to ensure that the information I was receiving was biblically informed. The Center for Bioethics & Human Dignity is the absolute best source of truthful, well-researched information on bioethics, deftly intertwining ethical evaluation and theological orthodoxy.
CBHD engages the academic arena of bioethics and does a phenomenal job providing resources and continuing education for church leaders, doctors and lawyers, and those who understand the importance of knowing more about bioethics.
Being able to attend CBHD’s annual conference, read Dignitas articles, explore the CBHD websites, and know I received an ethical and biblical lesson is crucial to my learning and growth.
I find CBHD’s work to be invaluable to my aspirations to become a physician. I am learning bioethics from a Christian worldview as well as how to approach bioethical topics with those who do not share the same worldview.
Bioethical issues are among the most important of my generation, yet there are still many who, like me only a couple of years ago, don’t even know the term “bioethics.” Accurate knowledge of these topics is of utmost importance. The CBHD mission to provide reliable bioethics information from a Judeo-Christian perspective takes the work of many who, by God’s grace, have the desire to help engage in these hard conversations.
In short, The Center for Bioethics & Human Dignity cannot do its important work without your generosity. For the benefit of future doctors, nurses, and others in the medical field, please support the work of CBHD.
Sincerely,
Stephen
PS: CBHD’s work has been a blessing to my fellow students and me, and I will turn to their resources for years to come as I move to med school and my career. Please support their work today!"
Please consider supporting the Center for Bioethics & Human Dignity at https://cbhd.org/give-online
Thank you!
Heather Zeiger - Fetal Tissue Research & Christian Bioethics
In this episode of the podcast, CBHD Executive Director Matthew Eppinette interviews Heather Zeiger, CBHD Research Analyst as well as editor and project manager of our recently released report on “Fetal Tissue Research and Christian Bioethics.”
This report has been several years in the making, and arrives at a particularly important time – fetal tissue research has been much in the news during the development of the COVID vaccines, and the recent Dobbs decision by the U.S. Supreme Court may very well have implications for this research.
Matthew and Heather discuss these topics and much more in this episode.
To find out more about CBHD and to support our work, please visit https://cbhd.org
To view the Fetal Tissue Research & Christian Bioethics report, visit https://cbhd.org/content/fetal-tissue-research-and-christian-bioethics-review-scientific-developments-policy
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Thank you!
Rev. W.F. “Bo” Collins, III | Senior Pastor of Lakeview Presbyterian Church in Vernon Hills, IL
CBHD Executive Director, Matthew Eppinette, interviews his senior pastor, Bo Collins regarding his recent attendance at CBHD's summer conference Pastors Workshop in Deerfield Illinois at the end of June. Bo gives insight and feedback into the topics covered within the workshop, and even turns the tables on Matthew; the interviewer becomes the interviewee!
Bo is from Birmingham, AL. He holds degrees from the University of Alabama in Birmingham (BA, English) and Covenant Theological Seminary (MDiv). He was ordained as a Presbyterian minister in while serving on the pastoral staff of Riveroaks Reformed Presbyterian Church (PCA) in Memphis, TN.
Bo and his wife, Katie, have three sons, Fraser, Elliot, & Bruce. He loves bike racing, blues guitar, explaining the Bible, and growing in his ability to serve the LORD’s people and the church. Rev. Collins has served as the pastor of Lakeview Presbyterian Church since 2018.
Dr. Jeff Barrows - Conscience on the Front Lines (2022 Annual Conference Plenary)
This episode features Dr. Jeff Barrows (Senior Vice President of Bioethics and Public Policy for the Christian Medical & Dental Associations) and will provide stories of conscience involving healthcare professionals seeking to practice medicine according to Biblical and Hippocratic principles, but have been confronted with scenarios in which they were faced with a choice of either violating their conscience or the possibility of losing employment. Dr. Barrows will also briefly discuss the framework in which practicing healthcare professionals can evaluate the validity of their conscience concerns.
Dr. Brent Waters - An Introduction to Reproductive Technologies
Join us as we hear Bryan Just read an Introduction to Reproductive Technologies by Dr. Brent Waters who is part of the Center for Bioethics & Human Dignity as a Senior Fellow. This comes to us at the perfect time as our Pastors Conference, in conjunction with our CBHD Annual Conference, focuses on Reproductive Technologies. If you or someone you know is a pastor or church leader, please pass along the FREE pastors workshop website at https://pastorsconference.cbhd.org.
CBHD Staff Roundtable Discussion
Join the CBHD staff as we discuss the general topic of bioethics, meet team members you may not know yet, and discuss what the near future holds for the center!
A Tribute to Robert D. Orr
Although our plan was to start our season earlier this year, we're now starting season 22 with a tribute to Robert D. Orr. His legacy in medical ethics will be remembered in many ways, and we count ourselves here at CBHD lucky that we are one of those many ways through the Robert D. Orr Endowed Fellowship. This tribute was originally published in our Spring/Summer 2021 Issue of Dignitas, authored by John Kilner, and read by Bryan Just.
An Interview with Robert D. Orr Fellow, Anna Vollema
Anna Vollema works at the Center for Bioethics and Human Dignity where she serves as the Research Analyst and Robert D. Orr Fellow. She holds a double MA in Old and New Testament from Talbot School of Theology in southern California. She continues her education at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, seeking to better her knowledge of the character of God through obtaining a PhD in Old Testament. She previously taught Elementary Greek for the school, and the excellence of her students only deepened the desire to continue teaching. Also holding a degree in Psychology, research in the area of Bioethics offers her the chance to further explore the nature of human flourishing, asking complex questions regarding not only what humankind is capable of, but also what they should pursue in light of the nature of God and that of his creation. Anna's family is spread out across the United States, including several churches, whose people comprise an extension of her family.
Kristina Twitty: Bioethicist, Advocate, Speaker, Entrepreneur, and More
This episode of the podcast features an interview with Kristina Twitty, a graduate of the MA Bioethics program here at our host institution, Trinity International University. In this interview, we’ll get to know Kristina and hear about how she came to be interested in the issues of bioethics. And she’ll tell us about a new venture she’s started to assist people in thinking through the personal implications of various decisions regarding life and health, particularly choices around reproductive technologies as well as decisions that come to the fore nearer to the end of life.
Christian Faithfulness and Transhumanism
This edition of the podcast features a talk by CBHD Executive Director Matthew Eppinette, MBA, PhD, entitled "Transhumanism and Christian Faithfulness." The talk was originally presented in Trinity’s Graduate and Divinity School chapel on November 16, 2021. The address is part of a semester-long series on Technology and the Church, and all of the messages in this series are available on Trinity International University’s YouTube channel.