(Part 1)

JBTM Book Reviews
136
Thornhill’s work deserves consideration by pastors, Bible students, and anyone interested
in the current debate on election. His copious content footnotes provide the reader with
ready access to the theological contenders of all views on election. His method of using the
primary literature as reference for the doctrinal study of election is commendable. Regardless
of the reader’s theological persuasion on election, Thornhill’s work is highly recommended
for this subject.
- Craig Price, New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, New Orleans, Louisiana
Christian Bioethics: A Guide for Pastors, Health Care Professionals, and Families. By C.
Ben Mitchell and D. Joy Riley. Nashville: B&H Academic, 2014. 207 pages. Paperback,
$24.99.
C. Ben Mitchell holds a PhD in philosophy with a concentration in medical ethics from
the University of Tennessee. Currently, he is the provost and chief academic officer at Union
University in Jackson, Tennessee. D. Joy Riley is board-certified in internal medicine, and
earned a master’s in bioethics from Trinity International University. She currently serves as
the director of the Tennessee Center for Bioethics and Culture.
Christian Bioethics is a recent volume in the B&H Studies in Biblical Ethics series which
“aims to promote understanding and respect for the reality and relevance of God’s moral
truth—what Francis Schaeffer called ‘true truth’—in contrast to truth claims that are false or
distorted” (xi). The book executes this task very well for its intended audience.
The book stands out due to three unique features. The first is the background of the
co-authors. Specifically, the two co-authors represent two different fields of study, both of
which have direct and decisive bearing on the topic. Mitchell’s training as a philosopher and
ethicist provides insight into the logic and linguistic arguments and nuances, while Riley’s
training in bioethics combined with her MD gives her a distinct vantage to explain crucial
elements that are not always covered in such books (which are often written by ethicists who
do not practice medicine). The second feature is the nature of the authors’ interaction with
each other. After setting up the topic for each chapter, the authors engage in an extended
dialogue, with each weighing in from his or her field of expertise. At times this clarifies an
issue, and at other times it amplifies a point. In each dialogue, both scholars enrich and
enlighten the other’s comments, complementing what the other has contributed. Third, each
chapter begins with a case study. The case-study approach is not unique to works on ethics,
but the authors embrace the model fully, following the case study to the end. Indeed, the case
studies are not mere illustrations used by the authors as a prop to set aside and then explore
other issues or merely to make a tangential point. Rather, the case studies are integral to the
chapters and to the overall aim of each section.