Theology and Issues of Life and Death

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Does theology have any relevance to the problem of life and death? According to John Heywood Thomas the answer is an unequivocal yes. A largely personal expression of this conviction precedes the argument's exposition, which is then stated first of all quite generally - that nothing human is alien to theology's concern. Three main issues are considered: the unborn life, death as an event in life, and the possibility of global death. The issue of a life before birth is a complex problem, requiring as much awareness of philosophical issues as of relevant empirical factors. The same kind of multifaceted thinking is needed in confronting the issue of death, an inescapable topic for theology. If death is an event in life what does it reveal about the meaning of life? And what of the very human action of the funeral? After a discussion of the complex issues involved the argument returns to the global reference of theology. Two areas of concern are singled out to show that the theologian can offer guidance in debate: the environmental crisis and the threat of nuclear war. John Heywood Thomas, Emeritus Professor of Nottingham University, was Head of its Department of Theology and successively Pro-Vice Chancellor and Dean of the Arts Faculty. He had taught previously at the University of Manchester, Episcopal Seminary Austin, Texas, and the University of Durham. Described by Paul Tillich as his logical critic, he has written studies of Tillich as well as of Kierkegaard. The profound meditations on life's ultimate question contained in the chapters of this book are a joy to read. Although challenging, both intellectually and spiritually, they are the result of a lifetime's thought and are full of ripe wisdom. . . . The context of these studies is the twentieth century, but the themes explored retain their relevance for the challenges of the twenty-first. D. Densil Morgan, University of Wales. 'John Heywood Thomas's deeply pondered essays on the ethics of life and death draw richly on his wide knowledge of literature, philosophy, and theology. He has an acute sense that detailed discussion of moral problems cannot be adequately sustained outside of a larger vision of the meaning of human living and dying. Through a series of striking insights - indebted particularly to Kierkegaard and Tillich - he shows what shape this might take.' Robert Song, Durham University.

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