A Brief Book Summary from Books At a Glance
By Benjamin J. Montoya
About the Authors:
Francis A. Schaeffer (1912–1984) authored more than twenty books, which have been translated into a score of languages and sold millions worldwide. He and his wife, Edith, founded L’Abri Fellowship international study and discipleship centers. Recognized internationally for his work in Christianity and culture, Schaeffer passed away in 1984, but his influence and legacy continue worldwide.
Everett Koop (1916-2013) served two terms as the Surgeon General of the United States. Prior to that, he served as Surgeon-in-Chief of the Children’s Hospital in Philadelphia where the entire Surgical Center is named in his honor. A pacesetter in the field of pediatric surgery, Dr. Koop developed many new and highly successful procedures in surgery of the newborn. He authored many well-known books in the field of medical ethics and was founder and Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Pediatric Surgery.
Introduction
What has happened to the human race? Why are people now so ready, willing, and able to kill off other humans in the forms of abortion, infanticide, and euthanasia? The answers are at the level of someone’s world-view. What is a world-view? What is the prominent world-view of our day? Consider this important book to learn more.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1 The Abortion of the Human Race
Chapter 2 The Slaughter of the Innocents
Chapter 3 Death by Someone’s Choice
Chapter 4 The Basis for Human Dignity
Chapter 5 Truth and History
Chapter 6 Our Personal Response and Social Action
Chapter 1: The Abortion of the Human Race
When we consider the wide spectrum of differences between the various generations we see, how can we understand them best? Although that is a large question well beyond the grasp of any one book, or summary, for that matter, there is one way we can evaluate generations: how did they treat people?
Ours is a time when people no longer value human life. The abortion of the human race is a very real thing. Abortion has been legalized, and there are a wide variety of ways it can be practiced, even for some people arguing for its legitimacy post-birth. How can this be so in the West which had been so influenced by Christianity?
The West has changed and is changing at a speed not previously known. Cultures used to take a long time to change, but with the rapidity that we see information flowing in our culture, it changes quickly. The biggest change that has taken place in the West is the adoption of humanism and rejection of Christianity. That is why many people are now okay with the abortion of the human race.
What does humanism teach? There are several key tenets:
- It rejects the doctrine of creation.
- Therefore it also rejects that there is anything stable or “given” about human nature.
- Humanism sees human nature as part of a long, unfolding process of development in which everything is changing.
- Humanism casts around for some a solution to the problem of despair that this determinist-evolutionist vision induces.
- Humanism can only find a solution in the activity of the human will, which—in opposition to its own system—it hopes can transcend the inexorable flow of nature and act upon nature.
- Therefore, humanism encourages manipulation of nature, including tinkering with people, as the only way of escaping from nature’s bondage. But this manipulation cannot have any certain criteria to guide it because, with God abolished, the only remaining criterion is nature (which is precisely what humanist man wants to escape from) and nature is both non-cruel and cruel.
The essence of humanism is the ultimate rejection of God as the center of the universe and man in its place. When that exchange happens, people are okay to abort the human race because they no longer accept the high value that God put on the human race. That is why when people accept this view, they also have issues in the culture with child abuse. The devaluation of human life is a real problem.
Chapter 2: The Slaughter of the Innocents
The slaughter of the innocents is something that occurs already in the medical profession. Although abortion is no less slaughter, this chapter speaks to a form of slaughter known as infanticide. Infanticide is the killing of a born child. Although it is a hideous thing to consider, it is something currently practiced. Some of the cases of infanticide focus on babies born with clear disabilities, like down syndrome. There are even doctors who make the case for giving parents the choice, even some by extending the declaration of birth to three days to allow time for that decision.
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