What is “bioethics”? It’s best understood if we break down the word. Ethics is the practical discipline of decision-making, informed by philosophy and theology. Bio- is a prefix we attach to words that are associated with life. So bioethics is the study of the ways in which we should make decisions about what do in regard to issues of life and death.

Some days, pastoring is more difficult than others. Imagine you’re in your office and a couple from your church asks you what they should do about another couple in the church who have asked them to preemptively adopt any extra embryos that will soon be made through a round of in vitro fertilization. Or imagine there’s a pregnant mom who’s weeping in your office, wondering if she should undergo chemotherapy to remove the tumor in her brain—which will result in the death of her unborn baby—or if she should allow the baby to come to term—which will result in herself being taken by cancer, leaving her husband alone with four young children. Or imagine it’s Sunday after church, and the nice woman in the back who has been visiting for a few weeks comes up you in tears, telling you she has confessed Christ for the first time—and that she used to be called Steve, having recently transitioned to being a woman. Now she wants to know what following Jesus looks like.

In these moments, what is the pastor to do?

These are but a tiny sampling of the bioethical issues pastors face. What is “bioethics”? It’s best understood if we break down the word. Ethics is the practical discipline of decision-making, informed by philosophy and theology. Bio- is a prefix we attach to words that are associated with life. So bioethics is the study of the ways in which we should make decisions about what do in regard to issues of life and death.

My goal in this article is to help pastors who must shepherd and live alongside those who face bioethical dilemmas. This is an important topic for at least two reasons. First, understanding these situations well will be of great pastoral and evangelistic benefit. Second, I’m a pastor who has a degree in bioethics, and through the years I’ve realized that Christians rarely think any better than non-Christians about these topics.

We need to do better. We need to become wiser—to serve both our churches and our neighbors. To that end, here are eight maxims pastors ought to remember as they shepherd people through difficult bioethical decisions.

1. The Bible doesn’t have all the answers.

Moses knew nothing of cloning. David wrote no Psalms about cognitive enhancement. Paul didn’t take up any space in his letters dealing with the Christian position on the use of artificial wombs.

Does this mean the Bible is of no bioethical use? Of course not. It simply means that it isn’t meant to be a simplistic answer key to every bioethical dilemma.

So, what is the Bible good for when it comes bioethics? It tells us about who God is, how we should view the world he created, and who we are as human persons. With this information at our disposal, we can begin to understand how we ought to live in the world. While the Bible is seldom directly applicable to specific bioethical situations, we must glean from it principles for action and behavior.

2. Complicated bioethical questions demand careful answers.

Most people hesitate when it comes to issues of life and death, sickness and health. Decisions are legion, urgency is high, and wise counsel is often lacking. Whether we like it or not, those under our care will listen carefully to what we have to say. What’s more, they sometimes even take our advice, regardless of how uninformed it happens to be. This requires us to do all that we can to study, pray and seek counsel ourselves as we seek to lead and love those under our care. Primers on bioethics, such as David VanDrunen’s Bioethics and the Christian Life, should be on every pastor’s reading list. The fact that all people face tough bioethical questions in life should motivate you as a pastor to learn and think well about these issues. After all, being informed about complex life and death issues offers a way to love our neighbors and perhaps even to share the gospel with them.

Bioethical dilemmas also offer us an opportunity to heed James’ advice: be quick to listen and slow to speak (James 1:19). There are rarely easy answers. Rarely is there one right and one wrong answer. Most of the time, we’re facing options that are better or worse, depending on various circumstances, which leads me to my next point.

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