There are many areas in our lives, in which we pay a very high price, not just financially but also morally. Briefly, I want to discuss three areas that have triggered me to ask the question “What is the value of life?”

First, we all know that getting an education is quite expensive. The educational system, no doubt, produces some highly qualified and bright individuals. Yet, for somebody like me who values education it is rather puzzling that there is a broad anti-intellectual and a-literate (not to be confused with: illiterate) climate, in which educated people are often regarded with suspicion or labeled as members of the liberal elite.

Susan Jacoby, in her book The Age of American Unreason, observes that “[i]n this increasingly a-literate America, not only the enjoyment of reading but critical thinking itself is at risk,” and that “nonreading Americans know less and less about their nation's political and intellectual history.” This is a pity. But it does not only apply to the secular world. You can also find this attitude in the church. There are plenty of pastors who pride themselves that they have not received formal seminary training. The reasoning goes that it is more important in the ministry to have a heart for Christ, or to know Christ, than to only know about Christ (with your head; as if a learned person cannot have a heart for Christ). The Old Testament stresses the importance of teaching the words of the Law “to your children” (see Deuteronomy 11:19). Learning is equally important in the Church. We are encouraged to read and study God's Word. And the Catechism provides us with a short explanation of the basics of our Christian faith.

The Apostle Paul wrote, “If one part [of the body] suffers, every part suffers with it ...” (1 Corinthians 12:26a). This brings me to my second point, the War on Terrorism. As it is with every war, many people are suffering in the War on Terrorism.

Of course, I do not condone acts of terrorism. Terrorism does not solve the problems in this world. It adds to the problems. But this does not give a government (or any other group for that matter) the right to apply “enhanced interrogation techniques,” which is a euphemism for torture. Apart from the fact that fighting terrorism with terrorism gains nothing, torture also denigrates human dignity. Torture is not only immoral; it is also forbidden by the standards of national and international law.

What I find most troubling in this whole torture controversy is the high number of Christians (between 50 and 60% according to a Pew Forum poll), who believe that torture is (sometimes) justified. Everyone, and not just Christians, ought to object to torture! If we lived in a perfect world, there would be no need for torture or for acts of terrorism.

Third, the United States has probably the most advanced medical technology in the world. Good medical treatment can be had ... if one can afford it. There is something wrong with this picture.

There is something wrong when people lose their health insurance coverage when they get ill or become unemployed, which are already financially vulnerable and emotionally stressful times. There is something wrong when people go bankrupt because they cannot pay their medical bills. There is something wrong when people avoid going to the doctor because they are afraid of the expenses. There is something wrong when insurance companies deny the legitimacy of a patient's claim.

I find it disheartening and disconcerting when the advancements in medical technology are used to foster matters of eugenics. As the father of a child with Down Syndrome, I am appalled that “currently 90%+ of children diagnosed prenatally with Down Syndrome are ‘excluded’ from ever shining their bright light in a lost world that has become obsessed with perfection and unrealistic traits” (LifeSiteNews). Jean Vanier, founder of L'Arche, makes the bleak prediction that in France within the next few years there will be no children born with DS because they will all have been aborted. As a society, can we dare to determine that certain people, for instance with genetic defects, should not have a right to exist? What does it say about us as a society that craves “designer babies”? What has become of acceptance and unconditional love? As the church, we are called to pronounce that even the weakest member of the body has a purpose and a right to live (see again Paul in 1 Corinthians 12:21-24). 

Where does all of this leave us? We already live in a post-Easter world, in which we affirm the victorious transition from death to new life through Jesus' resurrection; at the same time, we are still subject to the pre-Easter conditions of this fallen world. In the eyes of God, our lives are already valued; but in this world, we are still exposed to the forces of sin and other forms of “moral bankruptcy.” In contrast, God wants us to experience a healing relationship with Christ who gave his life so that we may have newness of life, abundant life. There is ample opportunity and space to share in this life together so that “if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it” (1 Corinthians 12:26b).

May our faith in Christ Jesus help us to value and cherish our lives. And that of our neighbors, too!

Bjoern E. Meinhardt, Pastor