Preserving the Penultimate

Erscheinungsjahr 2026
ISBN: 978-0-227-18094-5
Verlag: James Clarke

Buch, Englisch, 377 Seiten, Print PDF, Format (B × H): 152 mm x 229 mm, Gewicht: 549 g

Brings together two of the 20th century's most renowned Christian thinkers, examining the Church's relationship to healthcare.

Bonhoeffer's theology meets Schweitzer's philosophy and praxis to examine the place that healthcare should hold within the Church and its mission. Using the crisis within the National Health Service in the United Kingdom as an example, the insights which these renowned thinkers bring to healthcare are explored.

Is the Church ignoring a part of its mission having retreated from the world of healthcare? Taking Bonhoeffer's notion of redeeming the penultimate (our present reality), as well as Schweitzer's emphasis on the practical application of Christian tenets, Preserving the Penultimate courses a path through the overlaps of these two thinkers, ultimately leading to a 're-envisioning the praxis of healthcare as theologically central to the mission of the Church.' As questions around healthcare become more urgent than ever, the role of Christianity to offer alternatives and inspire a broader vision of care is illuminated, considering not only the physical but the spiritual well-being of the person.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Jaggs-Fowler, Robert M.

Fachgebiete

• Geisteswissenschaften Philosophie Ethik, Moralphilosophie
• Geisteswissenschaften Christentum, Christliche Theologie Praktische Theologie Christliches Leben & Praxis
• Interdisziplinäres Wissenschaften Wissenschaft und Gesellschaft | Kulturwissenschaften Populärkultur
• Medizin | Veterinärmedizin Medizin | Public Health | Pharmazie | Zahnmedizin Medizin, Gesundheitswesen
• Geisteswissenschaften Christentum, Christliche Theologie Christentum/Christliche Theologie Allgemein Missionswissenschaft, Missionsgeschichte
• Geisteswissenschaften Religionswissenschaft Religionswissenschaft Allgemein Missionierung und Konvertierung
• Geisteswissenschaften Religionswissenschaft Religionswissenschaft Allgemein Soziallehre und Sozialethik, Pastoral und Seelsorge
• Sozialwissenschaften Soziologie | Soziale Arbeit Spezielle Soziologie Freizeitsoziologie, Konsumsoziologie, Alltagssoziologie, Populärkultur

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Preface
Acknowledgements

List of Abbreviations
Statement of Copyright and Permissions

Part One
1. Setting the Scene
Introduction
The United Kingdom's NHS as a Health Institution
Exemplar
The Relevance of the Sermon on the Mount

The Relationship of the Church to the Rest of
the World
God's 'Great Commission'

The Church and Healthcare - An Introductory
Comment
The Church, Education and Social Action:

The United Kingdom Exemplar

Conclusion

2. Suffering, Health and Healing, Dying and Death 29
Introduction

Terminology and Definitions

Suffering
A Note on the Interrelationship of these
Concepts with Healthcare

3. The Christian Gospel, Poverty and Health
Introduction
Definition of Poverty
Scripture and Poverty
Poverty and Health

The Gospel and Health

The Illumination Provided by Bonhoeffer and Schweitzer

4. The Church's Response to Scripture on Poverty and Health
Introduction
Church Response to Issues of Poverty
Church Response to Issues of Health
Envisaging the Future Role of the Church in
Healthcare

Conclusion

Part Two

5. Introduction to Part Two

6. The Relevance of Dietrich Bonhoeffer

7. The Relevance of Albert Schweitzer

8. The Nature and Significance of Bonhoeffer's Penultimate and Ultimate

Introduction

Bonhoeffer's Concept of the 'Penultimate' and 'Ultimate'

Albert Schweitzer and the Penultimate

The Relationship between Christians and the Penultimate

The Penultimate as a Sacrament

Conclusion

9. An Overview of the Life, Philosophy and Theology of Albert Schweitzer

Introduction

An Essential Biography of Albert Schweitzer

The Ethical Nature of Civilisation

Schweitzer's Perspective on Eschatology

The 'Will to Live' and 'Reverence for Life'

The Post-Colonial Perspective of Schweitzer

Conclusion

10. The Christology of Bonhoeffer and Schweitzer, the Penultimate and Healthcare

Introduction

Luther's Theologia Crucis

The Christology in Dietrich Bonhoeffer's
Written Work

The Christology of Albert Schweitzer

Are the Christologies of Bonhoeffer and Schweitzer the Same?

Relevance to the Twenty-First Century

Conclusion

11. The Ethics of Bonhoeffer and Schweitzer, the Penultimate and Healthcare

Introduction

Christian Ethics in General

An Overview of Healthcare Ethics

General Comments on the Ethics of Dietrich Bonhoeffer

General Comments on the Ethics of Albert Schweitzer
The Ethics of Bonhoeffer and Schweitzer Relating to the Four Principles of Healthcare Ethics

Respect for Autonomy

Beneficence
Non-maleficence
Justice
Conclusion

12. Suffering, Health and Healing, Dying and Death Revisited

Introduction

Bonhoeffer's Perspective on the Five Concepts

Suffering

Health and Healing

Dying and Death
Schweitzer's Perspective on the Five Concepts

Suffering

Health and Healing

Dying and Death

The Perspectives of Bonhoeffer and Schweitzer
Compared and Contrasted

Conclusion

13. The Christian Gospel, Poverty and Health Revisited
Introduction
Bonhoeffer's Perspective

Schweitzer's Perspective

14. The Message of Bonhoeffer and Schweitzer for Twenty-First-Century Healthcare

Appendix: Comparative Timeline for Dietrich
Bonhoeffer and Albert Schweitzer

Bibliography
Index

Über Autor(innen)

Jaggs-Fowler, Robert M.
REVD DR ROBERT M. JAGGS-FOWLER CStJ MBBS LLM MA PhD FRCGP FRSA is a Fellow at St John's College, Durham University, an Anglican priest, a retired GP, a writer and poet. He holds degrees in the subjects of medicine, medical law and ethics, theology, and philosophy. He is a Fellow of the Royal College of General Practitioners and the Royal Society of Arts.