I tip my hat to Sherman Bastarache for writing such an in-depth body of work on a controversial topic. There is a strong argument and view on both sides of the coin—science and religion, in addressing the ‘morality’ (or lack thereof) toward Embryonic Stem Cell Research. It is abundantly clear Mr. Bastarache has woven his theories and opinions throughout the book, but not with arrogance. Rather, he took his time with carefully crafted theories and left it up to the reader to decide: is this moral or is this for the greater good of progress, scientific breakthrough and a necessity to the continued evolution and advancement of man? In the next breath, he plays with his audience and strips the theory of science away and leaves it up to the reader to consider, perhaps the overall research is unnatural and all rests in God’s hands. This was an interesting and quite thought-provoking read. This book is not ‘light’ reading but is bountiful in its delivery of both scientific basis as much as theological considerations.

Reviewed by: Diane Lunsford

Moral Indignation: Embryonic Stem Cells, DNA, and Christians bySherman P Bastarache is a powerful essay with a strong appeal toboth religious men and women and scientists, a kind of dialoguebetween faith and reason, one in which the author asks veryrelevant questions about life, faith, science, and psychology. Theunderlying question that moves the discussions in this book is: Canwe ever know anything with absolute certainty? In the openingpages, the author states: "The whole of this manuscript revolvesaround embryonic stem cell research and the moral issues thatresearch entails," but the reader quickly learns that it is muchbigger than that. The author uses embryonic stem cells research asan example to explore the intricate relationship between faith andscience. What are the moral implications of stem cells research?Can eggs fertilized in stem cells acquire a soul? This and manyothers are the questions answered in this book.

Reviewed by Christian Sia for Readers' Favorite