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Mary Grace Coltharp<\/p><\/div>\n
Let\u2019s say you\u2019ve succeeded in winning someone over to the consistent life ethic. This person now wants to defend human life against abortion, the death penalty, euthanasia, war, and the myriad other threats to life. Now the question arises, \u201cWhat should I do <\/em>to promote the consistent life ethic?\u201d A valuable new resource is now available for such a budding activist: A Consistent Life: The Young Advocate\u2019s Guide to Living Peace & Justice Daily<\/em><\/a> by Mary Grace Coltharp and Aimee Murphy, published by Consistent Life Network member group Rehumanize International<\/a>.<\/p>\n Aimee Murphy<\/p><\/div>\n The authors, an intern for Rehumanize and the group\u2019s executive director, respectively, carefully lay out a full year\u2019s worth of study and activities to deepen someone\u2019s commitment to advancing the consistent life ethic. Although aimed at students and other young people, the guide is useful for anyone trying to do consistent-life-ethic work in their community.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The book has 52 chapters, for each week in a year, with each week dedicated to exploring a different aspect of the consistent life ethic. The authors write about these different aspects of the ethic in an admirably positive way. Rather than presenting the week\u2019s theme as opposition to a particular injustice, each theme is presented as recognizing the humanity of a different vulnerable or oppressed group\u2014\u201cre-humanizing\u201d those who are too often dehumanized. Each week\u2019s theme begins with the introductory phrase \u201cWho you will rehumanize:\u201d with the focus of this rehumanization including groups such as \u201chuman beings at the embryonic stage of development,\u201d \u201chuman beings who are or have been incarcerated,\u201d \u201chuman beings victimized by human trafficking,\u201d or \u201celderly human beings and those living with terminal illnesses.\u201d<\/p>\n For almost every week, the authors have identified five different activities by which guide users can deepen their commitment to the relevant group. These activities are nicely balanced, combining direct service to those at risk from violence, lobbying for laws and public policy, learning more about these issues, and raising awareness. The guide also frequently encourages artistic expression. In the section \u201cWho you will rehumanize: human beings living with mental illnesses,\u201d for example, the week\u2019s recommended activities are:<\/p>\n Activities under rehumanizing \u201chuman beings victimized by racism\u201d include \u201cRe-evaluate yourself and your thinking. Think seriously and don\u2019t write off racism as not affecting you\u201d and \u201cResearch influential court cases within the topic of America\u2019s long battle with and fight for equal rights.\u201d Activities under rehumanizing \u201cpreborn human beings and their parents\u201d include \u201cInvite your pro-life friends over to create handmade signs for a march for life\u201d and \u201cVolunteer with a [pregnancy resource center.]\u201d Each week\u2019s activities are also carefully structured, with the most challenging activity coming at the end of the week.<\/p>\n An aspect of the recommended activities that is particularly thoughtful and welcome is the frequent inclusion of self-care activities such as \u201cToday take a bath or nap to rejuvenate\u201d or \u201cRehumanize yourself. You could read a heartwarming story that will lift your spirits.\u201d Quotations from notable people such as Gandhi, Martin Luther King, and the anti-death penalty activist (and Consistent Life Network endorser) Sister Helen Prejean<\/a> are also interspersed throughout the book. A list of recommended reading and viewing appears at the end, with the Consistent Life Network\u2019s book Consistently Opposing Killing<\/em><\/a> included among them.<\/p>\n I would offer a couple minor criticisms of the guide\u2019s treatment of war. In keeping with Rehumanize International\u2019s mission statement opposing \u201cunjust war,\u201d the guide refers to rehumanizing \u201chuman beings impacted by unjust wars.\u201d The term \u201cunjust war\u201d is a controversial one within the consistent life ethic movement, as pacifists would reject the qualification \u201cunjust\u201d as implying war ever could be justified. Acknowledging and addressing this philosophical diversity within the movement would have been helpful.<\/p>\n Further, even if one accepts the concept of \u201cjust and unjust\u201d wars, the book offers little information or guidance on how an activist should determine whether a particular war is unjust. A quoted passage reviewing two Just War Theory principles is certainly welcome (not least because it is a quotation from something I wrote!) but a full account of Just War Theory is lacking. Should the guide have a future edition, a summary of Just War Theory principles or a reference to resources that provide such a summary would be worth including.<\/p>\n These are quibbles, however. A Consistent Life <\/em>is generally an excellent resource for consistent life ethic activists wishing to translate their convictions into practice. It deserves a wide distribution and readership.<\/p>\n ==========================================<\/p>\n For more book reviews on our blog, see:<\/em><\/p>\n A Way Beyond the Abortion Wars?<\/em><\/a> \/ reviewed by Bill Samuel, book by Charles C. Camosy<\/p>\n Defenders of the Unborn<\/em><\/a>: The Pro-life Movement Before<\/em> Roe v. Wade \/ reviewed by Carol Crossed, book by Daniel K. Williams<\/p>\n The Tragedy of Carrie Buck: A Review of Imbeciles<\/em> <\/a>\u00a0\/ reviewed by Mary Lou Bennett, book by Adam Cohen<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" by John Whitehead Let\u2019s say you\u2019ve succeeded in winning someone over to the consistent life ethic. This person now wants to defend human life against abortion, the death penalty, euthanasia, war, and the myriad other threats to life. Now the question arises, \u201cWhat should I do to promote the consistent life ethic?\u201d A valuable new… <\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/consistent-life.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/1-blog-Murphy-300x298.jpg\")
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The guide will be a valuable resource for student organizations, faith communities, and other groups that want to promote the consistent life ethic in their communities. The diverse array of topics covered and the broadly defined activities allow different groups to develop their own unique activism that emphases the issues most relevant to them and their communities. The guide allows for such flexibility to the extent of leaving the book\u2019s final week of activities blank: activists can decide for themselves which theme and activities to pursue that week.<\/p>\n