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This fine anthology of scholarly yet readable essays centres on Christian perspectives
and resources for deepening current discussions of dying. The editors write: ‘One
way of summing up this book is that it is intended to offer alternative and
complementary images that will re-fund the imagination of Christian caregivers in
ways that are liberating, transformative and healing’ (p. 273). The ‘alternative’ is to
the images and concepts and assumptions of medicalised dying, which all
contributors agree has dominated the way contemporary persons, lay and
professional, view the end of life. While none of these authors disputes the basic
value of medical care, or the advancements in technology, they do wish to re-vision
the human situation and meanings of dying. They wish to provide resources that
show how long-term Christian practices for ‘living well’ will make a goal of ‘faithful
dying’ possible, for those who die and those who care for and accompany them.
Therefore, this book does not duplicate the genre of pastoral care manuals, or
contribute to the technical debates over particular biomedical ethics issues. Its
authors do, however, reframe some of the concerns that are frequently discussed by
those disciplines. Some of the themes focus on ‘alternatives’. For instance, if dying is
the last stage of ‘living well’, practices that are already established and communities
that support these make for less isolation for the dying from the rest of their lives and
the world beyond the hospital. Yet authors note how inadequate a job churches
seem to make of lament, of support for the dying and of grieving Christianly. Among
the most interesting essays, however, are those which take a particular ‘virtue’ or
ideal and examine what these terms can mean, what Christian understandings of
them highlight, and how these can be ‘practiced’ within the context of end-of-life
care. While some public usages of these ideals have become overly familiar, these
essays try to undo the assumption that we really understand ‘dignity’ or
‘compassion’ or ‘patience’, and all share the same ideas of them.
Is this book just for healthcare specialists and chaplains? No, absolutely not. The
essays are readable, jargon-free, and of interest to those who seek a deeper and
more religiously-grounded vision of how faith can interpret the human situation of
dying today. Refusing to relegate religion to some interior privacy of individuals,
this perspective can help many in and out of religious communities to see
differently. We are already familiar with the many critiques of medical care’s
human shortcomings that seem wedded to its technological breakthroughs. This
collection of essays does not play a blame-game with the health care industry, nor
does it isolate Christians from the total society and environment within which they
act, think and pray. Instead, it makes a major substantive contribution to
rethinking Christianity and dying today.
Lucy Bregman
Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
The handbook of near-death experiences: thirty years of investigation,
edited by Janice Miner Holden, Bruce Greyson and Debbie James, Santa Barbara,
CA, Praeger, 2009, 316 pp., £34.95 (hardback), ISBN 978-0-313-358-7
180 Book Reviews
This handbook provides an overview of the studies that have been carried during
the past 30 years on one of the most fascinating and life-transforming experiences
that humans can have: the ‘near-death experience’ (NDE). It collects the original
papers of some of the most influential NDEs researchers delivered at the annual
conference of the International Association for Near-Death Studies (IANDS) at
the University of Texas in 2006. It beautifully incorporates the fundamental
arguments of over 600 scholarly publications, which have appeared since
Raymond Moody coined the term ‘near-death experience’ in 1975. In his book,
Life after Death, Moody describes the most universal aspects of the NDE such as a
sense of leaving the body, being at peace, sensation of moving from one reality to
another, seeing a tunnel with a Light at the end, and the encounters with luminous
beings and deceased relatives and friends, which are well examined in Chapter 1
by Holden, Greyson and James.
The book offers various accounts of such journeys, including the experiences of
children outlined in Chapter 5 by Sutherland. References to the first attempts at
collecting and the measuring NDEs, including the less known works of Bozzano
and Muldoon are made in Chapter 2 by Zingrone and Alvarado. A rigorous and
informative review of cross-cultural accounts of NDEs has been provided by
Kellehear in Chapter 7. At present there is no proven trait that can accurately
predict who will have an NDE, examined in Chapter 6 by Holden, Long and
MacLurg.
There are a number of theories that try to explain NDEs, such as the
‘reductionist view’ and the ‘survivalist hypothesis’, according to which a
detachable soul leaves the body at the moment of the NDE. These among other
possible explanations are discussed in Chapter 9 by Holden and Chapter 10 by
Greyson, Kelly and Kelly. However, as it emerges from Chapter 3 by Noyes,
Fenwick and Holden, the value of these experiences goes far beyond neuro-
reductionism, the question of scientific proof of an afterlife being much more
connected with the sense of meaning and purpose in life that people experience
after an NDE.
This does not mean that NDEs are always blissful experiences. Arguments on
negative experiences, including their religious implications, are explored in
Chapter 4 by Bush. A detailed comparison between NDEs and the spiritual values
addressed in the sacred texts of world’s major religions is given in Chapter 8 by
Masumian. NDEs have various practical applications in other related fields, such
as grief counselling, terminal illness and dying, which are explored in Chapter 11
by Foster, James and Holden.
Taken together, the works collected in this book facilitate a multidisciplinary
debate among scholars, educators, researchers and the general public on a new
and fertile topic of study. This book is a precious tool of inquiry into the most
hidden aspects of our human nature; definitely not to be left unread on a
bookshelf.
Ornella Corazza
SOAS, University of London, UK
Book Reviews 181
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