John Kilner
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

John F. Kilner (born August 12, 1952) is a
bioethicist Bioethics is both a field of study and professional practice, interested in ethical issues related to health (primarily focused on the human, but also increasingly includes animal ethics), including those emerging from advances in biology, med ...
who held the Franklin and Dorothy Forman endowed chair in ethics and theology at
Trinity International University Trinity International University (TIU) is an evangelical Christian university headquartered in Deerfield, Illinois. It comprises Trinity College, Trinity Graduate School, a theological seminary (Trinity Evangelical Divinity School), a law school ...
, where he was also Professor of Bioethics and Contemporary Culture and Director of Bioethics Degree Programs. He is a Senior Fellow at Th
Center for Bioethics & Human Dignity (CBHD)
in
Deerfield, Illinois Deerfield is a north shore suburb of Chicago in Lake County, Illinois, United States, with a small portion extending into Cook County, Illinois. The population was 19,196 at the 2020 census. Deerfield is home to the headquarters of Walgreens Boo ...
, where he served as Founding Director until Fall 2005.


Biography and education

At the end of high school, Kilner won the Illinois State
Debate Debate is a process that involves formal discourse on a particular topic, often including a moderator and audience. In a debate, arguments are put forward for often opposing viewpoints. Debates have historically occurred in public meetings, a ...
Championship and the United States National Debate Championship with his partner Robert Biederman, representing New Trier East High School in Winnetka, Illinois. Kilner received the
Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...
degree in
English literature English literature is literature written in the English language from United Kingdom, its crown dependencies, the Republic of Ireland, the United States, and the countries of the former British Empire. ''The Encyclopaedia Britannica'' defines E ...
from
Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...
. He then earned the
Master of Divinity For graduate-level theological institutions, the Master of Divinity (MDiv, ''magister divinitatis'' in Latin) is the first professional degree of the pastoral profession in North America. It is the most common academic degree in seminaries and divi ...
degree from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, and
Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...
and
Doctor of Philosophy A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common Academic degree, degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields ...
degrees from
Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...
.


Academic work

From 1983 to 1990 he was professor of social ethics at
Asbury Theological Seminary Asbury Theological Seminary is a Christian Wesleyan seminary in the historical Methodist tradition located in Wilmore, Kentucky. It is the largest seminary of the Wesleyan-Holiness movement. It is known for its advocacy of egalitarianism, giving ...
in the
Lexington, Kentucky Lexington is a city in Kentucky, United States that is the county seat of Fayette County, Kentucky, Fayette County. By population, it is the List of cities in Kentucky, second-largest city in Kentucky and List of United States cities by popul ...
area, and taught
medical ethics Medical ethics is an applied branch of ethics which analyzes the practice of clinical medicine and related scientific research. Medical ethics is based on a set of values that professionals can refer to in the case of any confusion or conflict. T ...
at the
University of Kentucky The University of Kentucky (UK, UKY, or U of K) is a Public University, public Land-grant University, land-grant research university in Lexington, Kentucky. Founded in 1865 by John Bryan Bowman as the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Kentu ...
. Following three years as Senior Associate at the Park Ridge Center for the Study of Health, Faith, and Ethics in
Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...
, in 1993 he became founding director of the Bannockburn Institute for Christianity and Contemporary Culture and its Center for Bioethics and Human Dignity, in
Bannockburn, Illinois Bannockburn is a village in West Deerfield and Vernon townships in Lake County, Illinois, United States. Per the 2020 census, the population was 1,013. The village is generally considered part of the Chicago area's North Shore region. The Fri ...
. He also received a teaching post at nearby
Trinity Evangelical Divinity School Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (TEDS) is an academic divinity school founded in 1897 and located in the northern Chicago suburb of Deerfield, Illinois. It is part of and located on the main campus of Trinity International University. It’s ...
. In 1996 he was promoted at Trinity to full Professor, and in 1999 was awarded its Franklin and Dorothy Forman endowed chair in ethics and theology. In 2005 he became its Director of Bioethics Programs, providing academic direction for Masters-level degree initiatives in North America, Asia, and Africa. Upon retirement from Trinity, he was named Professor Emeritus of Bioethics and Contemporary Culture there. Trinity marked Kilner's retirement by launching the annual John Kilner Lectureship in Bioethics and the Kilner Student Mentorship Fund at the Center for Bioethics & Human Dignity.


Awards

Kilner received an Educator of the Year Award from the national
Christian Medical and Dental Associations The Christian Medical & Dental Associations (CMDA) is made up of the Christian Medical Association and the Christian Dental Association. As of 2018, CMDA had over 19,000 members. It is the United States affiliate of the International Christian Me ...
; the international Paul Ramsey Award for Exemplary Achievement in the Field of Bioethics from the Center for Bioethics & Culture Network; and a Book of the Year award from
Christianity Today ''Christianity Today'' is an evangelical Christian media magazine founded in 1956 by Billy Graham. It is published by Christianity Today International based in Carol Stream, Illinois. ''The Washington Post'' calls ''Christianity Today'' "evange ...
for ''Dignity and Destiny''.


Research

Kilner's first project was interviews with government and missionary health care workers as well as with traditional healers among the Akamba people in
Kenya ) , national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...
, to gain cross-cultural insight into how decisions are made regarding who receives access to limited health care resources. The study investigated the effect of exposure to Western values (through the educational system) on what people consider to be ethical approaches to resource allocation. It was published in the ''Hastings Center Report'' in 1972, with further analysis in the 1990 Yale University Press book ''Who Lives? Who Dies?'' and the 1992 Eerdmans book ''Life on the Line''. In 1988, he conducted a questionnaire study involving medical directors of kidney dialysis and kidney transplantation facilities in the United States. Directors identified the weight that each of 16 different patient selection criteria receive in selecting patients for treatment (e.g., medical benefit, social value, age). They also indicated how that weight would increase or decrease were medical resources to become somewhat more limited in supply. That study was originally published in the ''American Journal of Public Health'', with further analysis in the book ''Who Lives? Who Dies?'' Later, as Director of the Center for Bioethics and Human Dignity, Kilner oversaw the development of a research project on ethical and religious perspectives on emerging biotechnologies. The project involved scholars with different relevant areas of expertise.The project and its findings are discussed in the Georgetown University Press book ''Biotechnology and the Human Good''. Upon moving to his position as Director of Bioethics Programs for Trinity International University, Kilner obtained a grant from the Wabash Center for Teaching and Learning (Indiana) for a research project on “The Pedagogical Challenges of Engaging Bioethical Issues across the Theological Curriculum.” He assembled a team of faculty from each departments at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School to study bioethical challenges and to develop teaching strategies for how their departments could prepare students. Next, he received a foundation grant to work with Mayo Clinic's William Cheshire and Zion Clinic's John Dunlop on a second phase, in which Trinity faculty developed case studies illustrating how bioethical challenges arise in people's lives. These faculty then led a study process involving the other faculty in their departments to identify ways that their academic disciplines could help individuals and churches understand and engage these challenges. This research resulted in the Zondervan book ''Why the Church Needs Bioethics''. Kilner's most recent research project was a seven-year investigation of why people matter—specifically, what it means for people to be created and renewed in the image of God. The research included documenting the ways that the image-of-God concept has been used for liberation and for devastation, depending on how the concept has been understood. The project analyzed over 1100 published discussions of the image of God, along with the passages in the Bible where this concept is employed. This research has resulted in Kilner's book on the image of God, ''Dignity and Destiny'', released by Eerdmans in 2015. In it, Kilner argues that the image of God has not been damaged by sin because Jesus Christ is the image of God and people have been created according to—and need to be restored to—Christ's image. Kilner then assembled the team of Gilbert Meilaender from
Valparaiso University Valparaiso University (Valpo) is a private university in Valparaiso, Indiana. It is a Lutheran university with about 3,000 students from over 50 countries on a campus of . Originally named Valparaiso Male and Female College, Valparaiso Universit ...
(and member of the U.S. President's Council on Bioethics), Amy Laura Hall from
Duke University Duke University is a private research university in Durham, North Carolina. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present-day city of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco and electric power industrialist James ...
, Scott Rae from Biola University,
David Gushee David P. Gushee is a Christian ethicist and public intellectual. Work and membership David P. Gushee is Distinguished University Professor of Christian Ethics and formerly the Director of the Center for Theology and Public Life at Mercer Univers ...
from
Mercer University Mercer University is a private research university with its main campus in Macon, Georgia. Founded in 1833 as Mercer Institute and gaining university status in 1837, it is the oldest private university in the state and enrolls more than 9,000 ...
, Russell DiSilvestro from
California State University The California State University (Cal State or CSU) is a public university system in California. With 23 campuses and eight off-campus centers enrolling 485,550 students with 55,909 faculty and staff, CSU is the largest four-year public univers ...
, and Patrick Smith from Duke University. The team's purpose was to compare a biblical account of why people matter with contemporary secular accounts. The result was Kilner's edited book, ''Why People Matter'', released by Baker Academic in 2017.


Publications


Books


Single-authored books

*Kilner, John F. ''Dignity and Destiny: Humanity in the Image of God''. Eerdmans, 2015. **Reviews: ''Reviews in Religion & Theology'' 24 (1), 133–135; and ''Touchstone'' 29 (6), 46–48. *Kilner, John F. ''Life on the Line'' (Ethics, Aging, Ending Patients' Lives, and Allocating Vital Resources). Eerdmans, 1992. **Reviews: ''Medical Humanities Review'' 7 (2), 13–16; and ''Religious Studies Review'' 20 (4), 314. *Kilner, John F. ''Who Lives? Who Dies?'' (Ethical Criteria in Patient Selection). Yale University Press, 1990 (paperback edition, 1992). **Reviews: ''The New York Review of Books'' 39 (5), 32–37; and ''American Journal of Public Health'' 80 (7), 883.


Books co-authored

*Kilner, John F., co-authored. ''Alternative Medicine''. Kregel, 1998. *Kilner, John F., co-authored. ''End of Life Decisions''. Kregel, 1998. *Kilner, John F., co-authored. ''Sexuality and Reproductive Technology''. Kregel, 1998. *Kilner, John F., coauthored. ''Suicide and Euthanasia''. Kregel, 1998. *Kilner, John F., co-authored. ''Does God Need Our Help?'' (Cloning, Assisted Suicide, and Other Challenges in Bioethics). Tyndale, 2003. *Kilner, John F., co-authored. ''Healthcare Ethics''. Kregel, 2004. *Kilner, John F., co-authored. ''Genetics, Stem Cell Research, and Cloning''. Kregel, 2004. * Kilner, John F., co-authored. ''Biotechnology and the Human Good''. Georgetown U. Press, 2007 ** Reviews: ''Studia Bioethica'' 1 (1), 71; and ''Heythrop Journal'' 53 (5), 874–875.


Books edited or co-edited

*Kilner, John F., ed. ''Why People Matter''. Baker Academic, 2017. **Reviews: ''Journal of the Society of Christian Ethics'' 38 (1), 190–192; and ''Themelios'' 43 (2), 319–321. *Kilner, John F., co-edited. ''Cutting-Edge Bioethics'' (Biotechnology). Eerdmans, 2002. **Reviews: ''Health Progress'' 85 (4), 62–63; and ''Issues in Law & Medicine 18 (2), 206-207. *Kilner, John F., co-edited. ''Medical Ethics''. Bridge Intl., 1999. *Kilner, John F., co-edited. ''The Reproduction Revolution''. Eerdmans, 2000. ** Reviews: ''Reformed Review'' 54 (2), 141-142; and ''Bibliotheca Sacra'' 158 (631), 376-377. *Kilner, John F., co-edited. ''Genetic Ethics''. Eerdmans and Paternoster, 1997. **Reviews: ''Perspectives on Science and Christian Faith'' 50 (4), 298-299; and ''Didaskalia'' 10 (1), 94-95. *Kilner, John F., co-edited. ''Dignity and Dying''. Eerdmans and Paternoster, 1996. ** Reviews: ''Christian Scholar's Review'' 27 (Spr.), 359-361; and ''Didaskalia'' 9 (2), 96-98. *Kilner, John F., co-edited. ''Bioethics and the Future of Medicine''. Eerdmans and Paternoster, 1995. **Reviews: ''The Reformed Theological Review'' 55 (3), 152-153; and ''Calvin Theological Journal'' 32 (2), 529-531. *Kilner, John F., co-edited. ''The Changing Face of Health Care''. Eerdmans and Paternoster, 1998. ** Reviews: ''Medicine, Health Care and Philosophy'' 2 (2), 211-212; and ''Journal of Medical Ethics'' 26 (2), 149-150. *Kilner, John F., co-edited. ''Bioethics: Opportunity or Obstacle for the Gospel?'' LCWE, 2005. *Kilner, John F., ed. ''Why the Church Needs Bioethics''. Zondervan, 2011. ** Reviews: ''Ethics & Medicine'' 32 (1), 62-63; and ''Covenant Quarterly'' 71 (1-2), 90–91.


Other multi-author books

Under Kilner's direction, the Center for Bioethics and Human Dignity began work on developing a series of books called the Horizons in Bioethics Series, which Eerdmans Publishing Company has published in the United States and Paternoster Press has published in Europe. Each book focuses on one topical area within bioethics. For each volume, Kilner, in consultation with others, assembled a team of authors. Kilner himself served as the lead editor of most of those books, including such titles as ''Bioethics and the Future of Medicine'', ''Dignity and Dying'', ''Genetic Ethics'', ''The Changing Face of Health Care'', ''The Reproduction Revolution'', and ''Cutting-Edge Bioethics'' (on biotechnology). A similar volume co-edited by Kilner and cardiologist Jay Hollman outside this series is entitled ''Medical Ethics''. It has been published only in the Russian language.


non-academic books

*Kilner, John F., and C. Ben Mitchell (2003). ''Does God Need Our Help? Cloning, Assisted Suicide, & Other Challenges in Bioethics''. Wheaton, Illinois: Tyndale. * BioBasics series of six Q/A books published by Kregel Publications. Kilner wrote each of the BioBasics books with 4-6 other authors. The titles/topics of these books include ''End of Life Decisions''; ''
Reproductive Technology Reproductive technology encompasses all current and anticipated uses of technology in human and animal reproduction, including assisted reproductive technology, contraception and others. It is also termed Assisted Reproductive Technology, where it ...
''; ''
Suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and s ...
and
Euthanasia Euthanasia (from el, εὐθανασία 'good death': εὖ, ''eu'' 'well, good' + θάνατος, ''thanatos'' 'death') is the practice of intentionally ending life to eliminate pain and suffering. Different countries have different eut ...
''; ''
Alternative Medicine Alternative medicine is any practice that aims to achieve the healing effects of medicine despite lacking biological plausibility, testability, repeatability, or evidence from clinical trials. Complementary medicine (CM), complementary and alt ...
''; ''Healthcare''; and ''
Genetics Genetics is the study of genes, genetic variation, and heredity in organisms.Hartl D, Jones E (2005) It is an important branch in biology because heredity is vital to organisms' evolution. Gregor Mendel, a Moravian Augustinian friar wor ...
, Stem Cell Research, and Cloning.'' Reviewed and discussed in Bevington, Linda K., Ray G. Bohlin, Gary P. Stewart, John F. Kilner, and C. Christopher Hook (2004). ''Genetics, Stem Cell Research, and Cloning''. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Kregel.


Peer-reviewed journal articles

He has also written articles appearing in such publications as the ''
Hastings Center Report The ''Hastings Center Report'' is a bimonthly peer-reviewed academic journal of bioethics. It is published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the Hastings Center (Garrison, New York). The editor-in-chief is Gregory Kaebnick. According to the ''Journ ...
''; ''
Journal of Health Politics, Policy and Law The ''Journal of Health Politics, Policy and Law'' is a bimonthly peer-reviewed academic journal covering health policy and health law as they relate to politics. It was established in 1976 and is published by Duke University Press. The editor-in ...
''; ''
American Journal of Public Health The ''American Journal of Public Health'' is a monthly peer-reviewed public health journal published by the American Public Health Association that covers health policy and public health. The journal was established in 1911 and its stated missio ...
''; ''American Journal of Jurisprudence''; '' Interpretation''; ''Healthcare Executive''; ''Journal of International Biotechnology Law''; ''
Mayo Clinic Proceedings ''Mayo Clinic Proceedings'' is a monthly peer-reviewed medical journal published by Elsevier and sponsored by the Mayo Clinic. It covers the field of general internal medicine. The journal was established in 1926 as the ''Proceedings of the Staff ...
''; ''
Archives of Internal Medicine ''JAMA Internal Medicine'' is a monthly peer-reviewed medical journal published by the American Medical Association. It was established in 1908 as the ''Archives of Internal Medicine'' and obtained its current title in 2013. It covers all aspects ...
''; ''
American Journal of Kidney Diseases The ''American Journal of Kidney Diseases'' (AJKD) is a monthly peer-reviewed medical journal covering all aspects of nephrology. It is the official journal of the National Kidney Foundation and is published by Elsevier. The journal publishes o ...
''; ''Ethics & Medicine''; ''
Hospital Practice ''Hospital Practice'' is a quarterly peer-reviewed medical journal covering hospital medicine. It is published by Informa Healthcare and was established in 1966. The journal is indexed in Index Medicus/MEDLINE/PubMed PubMed is a free search e ...
''; ''Journal of Religious Ethics''; ''
Christianity Today ''Christianity Today'' is an evangelical Christian media magazine founded in 1956 by Billy Graham. It is published by Christianity Today International based in Carol Stream, Illinois. ''The Washington Post'' calls ''Christianity Today'' "evange ...
''; ''Moody Monthly'', and ''Christian Scholars Review''.


Encyclopedia articles

He was selected to write the sections on
human dignity Dignity is the right of a person to be valued and respected for their own sake, and to be treated ethically. It is of significance in morality, ethics, law and politics as an extension of the Enlightenment-era concepts of inherent, inalienable ...
, on macroallocation of healthcare resources, and on microallocation of healthcare resources for the ''Encyclopedia of Bioethics'' (published by Macmillan); and the section addressing the issue of
stem cell In multicellular organisms, stem cells are undifferentiated or partially differentiated cells that can differentiate into various types of cells and proliferate indefinitely to produce more of the same stem cell. They are the earliest type o ...
research for ''
The Blackwell Companion to Science and Christianity ''The Blackwell Companion to Science and Christianity'' is a reference work in science and religion, edited by J.B. Stump and Alan G. Padgett, and published by Wiley-Blackwell in 2012. It contains 54 new essays written by an international list o ...
''.Kilner, John F. (2012). “An Inclusive Framework for Stem Cell Research.” ''Blackwell Companion to Religion and Science''. West Sussex, England: Wiley-Blackwell. 381-392.


References


External links


Center for Bioethics & Human Dignity (CBHD)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kilner, John Living people Trinity International University faculty Asbury Theological Seminary faculty University of Kentucky faculty Yale College alumni Gordon–Conwell Theological Seminary alumni Harvard University alumni 1952 births