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Evolutionary ethics give us no reason to eschew moral horrors. Indeed, as Richard Weikart points out, the early Darwinists stated quite boldly that mass death was necessary in order to improve the race. They "claimed that the winners in the struggle for existence have to 'stride over the corpses of the vanquished,'" Weikart notes. "This is what they saw as natural law. Natural evil serves a good purpose then, that is, of producing higher species."

Eugenics, once discredited, has made a lethal comeback. As we celebrate the Incarnation this month, we are reminded that every life at every stage is precious in God's design. We must help our neighbors understand that this aspect of the Christian worldview—the conviction that all life is sacred—provides the only defense for the weakest in our midst. If, as I believe, the character of a society is ultimately judged by how well it cares for the poor and the weak, what does the return of eugenics tell us about our nation?

Copyright © 2006 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.

More on Life Ethics is available in our full coverage area.

Charles Colson has also addressed the topic of eugenics in the Breakpoint article, "The Eliminators."

His other Christianity Today columns are available online.

Charles Colson is a Christianity Today columnist and author, with Harold Fickett, of The Good Life: Seeking Purpose, Meaning, and Truth in Your Life (Tyndale, 2005), from which The $65,000 Question is excerpted and condensed

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December 2006, Vol. 50, No. 12