A Christian Ontology of Genetic Disease and Disorder

Abstract

This article will present an ontology of the human person that is predicated upon a Christian understanding of God the Creator. It argues that defining ontological personhood in relation to God is essential for determining how Christians should understand personhood and human nature and their relation to genetic disease and disorder within human life. To show how a theological account of ontology can influence genetic debates, the article first explores why it is necessary to define personhood as an ontological reality granted by God in creation. Next, the article discusses how we ought to understand human nature in relation to fallenness and sin. Finally, the article explores how our vision of resurrected bodies within the Kingdom of God can inform our treatment of those living with genetic diseases and disorders in our present communities. Within the classic Creation–Fall–Redemption narrative, the article focuses on the status of individuals whose bodies are often deemed subhuman by our contemporary definitions of personhood.