The previous six chapters have shown us in specific detail both how Peter Singer and Christian ethics can mutually push each other, and also how much they have in common. Indeed, it is precisely because of how much they have in common that the arguments are so interesting and productive. But in concluding this book let me pull back from these details and make some ‘big picture’ observations and suggestions.

HOW PETER SINGER HELPS PUSH CHRISTIAN ETHICS

Perhaps Singer's most important gift to Christians, and indeed to all who care about ethics, is his formidable and authentic push to think and act consistently with regard to one's ethical beliefs. He does this with his own crowd (the classic example being his insistence that one must support infanticide for the same reasons one supports abortion), but he of course calls out his opponents for their inconsistencies as well. As we saw in Chapter 3, he argues that when anti-abortionists claim to support and defend life, they almost never mean what they say. And while he is certainly correct that most self-described pro-lifers inconsistently limit their concerns to topics related to abortion and euthanasia, this unfortunate situation has been in the process of changing.