these are notes from a class pre\u00adsen\u00adta\u00adtion I gave in Ron Howard\u2019s class The Eth\u00adi\u00adcal Ana\u00adlyst<\/b> about ethics in Chris\u00adt\u00adian per\u00adspec\u00adtive<\/i><\/p>\n
The Hid\u00adden Dan\u00adger of Ethics Class\u00ades<\/b>
\nThere is a great but hid\u00adden dan\u00adger in class\u00ades such as this. By spend\u00ading hours debat\u00ading moral issues we too often train our\u00adselves for ratio\u00adnal\u00adiza\u00adtion instead of right\u00adeous\u00adness. There is no point in try\u00ading to under\u00adstand good unless we also seek to be good!<\/p>\n
Why Should We Care What Chris\u00adtian\u00adi\u00adty Says?<\/b>
\nToday it is com\u00admon to regard Chris\u00adtian\u00adi\u00adty as moral\u00adly bank\u00adrupt. This is na\u00efve and rep\u00adre\u00adsents mas\u00adsive prej\u00adu\u00addice.
\n
\nChris\u00adtian\u00adi\u00adty has proved and is prov\u00ading its wor\u00adthi\u00adness as a moral framework\u2014it has made the world a sub\u00adstan\u00adtial\u00adly bet\u00adter place (note: this could be con\u00adstrued as cir\u00adcu\u00adlar if you dis\u00adpute the moral\u00adi\u00adty of the out\u00adcomes, but it\u2019s irrel\u00ade\u00advant because I\u2019m mere\u00adly attempt\u00ading to demon\u00adstrate that Chris\u00adt\u00adian per\u00adspec\u00adtives on eth\u00adi\u00adcal oblig\u00ada\u00adtions should be tak\u00aden seri\u00adous\u00adly because they actu\u00adal\u00adly affect our lives on a dai\u00adly basis).<\/p>\n
More hos\u00adpi\u00adtals, orphan\u00adages, rest homes, and res\u00adcue mis\u00adsions have been built to hon\u00ador Jesus than all oth\u00ader reli\u00adgious lead\u00aders com\u00adbined. This is a direct byprod\u00aduct of the Chris\u00adt\u00adian empha\u00adsis on com\u00adpas\u00adsion.<\/p>\n
In Amer\u00adi\u00adca alone 128 col\u00adleges were con\u00adstruct\u00aded in our first 100 years\u2014all were found\u00aded by a church, denom\u00adi\u00adna\u00adtion, or oth\u00ader Chris\u00adt\u00adian group. This is a direct byprod\u00aduct of the Chris\u00adt\u00adian empha\u00adsis on love of truth.<\/p>\n
Chris\u00adtian\u00adi\u00adty has had a rev\u00ado\u00adlu\u00adtion\u00adary impact on the the\u00ado\u00adries of human rights. In every cul\u00adture Chris\u00adtian\u00adi\u00adty has entered the con\u00addi\u00adtion of women has been marked\u00adly improved and slav\u00adery has been or is being abol\u00adished. Think of an effec\u00adtive reformer and you are almost cer\u00adtain\u00adly think\u00ading of a Chris\u00adt\u00adian (William Wilber\u00adforce, the North Amer\u00adi\u00adcan abo\u00adli\u00adtion\u00adists, and Mar\u00adtin Luther King, Jr. all come quick\u00adly to mind). This is a direct byprod\u00aduct of the Chris\u00adt\u00adian empha\u00adsis on humans bear\u00ading the image of God.<\/p>\n
Chris\u00adtian\u00adi\u00adty is respon\u00adsi\u00adble for the vast major\u00adi\u00adty of char\u00adi\u00adta\u00adble giv\u00ading in Amer\u00adi\u00adca. This is a direct byprod\u00aduct of the Chris\u00adt\u00adian empha\u00adsis on gen\u00aderos\u00adi\u00adty.<\/p>\n
Even if you don\u2019t think much of insti\u00adtu\u00adtion\u00adal Chris\u00adtian\u00adi\u00adty, you have to wres\u00adtle with the eth\u00adi\u00adcal teach\u00adings of Jesus and his fol\u00adlow\u00aders. He was a world-class philoso\u00adpher and is uni\u00adver\u00adsal\u00adly regard\u00aded as one of the great\u00adest ethi\u00adcists of all time.<\/p>\n
What Dis\u00adtin\u00adguish\u00ades Right From Wrong? (Ontol\u00adogy)<\/b>
\nMoral\u00adi\u00adty flows from God. This is not to say that God cre\u00adat\u00aded moral\u00adi\u00adty arbi\u00adtrar\u00adi\u00adly nor to say that he is oblig\u00aded by some exter\u00adnal source to impose the laws that he does. Rather, it is to assert that moral\u00adi\u00adty is a part of who God is. God is moral just as we have a pulse. In a sense, we can con\u00adsid\u00ader moral\u00adi\u00adty to be a part of the divine DNA. <\/p>\n
Bib\u00adli\u00adcal\u00adly, love is the foun\u00adda\u00adtion of all moral\u00adi\u00adty:
\n34But when the Phar\u00adisees heard that he had silenced the Sad\u00adducees with his reply, they thought up a fresh ques\u00adtion of their own to ask him. 35One of them, an expert in reli\u00adgious law, tried to trap him with this ques\u00adtion: 36\u201cTeacher, which is the most impor\u00adtant com\u00admand\u00adment in the law of Moses?\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n
37Jesus replied, \u201d \u2018You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.\u2019 38This is the first and great\u00adest com\u00admand\u00adment. 39A sec\u00adond is equal\u00adly impor\u00adtant: \u2018Love your neigh\u00adbor as your\u00adself.\u2019 40All the oth\u00ader com\u00admand\u00adments and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two com\u00admand\u00adments.\u201d<\/i>
\nMatthew 22.34\u201340, New Liv\u00ading Trans\u00adla\u00adtion<\/p>\n
8Owe no one any\u00adthing, except to love one anoth\u00ader, for the one who loves his neigh\u00adbor has ful\u00adfilled the law. 9For the com\u00admand\u00adments, \u201cdo not com\u00admit adul\u00adtery, do not mur\u00adder, do not steal, do not cov\u00adet,\u201d (and if there is any oth\u00ader
\ncom\u00admand\u00adment) are summed up in this, \u201cLove your neigh\u00adbor as your\u00adself.\u201d 10Love does no wrong to a neigh\u00adbor. There\u00adfore love is the ful\u00adfill\u00adment of the law.<\/i>
\nRomans 13.9\u201310, New Eng\u00adlish Trans\u00adla\u00adtion<\/p>\n
Self-cen\u00adtered\u00adness, the oppo\u00adsite of love, is the root of all wrong\u00addo\u00ading (also referred to as self\u00adish\u00adness or pride). This is counter-intu\u00aditive to many peo\u00adple, but is a log\u00adi\u00adcal con\u00adse\u00adquence of admit\u00adting a Cre\u00adator. In oth\u00ader words, posit that we and the entire uni\u00adverse are the design of a supreme being. We then can\u00adnot be the cen\u00adter of existence\u2014either He is or no one is. To make our\u00adselves, our will, or our desires our guide for deter\u00admin\u00ading mean\u00ading or moral\u00adi\u00adty is to com\u00admit a fac\u00adtu\u00adal error with far-reach\u00ading con\u00adse\u00adquences. In addi\u00adtion, this supreme being is per\u00adfect in every way, and hence all ratio\u00adnal moral beings will love the Cre\u00adator.<\/p>\n
That is why we should love God, so why should we love oth\u00ader peo\u00adple? Because oth\u00ader peo\u00adple are cre\u00adat\u00aded in the image of God, and part of lov\u00ading God is lov\u00ading the image of God in them. Fur\u00adther\u00admore, they belong to the one we love, and so we ought to love them because they are His. Final\u00adly, we are debtors to God and as part of the con\u00addi\u00adtion for absolv\u00ading that debt he requires that we love one anoth\u00ader: If any\u00adone says, \u201cI love God,\u201d yet hates his broth\u00ader, he is a liar. For any\u00adone who does not love his broth\u00ader, whom he has seen, can\u00adnot love God, whom he has not seen. 21And he has giv\u00aden us this com\u00admand: Who\u00adev\u00ader loves God must also love his broth\u00ader. 1 John 4.20\u201321, NIV.<\/i><\/p>\n
How Can We Know Right From Wrong? (Epis\u00adte\u00admol\u00ado\u00adgy)<\/b>
\nThe prob\u00adlem with most eth\u00adi\u00adcal the\u00ado\u00adries is pre\u00adcise\u00adly in the area of know\u00ading right from wrong. Humans are noth\u00ading if not self-decep\u00adtive when it comes to mak\u00ading moral choic\u00ades, and so we must always be cau\u00adtious when reach\u00ading moral con\u00adclu\u00adsions. <\/p>\n
In Chris\u00adt\u00adian the\u00adol\u00ado\u00adgy the ground of all moral\u00adi\u00adty is an all-know\u00ading being who has cho\u00adsen to reveal moral\u00adi\u00adty to lim\u00adit\u00aded beings such as our\u00adselves (both through His world and His word), thus neat\u00adly solv\u00ading the prob\u00adlem.<\/p>\n
In addi\u00adtion, it allows for the vague moral pre\u00adcepts to have some def\u00adi\u00adn\u00adi\u00adtion. For example\u2014the injunc\u00adtion to love is mean\u00ading\u00adless with\u00adout some com\u00admon under\u00adstand\u00ading of what con\u00adsti\u00adtutes love.<\/p>\n
4Love is patient and kind. Love is not jeal\u00adous or boast\u00adful or proud 5or rude. Love does not demand its own way. Love is not irri\u00adta\u00adble, and it keeps no record of when it has been wronged. 6It is nev\u00ader glad about injus\u00adtice but rejoic\u00ades when\u00adev\u00ader the truth wins out. 7Love nev\u00ader gives up, nev\u00ader los\u00ades faith, is always hope\u00adful, and endures through every cir\u00adcum\u00adstance.<\/i>
\n1 Corinthi\u00adans 13.4\u20137, New Liv\u00ading Trans\u00adla\u00adtion<\/p>\n
This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our broth\u00aders. 17If any\u00adone has mate\u00adr\u00adi\u00adal pos\u00adses\u00adsions and sees his broth\u00ader in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? 18Dear chil\u00addren, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. <\/i>
\n1 John 3.16\u201318, New Inter\u00adna\u00adtion\u00adal Ver\u00adsion<\/p>\n
A Chris\u00adt\u00adian Per\u00adspec\u00adtive On High-Pro\u00adfile Moral Issues<\/b>
\nSex\u00adu\u00adal\u00adi\u00adty<\/b>: Sex\u00adu\u00adal inti\u00adma\u00adcy is reserved for het\u00adero\u00adsex\u00adu\u00adal covenant rela\u00adtion\u00adships (mar\u00adriages).
\nGenet\u00adics<\/b>: Our goal must be to heal, not to per\u00advert. Unborn humans are peo\u00adple and have the same right to life as we do.
\nCopy\u00adright Issues (MP3s)<\/b>: The laws may be ill-con\u00adsid\u00adered, but they are laws nonethe\u00adless. Chris\u00adtians obey just laws (even those that are unwise, as long as they are not dis\u00adas\u00adtrous in their con\u00adse\u00adquences). In a sim\u00adi\u00adlar way, Chris\u00adtians pay their full tax\u00ades even though cur\u00adrent tax laws are bad.
\nPover\u00adty<\/b>: Those who have are to be gen\u00ader\u00adous towards those who do not, but in such as way as to lift them out of their pover\u00adty and not to trap them in it. Hav\u00ading wealth is not immoral, but being dri\u00adven by greed is.
\nPaci\u00adfism<\/b>: Gov\u00adern\u00adments may use force both in the pros\u00ade\u00adcu\u00adtion of domes\u00adtic jus\u00adtice and in the case of just wars. This specif\u00adi\u00adcal\u00adly includes the government\u2019s right to impose the death penal\u00adty.<\/p>\n
How Can We Do Right And Refrain From Wrong? (Prac\u00adti\u00adcal\u00adi\u00adty)<\/b>
\nBeliev\u00ading that right and wrong are more than arbi\u00adtrary cat\u00ade\u00adgories is the first step. Wis\u00addom (want\u00adi\u00adng the right things and know\u00ading how to attain them) and willpow\u00ader (dili\u00adgence, self-con\u00adtrol) are also essen\u00adtial. In addi\u00adtion, there are cer\u00adtain habits we can acquire that will make us more like\u00adly to do right. For exam\u00adple, asso\u00adci\u00adat\u00ading with peo\u00adple who val\u00adue being moral and strive to improve them\u00adselves. Read\u00ading wis\u00addom from the ages, and not mere\u00adly from our peers. Think\u00ading rig\u00ador\u00adous\u00adly and ques\u00adtion\u00ading our assump\u00adtions. <\/p>\n
But all that hits a wall: we can\u2019t be good on our own. That\u2019s not to say that we\u2019re each the epit\u00ado\u00adme of wicked\u00adness, but rather to say that we have all fall\u00aden short of per\u00adfec\u00adtion and can\u00adnot attain it.<\/p>\n
Bad News, Good News<\/b>
\nWe are all eter\u00adnal beings, bear\u00ading the very image of God. That means that we each face an after\u00adlife. To admit imper\u00adfect crea\u00adtures to a per\u00adfect place is to make that per\u00adfect place imper\u00adfect. If the per\u00adfect place is eter\u00adnal, then we have admit\u00adted an infi\u00adnite amount of imper\u00adfec\u00adtion. God must dis\u00adpatch us to one or the oth\u00ader, and we are not fit for Heav\u00aden. To make it worse, for Him to uni\u00adlat\u00ader\u00adal\u00adly change us (to make us per\u00adfect) would be immoral. That means we\u2019re head\u00aded for the oth\u00ader place\u2014the place of eter\u00adnal imper\u00adfec\u00adtion.<\/p>\n
There is a solu\u00adtion to this problem\u2014if we were to give God per\u00admis\u00adsion to change us he could make us per\u00adfect, and there\u00adby just\u00adly admit us to the per\u00adfect place. This is pre\u00adcise\u00adly the foun\u00adda\u00adtion of Chris\u00adtian\u00adi\u00adty. God promis\u00ades that if we place our trust in Jesus He will begin a change process in us that will cul\u00admi\u00adnate at our res\u00adur\u00adrec\u00adtion from the grave. At that point we will be fit cit\u00adi\u00adzens of Heav\u00aden. <\/p>\n
23All of us have sinned and fall\u00aden short of God\u2019s glo\u00adry. 24But God treats us much bet\u00adter than we deserve, and because of Christ Jesus, he freely accepts us and sets us free from our sins. 25\u201326God sent Christ to be our sac\u00adri\u00adfice. Christ offered his life\u2019s blood, so that by faith in him we could come to God. And God did this to show that in the past he was right to be patient and for\u00adgive sin\u00adners. This also shows that God is right when he accepts peo\u00adple who have faith in Jesus. Romans 3.23\u201326, CEV<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
these are notes from a class pre\u00adsen\u00adta\u00adtion I gave in Ron Howard\u2019s class The Eth\u00adi\u00adcal Ana\u00adlyst about ethics in Chris\u00adt\u00adian per\u00adspec\u00adtive The Hid\u00adden Dan\u00adger of Ethics Class\u00ades There is a great but hid\u00adden dan\u00adger in class\u00ades such as this. By spend\u00ading hours debat\u00ading moral issues we too often train our\u00adselves for ratio\u00adnal\u00adiza\u00adtion instead of right\u00adeous\u00adness. \u2026 Con\u00adtin\u00adue read\u00ading \u201cJesus, Ethics, and Us\u201d<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wp_typography_post_enhancements_disabled":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-850","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-academic-integration"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6Ded-dI","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/850","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=850"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/850\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=850"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=850"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=850"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}