UNIT II: METHODOLOGICAL ISSUES IN CHRISTIAN ETHICS

1. What is Christian Ethics?

Christianity also has an ethical phenomenon containing instructions for its followers to obey.
Christian ethics is ethics considered and pursued in the context of what God has done in Jesus
Christ. The highest good is what God has made known and given us in Jesus Christ. Therefore,
faith and commitment to Jesus Christ determines the norms and objectives of Christian ethics.
Christian ethics is any study that answers the question, “What does the whole Bible teach us
about which acts, attitudes, and personal character traits receive God’s approval, and which do
not?” In Christianity, the highest good or ultimate destiny of human life is the redemption of
suffering as well as the achievement of the membership of the Kingdom of God. So Christian
ethics refer to those principles concerning the moral quality (rightness or wrongness) of the
action of the Christians leading to the Kingdom of God.

Ed Langerak defines, Christian ethics as an academic discipline uses these scriptures and
traditions in developing and critiquing ethical norms and theories and applying them to ethical
issues. Most Christian ethicists agree that the sources for doing ethics include revelation
(scripture) and tradition, as well as human reason and experience.

Karl H. Peschke defines Christian Ethics as that part of theology which studies the guidelines a
person must follow to attain his or her final goal in the light of Christian faith and of reason.

Miltiadis Proios, Christian ethics is the application of the principles of Christian faith, i.e. the
man’s approach to Christ.

Bible Ethics Christian Ethics General Ethics

Concerned with needs.ideals Concerned with needs, ideals Concerned with needs, ideals
and aspirations of a person and aspirations of a person and aspirations of a person

Foundation is Bible and life of Foundation is Bible and life of Foundation is human reason
Christ Christ

Based on Faith Based on Christian system of Based on moral process

moral values

Nature of God as ethical Nature of God as ethical Desires and relative values of
people

Guidance of the Holy Spirit Guided by Holy Spirit Bible Guided by consensus of the
and Bible and Church community

Goal is to attain likeness of Goal is to attain likeness of Goal is virtuous activity

God and be in harmony with God and be in harmony with
His will His will
 2. Different modes of ethical discourses/arguments

Deontological Systems: The word deontological is based on the Greek verb ‘dei’, used in the
sense “it is necessary, it should be done.” Deontological systems are ethical systems based on
rules for right and wrong, what ought to be done and ought not to be done. Deontological
systems can be secular (if the rules are based only on human reason and intuition) or Christian (if
the rules come from God’s Word, the Bible). All Christian ethical systems take God’s commands
in the Bible as rules that define right and wrong human conduct, and therefore all Christian
ethical systems are deontological.

Teleological Systems: The word teleological is based on the Greek noun ‘telos’, meaning “end,
goal, outcome.” Teleological systems are ethical systems based on seeking the best results for an
action. The most common secular teleological theory is utilitarianism, which involves seeking
the greatest good for the greatest number of people. Most modern arguments about various
political issues are based on utilitarian considerations. Another secular teleological theory is
ethical egoism, which involves seeking whatever is best for yourself personally, a position that is
clearly contrary to Jesus’ teaching, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Matt. 22:39).
The twentieth-century writer Ayn Rand promoted ethical egoism. In contrast to secular
teleological systems, a Christian ethical system should have a God-centered teleological aspect
to it, because the Bible tells us that the result we should seek is the glory of God: “So, whether
you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God (1 Cor. 10:31). Teleological
ethics is a goal centered ethics. What is good is the main question. It is quite related Aristotelian
thinking “summum bonum” or total good. The goal is ultimate happiness. Every member is
supposed to act for the good of the society or state.

Responsibility: it was proposed by Richard Niebhur. The ‘responsible self’ discloses that
responsibility is the key category of Richard Niebhur. The main question is what is fitting?
Ethics helps us to understand ourselves as responsible beings. his questions were what is going
on in the world? What is God doing? What am I to do? God is acting all the time. The response
is shaped by what is going on in the situation. Responsibility ascribes that everybody is dutiful.

Methodologically Niebuhr was trying to see three types of man’s responses:

1. Man, the maker can reject materials that do not fit his purpose. He could creatively
respond.
2. Man, the citizen is always under the law and he is controlled by the rules of the society.
he is surrounded by the system. He acts according to the law. There is not much freedom
he can enjoy. He is under dictation. He obeys what is dictated. He is regulated by the
rigid social structure.
3. Man, the answer is always engaged in dialogue. Man responds to situations. This is
where the question of responsible self comes. So the responsible man is diological man.
 Diological man has interaction with his context. He will relate with the context. It is a
relational ethics or a relating ethics. Along with the responsibility there is accountability.

Responsibility and accountability go hand in hand. Because of the responsibility we try to

analyze, interpret and then form the response and answer the question- what is fitting in the
context? Whether it was fitting? Responsibility demands accountability. Responsibility affairs-
God is acting in all actions upon us. So our positive response to every situation in life shows our
response to God. When God is acting upon us, we must respond to his actions. The important
affirmative is God is acting, a conviction that we are responding to God’s action, and that we are
accountable to God’s action. Our response should be appropriate, as we are accountable for the
consequences.

Virtue Ethics: Theories of virtue ethics emphasize not whether specific actions are right or
wrong, but the moral character of the individual. In virtue ethics, the primary concern is whether
you are a virtuous person. In political elections, questions of a candidate’s character are often
important, and in those cases some emphasis on virtue ethics plays an important role. A Christian
ethical system should emphasize virtue ethics because the Bible teaches that we should seek to
develop a Christlike character: Paul says that God predestined us “to be conformed to the image
of his Son” (Rom. 8:29), and he also says, “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ” (1 Cor. 11:1).
Peter, in fact, uses the common Greek word for “virtue” (aretē, meaning “virtue, moral
excellence”) when he tells Christians to “make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue”
(2 Pet. 1:5).

Liberation Ethics

The main aim of liberation ethics is liberation or structural transformation. It emerged from the
colonial or imperial context. The whole issue emerged from Latin American / South American
context. It was a context of extreme colonialism. For nearly 600 years they were colonized by
Western forces. The main intention of the colonizers was to tap the resources. As the resources
were exploited the natives became poor. They underwent extreme poverty. There was
exploitation and oppression. It was a political and economic oppression. The Christians
gathered around which is known as 'basic Christian communities'. They asked the question what
God would do in their particular situation or what the Bible said. From the Bible studies, they
come to the answer that God is a liberating God and he sides with the poor. He does have
solidarity with the poor, he has a preferential option for the poor. They even see God and Jesus
as the liberator. They interpret the text from their own experience of poverty and oppression.
They examined Exodus and observed that God is actively involved in liberating activity. Second
exodus' is liberation from the Babylonian captivity. The Nazareth Manifesto (LK: 4: 16-21) also
speaks about the liberation. Liberation ethics is life centered or life affirming ethics. This is the
struggle between life and death. It is a praxis oriented ethics.

Assignment:- Define Christian Ethics and its importance?