Christian Moral Principles Flashcards
Specification for Christian moral principles
Theonomous ethics (📖)
Heteronomous ethics (📖⛪️🧠)
Autonomous ethics (🩷✝️)
Theonomous Christian ethics 📖
Based on God’s commandments in the Bible alone central to morality
Heteronomous Christian ethics 📖⛪️🧠
Several sources of authority that lead to a moral life can come from the Church and Reason alongside the BIBLE (always important)
Autonomous Christian ethics 🩷✝️
Guided by the law of agape love, places authority entirely on the individual to decide what is most loving situationally.
What approach do many Protestants, especially Calvinists, support?
A Theonomous approach 📖 - Sola scriptura
What approach do Protestants, especially Calvinists, support?
A Theonomous approach 📖 - Sola scriptura
Other Protestants, such as Anglicans, support which view?
A heteronomous approach 🧠⛪️📖 - prima scriptura
Which approach is supported by the Catholic Church
Heteronomous approach 🧠⛪️📖 - Church has equal authority to the Bible due to Apostolic succession
What approach does Liberal Christianity support
Autonomous 🩷✝️ - the only ruling norm is Love
Fundamentalist approach of the Bible’s authority
The Bible is ‘God-breathed’ (2 Timothy), and is infallible and self-authenticating.
HOWEVER it has to be interpreted to some degree
2 Timothy 3:16
All scriptures is God-breathed and is useful for teaching,
What do St Paul and Augustine think on human nature?
Humans are sinful and ignorant so are incapable of living good lives based on their own powers of reason.
What are the two forms of revelation in Christian moral principles?
PROPOSITIONAL - God reveals himself through truth statements (📖)
NON-PROPOSITIONAL - God doesn’t reveal himself in truth statements, they need interpretation by humans/the Church (🧠📖⛪️, 🩷✝️)
What is it important to recognise when discussing Biblicists?
Even very conservative Biblicists can recognise that not every verse is literal, such as Jesus’ metaphor ‘if your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out’
What does the Mosaic covenant establish about ethics
It is both personal and social
What does Jesus focus on in his moral teaching?
Inner purity and correct moral motivation
Examples of moral guidance in the Bible
Ten Commandments (Exodus 20)
Sermon on the Mount (Matthew)
Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10)
Parable of the Sheep and the Goats (Matthew 25)
Example of Biblical contradiction Old v New
View on violence
OT permits war and retributive justice, ‘an eye for an eye’ (Exodus 21:24)
NT focuses on reconciliation and loving your enemies
Example of Biblical contradictions New v New
Views on divorce
Matthew’s Gospel, it can be allowed in the case of sexual immorality
Mark’s Gospel, it can not be allowed
What is the role of the Church in Protestantism
To guide us to the correct interpretation and understanding of the Bible and bring it to a modern context
Catholics view of Church authority
Morality is underpinned by tradition of the Church, which was given authority by Jesus and underpinned by scripture
What is Apostolic Succession
When Jesus left his disciples he left them authority, extending to the Pope and Bishops now, so Church teaching has the same CRITERION OF APOSTOLICITY as the Bible.
✝️->👤👤👤👤
What is the Magisterium
Catholics Church’s teaching authority. They interpret the Bible for new circumstances. Can make infallible statements from the Pope directly to clarify matters of confusion (only had 2)
What are Encyclicals
Publications of moral principles that were published by the Pope in Books or letters explaining the relevance of Biblical teachings in present day
What is Sacred tradition
The Word of God that prophets and Apostles received through inspiration of the Holy Spirit
What is Sacred Scripture
The word of God in writing by the power of the Holy Spirit
Dei Verbum states the Bible is inspired by God through the Holy Spirit and ‘without error’
What is the Catechism of the Catholic Church
Summary of Catholic Sacred Traditions and teaching on a range of subjects not directly covered in the Bible.
What ethical theory does the Catholic Church draw upon
Natural Law
What does the term conscience mean in the Catholic Church
The act of discovering moral law through human reason
What Catholic radical ethical theology has caused controversy
Liberation Theology
Protestant Heteronomy view of the Church
Focus has to be on the Bible to avoid the corruption of Catholic Church.
It is governed by Synods and councils that guide people.
What constitutes a Church in Protestantism
Anywhere there is a gathering of Christians reflecting on the Word of God
Protestant heteronomy and reason
Reason helps understand the Bible in a modern context and to avoid incorrect interpretations. But reason still points back to the Bible as it holds ULTIMATE AUTHORITY
What ethical theory is Autonomous ethics most similar to
Situation Ethics 🩷✝️
Why is there an emphasis on agape in most examples of Autonomous ethics
There is a distinct Biblical focus on sacrificial love, presented through Jesus’ sacrificial love for humanity and command to love.
Are Autonomous ✝️🩷 Christian ethics distinctive
Yes, because Jesus is distinctive to Christian ethics.
Rudolf Bultmann argued that Jesus had no ethics except for…
‘Love your neighbour as yourself’
To Autonomous Christian Ethics is the Bible a comprehensive moral guide 🩷✝️
To the extent that Jesus summarised the law as ‘love God’ and ‘love your neighbour as yourself’
You gain a moral compass from Jesus that you apply using reason
How do Quaker Christians approach the Bible
A book with great inspiration and insight, but not the direct word of God.
They see God in everyone so value people equally
Joseph Fletcher’s autonomous approach✝️🩷
Developed situation ethics to show importance of emulating Jesus’ agape love in our actions
When did Jesus put the law of love above Religious law
‘The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath’
What were the six propositions of agape love according to Fletcher ✝️🩷
- Intrinsically good
- Christian ruling norm
- Justice
- Blind to who is involved
- Measurable by consequence
- Different by situation
Paul Tillich
Lutheran theologian with a huge influence on Fletcher
What did Tillich suggest were the three ethical norms 🩷✝️
Justice (backbone of love) ⚖️
Love (most important) 🩷
Wisdom (guides love) 🤓
What did Tillich criticise rule based moral decision making as being
Moral Puritanism.
Preferred a person centred approach
How did Tillich say rules should be interpreted
Through love
Where do new interpretations of God’s moral law come from in Protestantism?
The Synod
What is the Synod (Protestantism)?
Church councils which are made up of clergy and laity (Church members). They have more of an advisory role
Where do new interpretations of God’s moral law come from in Catholicism?
The Magisterium, made up of the clergy (Pope and his bishops)
