Christian Moral Principles Flashcards
The Bible as only authority
‘All scripture is inspired by God, and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness’ 2 Timothy 3:16. This quote is often cited by biblicists and supports the view that scripture is inspired by God and therefore it alone has the authority to be used for moral instruction. From the point of view that God is the author of the Bible, it is infallible, and if we misinterpret it that is our fault, not the fault of the text. A strength of this position is that the Bible teaches through examples, such as that of David and Bathsheba, to powerfully illustrate what a moral life should look like. The stories should also be read in the context of a covenant with God which is expressed through Jesus.
The important examples are the Ten Commandments, which summarises the idea of ethics being personal and social in this covenant, and Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount,which is considered the focal point of moral teaching, reforming Biblical teachings in the old testament.
Literalism and interpretation
No one can read the Bible at face value, shown most poignantly with the example of the teaching ‘if your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away.’ this is not telling you to literally maim yourself, but a metaphor for changing the way one sees things. Karl Barth reminds Christians that literalism can lead to what he calls ‘bibliolatry‘, worship of the bible, by giving it divine status. The Bible is God’s word, but worked over a long period of time through many writers. It is a supreme source of Christian knowledge, but it must be read as inspiration alone.
Biblicists must be careful to take into account the type of literature a passage may be, how it fits into the themes as a whole, and whether it is symbolic, metaphorical or literal.
Oldtestament:
The most poignant difference is between the two halves of the bible. The OT permits war and retributive justice through the phrase ‘an eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth’. Capital punishment is used by God for blasphemy, as well as all people who undermine God’s ideals for social order: adultery, dishonouring parents and more. Deuteronomy also sets out the rules for war, including the permission for kill foreign women and children.
New testament:
In Jesus’ sermon on the mount these laws of retribution are replaced by reconciliation and love of enemies. Some argue Jesus’ teachings stress the future ideals of the Kingdom of God, and that war and violence are a necessary evil for now. This view can be attributed to Augustine, Luther and conservative views. Others argue that it promotes pacifism and non-violence and this must be followed on Jesus’ authority.
Roman Catholic
In Roman Catholic tradition, ethics are not only Biblical, but accessible through reason, the world, conscience and church authority. Combined, this is Natural law. This has Biblical precedence as Saint Paul says men must act according to conscience, and the ‘law written on their hearts.’
Natural law, revelation and reason
NL is based on the theological idea that God is the creator, giving the world order and purpose. It is God’s will that things reach their potential and flourish. Thomas Aquinas‘ version of this theory is the one with the most influence on the CC. He says that reason distinguishes us from animals and allows us to know God’s eternal law.
liberation theology
Since the 1960s a radical strand of Catholics has developed liberation theology. It is controversial for two main reasons: it has placed the Bible at the centre of moral ethics, and has questioned the church structure. They are inspired by the liberation of Moses and the role of Jesus as a liberator among other examples. Some have even promoted the use of Marxism to question who has power and how they use it to benefit themselves. However, this is an atheist theory which actually blames religion a large amount.
Protestant
Anglican Richard Hooker and protestant Hugo Grotius are both natural law theologians, but protestant tradition tends to place the Bible at the heart of authority. Modern anglicans view the Bible not as a single document, but a slowly developed set of books that reflects its own time and contemporary traditions. Ethics must come from a mixture of guidance from reason, conscience, biblical teaching and church traditions. This is similar to roman catholics but without the authority of the magisterium.
Stanley Hauerwas
An example of a highly influential but controversial theologian who argued that christian ethics can only be carried out in the christian community. He says that the Biblical teachings should be adapted by the community for the best outcome. He says the sermon on the mount is aimed at communities, not individuals, who must see it as a set of value for the community to respond to: siding with the poor, being generous with the hungry, and showing mercy to the merciful. The community must adopt these value when faced with issues such as legal disputes, marriage and divorce, promises, and revenge/treatment of enemies.
“…our response to an issue like abortion is something communal, social and political but utterly ecclesial…whenever a person is baptised..the church adopts that person…therefore we cannot say to a pregnant fifteen-year-old, ‘Abortion is a sin. it is your problem.’ rather, it is our problem.”
autonomous christian ethics and practices
For some Christians, there are no separate Christian ethics, simply ethics done by Christians. Here the Bible is not a revealed document but just a christian book.
Love as only principle
Most autonomous Christians consider that the one guiding principle of the Christians mind-set is Jesus’ command to love. This love, or agape in its distinct Christian form, is summarised in Jesus’ life and sacrifice, and his teaching on being outwardly, not inwardly, focused.
Hans Küng
Hans Küng is an influential liberal Catholic who advocates a greater autonomy in ethical decision-making. He says Catholic ethics has nothing that cannot be found by any person of good will. He advocated for a global ethic which will enable us to solve problems with the environment and save humanity, and this is a christians problem as they must love their neighbour, which makes up the global community. Küng says euthanasia, for example, is against offical catholic teachings, but it is not against catholic reasoning and conscience. The model for this kind of thought is in Jesus, who encouraged his followers to challenge rule based ethics and follow their own judgement.
Joseph Fletcher
For radical protestants, such as Joseph Fletcher, goodness is not revealed by gods or intrinsic as it is in natural law, but a condition of being human. Christianity simply highlights the importance of love (agape). Fletcher is most influential for his theory of situation ethics which is guided by four working principles:
Pragmatism
Relativism
Positivism
Personalism
Sufficiency of love
Some christians argue that Jesus’ teachings promote more than love alone. The sermon on the mount does not dispense law, but guide us on how to fulfil it. It is not enough to summarise Christian values as love, because they have to be grounded in the narrative that considers human nature, forgiveness, redemption, the afterlife and the community.
