Situation Ethics

Question 1

What are the three general principles Fletcher saw as the main approaches to moral decision-making?

Answer 1

Legalism
Antinomianism
Situationism

Question 2

There are two forms of legalism what are they with a definition?

Answer 2

Natural Moral Law:
Through obedience to laws revealed through reason and back by special revelation individuals fulfil Gods purpose for them.

Divine Command Theory:
People fulfil their lives through the teachings of Jesus and Paul and the Ten Commandments.
Issues not directly addressed in the bible, prayer enables biblical principles to be applied.

Question 3

Why was Fletcher opposed to Legalism?

Answer 3

He saw legalism as often too inflexible to tackle modern issues

Question 4

What is Antinomianism?

Answer 4

Each situation is unique but some Christians claim they “know” what is right or wrong guided by the holy spirit

Question 5

What did Fletcher describe Situationism as?

Answer 5

The middle way between Legalism and Antinomianism.

Question 6

What is Situationism?

Answer 6

An altruistic principle based on reason that accepts the bible as a source of the only absolute principle: “love thy self”

Question 7

What did Fletcher accept about the church?

Answer 7

Fletcher accepted that the church’s wisdom based upon on long-standing principles might be useful.

Question 8

What must a person do with the church’s wisdom under situation ethics?

Answer 8

They must consider whether taking on the church’s wisdom or rejecting it would lead to the most loving outcome

Question 9

What did Fletcher not think conscience was?

Answer 9

He did not think it was an intuition or a feeling of shame.

Question 10

What did Fletcher think conscience was?

Answer 10

He believed conscience is what we do, it is just guidance before a decision is made

Question 11

Why was Fletcher against Antinomianism?

Answer 11

Fletcher saw Antinomianism as random and unprincipled, he claimed Christians who used it ignores Jesus’ Law of Love

Question 12

What are Fletchers Four Presumptions?

Answer 12

Pragmatism
Contextual relativism
Positivism
Personalism

Question 13

What is Pragmatism?

Answer 13

Assessing whether something works in achieving the final Telos, agape

Question 14

What is Contextual Relativism

Answer 14

Assessing what is most loving in each situation

Question 15

What is positivism?

Answer 15

A leap of faith in agape as it stems for belief in God.

Question 16

What is Personalism?

Answer 16

The idea that peoples need take credence over rules

Question 17

What are Fletchers Six Working Principles?

Answer 17

Love only is always good
Love is the only norm
Love and justice are the same
Love is not liking
Love justifies its means
Loves decisions are made according to the the situation and not according to rules

Question 18

What is “Love is always good”

Answer 18

Love isn’t something that people have or are, but something that they do

Love is the only intrinsic good while malice is the only intrinsic evil

Question 19

What is “Love is the only norm”?

Answer 19

If love requires it, any and every law may be broken, even the Ten commandments

Question 20

What is “love and justice are the same”?

Answer 20

Justice is simply love expressed, love must be calculated so agapeic calculus.

Question 21

What is “Love is not liking”? and what quote goes with it?

Answer 21

Love is a selfless act that does not act for anything back, it applies even to enemies. “Hate the sin, not the sinner”

Question 22

What are the four criteria under “Love justifies its means”?

Answer 22

• End being sought
• Means to be used
• motive behind act
• foreseeable consequences

Question 23

What is “Loves decisions are made according to the situation and not according to rules”?

Answer 23

It is based on freedom and ‘sinning bravely’ when in moral grey areas when love is not enough and the situation must be considered