Christian Moral Principle

Strengths of theonomous ethics:

1) Humans incapable of living good lives - need God's revelation

2) God is the author of the Bible - infallible

3) Rich moral tapestry - commandments, parables, Jesus (manifestation of moral integrity)

Weaknesses of theonomous ethics:

Contradictions

Reflects contemporaneous beliefs

Can lead to cherrypicking

Needs a mediator - dangers of limited understanding

What is a propositional approach to the Bible?

Accepts the words of the Bible as the true message of God.

What is a non-propositional approach to the Bible?

God revealed himself in Jesus - didn't write a book - lived experience - Wittgenstein

2 Timothy 3:16

All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for training in righteousness

David and Bathsheba:

2 Samuel 11

Importance of metanoia (repentance),

underlying the command not to commit adultery nor take revenge.

Ten commandments

Exodus 20:1-17

Biblicism:

The belief that the Bible is the revealed word of God and that the writers of the Bible were directly inspired by God. The Biblicist believes that the Bible alone must be used for moral instruction.

Theonomous ethics:

ethics governed by God's laws/commands

Barth on Biblicism:

He gave high status to the Bible but said biblicism falsely gives the Bible a divine status which may only be attributed to God.

'Bibliolatry' - false worship of the Bible

Bible's words are a witness to the word, but not the word itself. Must be read critically as a source of inspiration.

What do Amos and Isaiah preach in the Bible?

Social justice and treatment of the poor

Lex talionis

Exodus 21:24

Genesis 9:6:

Whoever shed the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed

Deuteronomy 22:22:

Death penalty for adultery

Deuteronomy 20:10-20:

Israelites permitted to kill foreign women + children - "you may take these as plunder for yourself"

What are the sentiments shown in the New Testament?

Reconciliation e.g. Matthew 5:38

Love of ones enemies - Matthew 5:44

Robin Lane Fox theonomous ethics:

"Luke's story is historically impossible and internally incoherent"

McGrath in response to Dawkins:

need a 'Christological filter' whereby Christ has come to fulfil not abolish the Jewish law

Disparity in Bible:

Matthew - King David - Joseph = 28 intermediate generations

Luke = 41

2 Peter 1:20-21:

Prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit

What does Richard Mouw say about theonomous ethics in his Biblical imperatives?

"We must conform to whatever God requires of us"

What are examples of laws from Hebrew scriptures being ignored?

Leviticus 11:6-8 - touching pig skin

What does Martin Luther say about the Pope?

"A simple lay man armed with Scripture is greater than the mightiest Pope without it"

1 Timothy 2:5:

"There is one God and one mediator who can reconcile God and humanity"

What is Savi Hensman's warlord on plane thought experiment?

War lord on plane

Massacres prompted by punishment of Amalekites in 1 Samuel 15

Raping young girls because of Deuteronomy 22:28 - virgins not married raped = marry rapist

"Plain meaning of the Bible"

Calvin in use of scripture:

God as redeemer revealed through scripture - clarity to vague impression of deity revealed by natural theology

Exodus 35:2:

Whoever works on the Sabbath will be put to death

Response to Dawkins on inconsistencies:

Dawkins' criticism fails to understand that, despite some minor discrepancies (that is inevitable as the gospel writers had a theological not historical motivation), the overall principles of the Bible are similar and can be used as a moral tool.

Why is rejection of Bible tenuous?

the alternative proposed by some, that is the complete disregard of the Bible as a source of moral principles, is equally tenuous as the Bible, whilst having to be viewed through the lens of the contemporaneous ideas of the time when it was written, contains many valuable ethical principles.

What is heteronomous ethics?

Ethics governed by several sources of authority/law.

How does Richard Hays criticise theonomous ethics?

"Sola Scriptura is both conceptually and practically untenable" - "interpretation of scripture can never occur in a vacuum"

How does Spohn criticise theonomous ethics?

"wrenches text from its unique historical context"

Natural Law as a Catholic heteronomous ethic:

Natural law - Romans 2:15 - Law written on their hearts

Aquinas

Importance of reason - synderesis (do good, avoid evil)

What do Catholics believe about the relationship between the Church and the Bible?

Bible grew out of church - tradition precedes Bible

What does Vatican II say about the Church?

"The task of authentically interpreting the word of God has been entrusted to the living teaching of the Church"

2 Thessalonians:

Hold fast to the teachings we passed to you

What is the Magisterium?

Official and authentic teaching of the Catholic Church

What does the Catechism call the Church?

2032 - Pillar and bulwark of truth

Example of a Papal encyclical:

Veritatis Splendor - 1996 - Pope St John Paul II

Moral law knowable to all - but humans remain sinful so Church guides individuals

What do Protestants believe about the relationship between the Church and the Bible?

Most protestants - Bible = primary source of authority

Some protestants (e.g. non-conformist Methodists) believe early church grew from Bible making it a living expression of good news

MORAL AUTHORITY RESTS WITH BIBLE BUT TRADITION CAN HELP INTERPRET IT IN A CHANGING WORLD

What does Hauerwas believe about Protestant ethical heteronomy?

Christian ethics are part of the narrative which develops out of the Bible and continues through history. E.g. Sermon on the Mount changed traditions rooted in Judaism - continues to adapt - role of Christians to question society's values by practising Christian virtues - Church is communal 'body of Christ'

E.g. pregnant teenager considering abortion in book Resident Alien

What do Protestants and Catholics believe about reason?

Protestant = reason is the process of making sense of Bible and Church Tradition

Catholic - direct access to revelation

What does Barth say about use of reason in heteronomous ethics?

"the finite as no capacity for the infinite"

Problems with heteronomous ethics:

What are legitimate sources? (Marxism + reason alien to Christian thinking?)

Causes conflict (e.g. Quakers - pacifist - Catholic - just war + women's role + homosexuality)

Do some sources have greater authority than others? How to determine hierarchy?

Following tradition distraction from Bible's commands.

Emphasis on reason render Christianity subjective and individualistic

Church neglects women's perspectives - Rosemary Radford Reuther

Does Jesus criticise the Church?

Philip Turner - paradosis (traditions) criticised by Jesus - condemns Pharisees for following the rules of man and not the rules of God - takes away from direct relationship

Examples of Catechism being a successful mediator - offering useful principles today:

2270 - abortion

2276-2279 - Euthanasia

2316 - Nuclear weapons

Catholic corruption:

Corrupt sales of indulgences

Luther - Purgatory is "fabricated by goblins" - false doctrine created for money

Liberation theology:

Marxist analysis applied to Christianity

e.g. Irish missionaries in Sau Paulo in 1970s

Reverses Church authority?

What does Jose Miranda say about Marx and the Bible?

"To a great degree Marx coincides with the Bible" - Christians who fail to understand this are held back by "obstinacy" believing that "whoever sustains the contrary betrays the west"

What does Ratzinger say about liberation theology?

"materialist philosophy" which is a "subversion of the meaning of truth"

What are autonomous ethics?

Ethics are self-governed

What does MLK call agape?

"an overflowing love that seeks nothing in return"

John 15:12

Love one another as I have loved you

Corinthians 13:4-7

"love rejoices in truth" - "endures all things"

Mark 12:28-31

Two greatest commandments - "love your god with all your heart" + "love thy neighbour as thyself"

What does Reinhold Niebuhr believe about love?

In the prophetic tradition the "ultimate law of life is love"

What does Tillich believe about love?

Blindly following rules "identifies the Christian message with the prohibition of eating or drinking this or that".

Tradition = wisdom of past but love is corrective to subjective perspective of the moment

What did Pope Francis do in 2016?

Joy of Love - Amoris Laetitia

It isn't "helpful to impose rules by sheer authority" - more compassionate

"love inspires a sincere esteem for every human being"

What does Hans Kung believe?

Liberal Catholic who believes in greater ethical autonomy in Christian decisions

Wants a 'global ethic' - out of motivation to love neighbour.

E.g. Euthanasia contrary to Catholic teaching but not contrary to reasoning.

Jesus challenged rule based ethics + encouraged disciples to make own decisions

Hans Kung quote:

"at any rate there must not be just an ethic of prohibitions and sanctions"

Examples of proponents of protestant ethical autonomy:

Fletcher + James Gustafson - goodness = condition of being human - illustrated explicitly as agape

Fletcher: 1966 situation ethics - guided by 4 working principles (positivism, personalism, pragmatism, relativism)

Criticisms of Situation Ethics:

Not sufficient to summarise Christian ethics with word 'love' because Christian narrative deals with other fundamental issues

Christian values no longer distinctive - is agape subjective

What does Pope Pius XII call Situation Ethics?

An individualistic and subjective appeal to justify opposition to the natural law

What does Ernest F. Kevan say about OT maxims?

It never says in the NT that the OT has "lost its validity in the slightest degree - it is still binding upon men"

Who rejects Hans Kung's view?

Ratzinger + Hans Urs von Balthasar

- undermines magisterium

What does Bultmann believe about love?

Jesus had no ethic accept "love your neighbour as thyself"

What does St Paul say about the law?

"Christians are not under the law but under grace"

What does John Warwick Montgomery argue that love?

'Charismatic term' - no fixed content

Robinson + Barclay on Situation Ethics:

John Robinson called situation ethics 'the only ethic for man come of age' - but Barclay argues mankind has not yet come of age and so 'still needs the crutch and protection of law'.

Mill on Christianity:

Christian morality is mainly a reaction to paganism and is therefore about 'abstinence from evil, rather than energetic pursuit of good' as can be seen by how often 'thou shalt not' predominates unduly over 'thou shalt'.

Heaven and hell as selfish motivations, the 'passive obedience' and its implications and the claim that Christian morals is about avoiding evil rather than pursuing good

Love strengths:

1) Jesus taught that loving God and your neighbour was a summary of the law + love is greatest virtue - other virtues naturally follow

2) Subjective - flexible and thus practical

3) Doesn't completely neglect laws - weaknesses of theonomous

Love weaknesses:

1) agape is subjective - puts too much emphasis on an individuals expertise to reason on the best outcome in a given situation

2) Flawed since Fall

3) Neglection of other laws - Bultmann - love in conjunction with forgiveness + Tillich - love in conjunction with justice and wisdom

Mediator strengths:

Modernises Bible

Bible cant be read without interpretation - contradictions

Doesn't allow for cherry picking (homosexuality)

Dawkins quote on cherry picking from Bible:

subjectivity opens the door for people to mould the text to fit their existing beliefs

Are Christian ethics distinctive?

Jesus at centre

Church tradition

Bible

Importance of reason universal - e.g. utilitarianism

Religious bodies common in all religions

Religious books influence other religions

Are Christian ethics personal or communal?

Oversimplification - Fletcher - no one Christian ethic

Personal - theonomous + autonomous

Communal - heteronomous