Christian Ethics Exam 3

3 ways to interpret scripture

1\. God gives the Bible's individual words to writers

2\. Spirit inspires the writer's thoughts, but they express these ideas in ways that are distinctive to their own personality/culture.

3\. Bible records humanity's best thinking about God and human living.

Christian Community

Christians do not exist in isolation

Christian community shapes people's moral judgements, this is the context in which we come to know Christ and be his disciple.

Christian Community continues Christ;s ministry in the world.

Christ still lives in the world through the church.

Functions of Christian Community

worship

teach

single source theory

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Says that tradition is not a source of revelation along with scripture.

Tradition provides insight and guidelines for theological reflection, but is fallable.

dual-source theory

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some tradition is a source of revelation along with scripture,

some tradition adds to God's revelation in scripture and is infallible.

sources for chrisitan ethics

1. scripture
2. chrisitan community
3. personal experience

personal experience

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* scripture and church are objective realities that can be observed, argued with, accepted and rejected
* difficult to argue with someone saying "this is my experience" can question whether their thinking is sound, but not whether they experience it.

3 factors i making personal judgements

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1. Use of mind


1. not the ultimate but a God-given tool for making decisions.
2. Conscience


1. sense of the moral quality of one's actions or feeling of compulsion to do what seems right.
3. Holy Spirit's leadership


1. Spirit prompts a person to move in a certain direction.

Scripture: Hebrew Scriptures

* %%Hebrew moral obligation is part of covenant relationship%%.
* Conditions of covenant are found in the Torah.
* %%Morality and spirituality cannot be separated; communion with God involves morality%%.
* No distinction between secular and sacred. laws governing rituals of worship and laws regulating neighborly relations go side by side.
* %%Community is Central%%
* God establishes the covenant with a nation, not just the individuals.

covenant code

dates to the establishment of the covenant at Sinai, including the 10 commandments

Holiness code

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Magnifies rituals that set Israel apart. (priestly ceremonies, feast days, etc.)

* intermingles ritual and moral requirements in the same categories. 

Leviticus 17-26

Deuteronomic code

Very similar to the covenant and holiness codes,

generally regarded as Hebrew religion in its most refined form.

Requirements of the law (3 codes)

covenant code

holiness code

deuteronomic code

ethical monotheism of prophets

* prophets proclaimed monotheism to be fundamental
* stressed God's demand for righteousness, emphasizing judgement, punishment, and the possibility of forgiveness.

wisdom of the wiritngs

* narrative portions: tell stories that embody Hebrew faith
* Wisdom literature: practical advice for everyday living (example: proverbs)

Jesus and the Gosepls

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Jesus shared the basic assumptions of Judaism and criticized it from within.

Different emphases: stressed justice, mercy, and faith over tradition, ritual, and personal purity.

Basic Concepts in Jesus’ teachings

%%Kingdom of God%%

* citizenship in the kingdom requires radical obedience to God's will.

%%Law%%

* stressed motive and intent as much as action, offered different interpretations of law and gave reason for interpretation.

%%The central imperative: Obedient love%%

Character of the Disciple: 

* not a systematic teacher of ethics, but saw a close relationship between character and conduct.
* never described an ideal person, but consistently recommended certain characteristics.

Humility

response to awareness that we live in God’s presence

Sincerity

living a life that can stand up under close scrutiny

faithfulness

refelcts one’s basic loyalty to God

sovereignty of God

God is the creator: makes demands of the people

God is the sustainer: gives people the power to meet these demands

God is the judge: judges those who fail to meet the demands.

universality of sin

All have failed to meet the demands, no one escapes corruption of sin

sin alienates us from God

alienation results in actions that demonstrate people's determination to do what they want, not what God wants.

ethics based on theology

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* Sovereignty of God
* Universality of Sin
* Christ is the solution for this human predicament
* New life comes from those who respond in faith
* new relationship with God entails a new way of living

ethics of responsible freedom

%%Christian living requires the responsible use of freedom%%

* we are not under the law, but under grace
* although free from the law, our freedom is not to be used as a means of self indulgence.

%%Having respect for yourself%%

* just because we can doesn't mean we should. we should not let appetites and desires control us.

%%Have respect for fellow christians: our actions should be determined in part by how they affect other believers.%%

%%Ethic of love%%

%%Ethic of New Life%%

ethic of love

love is central to Paul’s ethic

ethic of new life

* essence of ethical behavior is the new life in Christ and Spirit
* moral life is consequence of Christian faith

Richard Gula

writer of "reason informed by faith" 

* Roman Catholic

Four categories of biblical interpretations:

* exegetical task
* hermeneutical task
* methodological task
* theological task

two primary images revealed in scripture

%%covenant%%

Gods call and our response sets the tone for moral life as an expression of relationship

%%Reign of God%%

Desire for God's kingdom is desire for the world to be a certain way.

Bruce Birch and Larry Rasmussen

writers of "Bible and Ethics in the Christian Life"

* Protestant
* giving scripture first place does not mean giving it exclusive place, other sources are possible
* take different genres seriously nd interpret them differently
* OT and NT relate character formation (being_ and decision making (doing)
* scripture is only a starting point, does not take the place of the human subject in decision making

Karl Barth

(1886-1968) "Church Dogmatics"

* Theology and ethics go hand in hand
* ethics is part of the most important Christian Doctrines
* Task of ethics is woven into Christian doctrine's trinitarian structure.


1. Doctrine of God (Vol. 2): Trinity
2. Doctrine of Creation (Vol. 3): Father
3. Doctrine of reconciliation (Vol. 4): Son(incomplete)
4. Doctrine of redemtion (Vol. 5) : Holy Spirit (never actually written.

Jurgen Moltmann

Political Theology

* theology is concerned with more than the life of the church
* it has implications for social, political, and economic life.
* Moltmann develops ethical impact of Christian doctrines