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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
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
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
scripture
chrisitan community
personal experience
personal experience
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
Use of mind
not the ultimate but a God-given tool for making decisions.
Conscience
sense of the moral quality of one's actions or feeling of compulsion to do what seems right.
Holy Spirit's leadership
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
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
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
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.
Doctrine of God (Vol. 2): Trinity
Doctrine of Creation (Vol. 3): Father
Doctrine of reconciliation (Vol. 4): Son(incomplete)
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