Christian Ethics Notes

CORE ETHICAL TEACHINGS

Introduction

  • Christian ethics involves moral norms distinctive to Christianity.
  • Moral norms guide Christians in reflecting on their moral life and actions.
  • Ethical teachings are rooted in the belief that humans are made in God's image.

Sources of Christian Ethics

  • Faith and Reason: Christian ethical teachings are founded on faith, reason, philosophy, and natural law.
  • Scripture: Protestant churches emphasize the Bible's authority.
  • Church Leadership: Anglican, Orthodox, and Catholic traditions also find ethical authority in Church leaders like the Pope, Archbishops, Bishops, or Patriarchs.

Philosophical Underpinnings

  • Three main philosophical ideas underpin approaches to ethical issues:
    • Aristotelianism
    • Kantianism
    • Utilitarianism

St. Thomas Aquinas and Virtue Ethics

  • St. Thomas Aquinas (c.1225-74) adapted Aristotle's ethical system during the medieval period.
  • He emphasized living life by virtues, including:
    • Faith
    • Hope
    • Charity
  • Aquinas believed human life exists within a divinely created order, where morality means fulfilling God's purpose for human life.

Essential Questions

  • Humans and the Environment: How have changing interactions between humans and the environment affected human life?
  • Humans and Other Humans: How have relations among humans become so complex since early times?
  • Humans and Ideas: How have human views of society, nature, and the cosmos changed?
  • Spiritual Life and Moral Codes: What have different religious traditions said about the proper relationship between human beings and the natural environment?

Foundations of Ethics

  • Common foundations:
    • Christian scripture
    • Natural law
    • Tradition
  • Roman Catholics integrate faith and reason with the authoritative teaching (magisterium) of the Church.
  • Protestant communities emphasize the primacy of Scripture and reason.

Core Relationships

  • Christian ethics focus on two key relationships:
    • Right relationship with God
    • Right relationship with others
  • These relationships are maintained through positive and healthy interactions.

Components of Christian Life

  • Humans possess intellect, free will, and self-determination.
  • Churches emphasize faith and works (good moral actions), along with community, prayer, and sacraments.

Ethical Sources

  • Key sources from scripture:
    • The Ten Commandments (Decalogue)
    • New Testament ethics
    • The Beatitudes
    • Jesus' commandment of love

Specific Ethical Sources

  • The Decalogue or Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1-17 and Deuteronomy 5:6-21).
  • The ‘Golden Rule’ (Matthew 22: 37-39).
  • The Beatitudes (Matthew 5-7).
  • Actions based on love (1 Corinthians 13:1).
  • Nature of the Final Judgement (Matthew 25).
  • Living a life of service (Luke 22: 26-27).
  • Love one another as I have loved you (John 13:34).

Christian Ethical Teaching Sources across denominations

  • Scripture:
    • Humans uniquely created in God's image (Genesis 1:26f).
    • Creation of male and female suggests man is in the image of God when living as a loving family.
    • Go forth and procreate/multiply (Verse 28).
    • Decalogue Exodus 20:1-17, Deuteronomy 5:6-21.

The Ten Commandments

  • The Decalogue is a critical source of ethical guidance for Christians, summarizing Christian ethics and emphasizing the importance of human life, family, and personal integrity.
  • Observance based on love, not fear.
  • Viewed as life principles to be internalized rather than avoided due to fear of punishment.
  • Practice of virtue more important than listing sins.
  • Boundary markers beyond which are sin, alienation, unhappiness, and death.
  • Calls Christians back to loving God alone and loving their neighbors as themselves.
  • Connection between eternal life and obedience to God's commandments.
  • Without love of neighbor, genuine love for God is not possible.

New Testament Ethics

  • The New Testament is a fundamental source of ethical guidance.
  • Paulin Principle Draw conclusion that one must not do evil in order that good may come.

Sermon on the Mount

  • Consistent with the Decalogue.
  • Keeping the commandments leads to life and eternal happiness.

Jesus’ Living, Evolving Message

  • Jesus taught an ethic integrated with his religion, stressing ethical and spiritual inwardness.
  • He set forth a clear pattern of the demands of the God-centered life, not as a blueprint, but in terms of Christian virtues.
  • Realistic knowledge of human sin and the possibilities of the redeemed life.
  • Declared the supreme worth of every person to God.
  • The central teaching of Jesus was the kingdom of God

The Beatitudes

  • Describes a life directed towards holiness and is a foundational passage for Christian ethics.
  • Provides a model for the Christian life by warning against valuing only material strength and power.
  • Points to an inversion of values where things often regarded as having no value are celebrated in the reign of God.
  • Beatitudes are declarations of praise for an exercise of virtue.
  • The final ‘two’ praise people for being persecuted and promise future rewards.
  • In Luke’s version, Jesus congratulates his listeners for conditions of real poverty, hunger and desolation by promising them future rewards from God.

Commandment of Love

  • Distilled into love of God and love of neighbor.
  • Christians are required to love their enemies.
  • Love identified as defining characteristic of the Christian life.
  • Love is seen as the fulfillment of the law.

Jesus’ Commandment of Love: Three Important Factors

  • Repentance as the basis of the ethical life
  • The radical nature of God’s ethical demand on humanity
  • The centrality of the love commandment
  • All are interrelated.

Understanding Jesus’ Ethics

  • Jesus revealed God as Father.
  • Command to love can only be understood through the insight that God is love.

Jesus Builds on Understandings of ‘Love’ in the Jewish Scriptures

  • The Hebrew ‘ahabah’ refers to a quality or state of personal attachment marked by constant fidelity.
Context of Jesus’ Command to Love
  • Christian awareness of the Mystery of the hidden God of love who is revealed in the person of Jesus who ministered, was crucified, died and rose from the dead.
  • The way in which Christians understand God as the Holy Trinity:
    • Father or Creator
    • Son
    • Spirit

Christian Scriptures and Love

  • Translated into the Greek ‘agape’ and refers to the boundless love of God (John 3:16) who is the source and eternal presence of love.
  • Jesus preaches a God who is the source and model of love for Jesus and his disciples (Matthew 5:48).
  • Jesus proclaims a love that is to bind and distinguish the Christian community (1 Corinthians 12 -13).
  • Christians expresses their longings for God and constantly seeks the good of their neighbour.
  • Love is connected with the preaching of God’s Reign.
  • This type of love unavoidably involves suffering (Luke 6:22 ff) and the Christian is asked to follow in Jesus’ footsteps to the cross (Matthew 10:3-7 ff) and beyond to the Risen Christ’s victory over sin and death.

Scriptural Sources

  • Teachings found in the Bible are key sources for determining ethical behavior.
  • Exodus 20: 2-17 The Ten Commandments.
  • Matthew 5:3-10 The Beatitudes.
  • Luke 10:25-27 Jesus Commandment of Love.

Impact on Adherents

  • Ten Commandments, the Beatitudes, and the Golden Rule provide general ethical guidance.
  • The life and ministry of Jesus provide a model for life action of Christians.

Matrices

  • Ethical Teaching on Bioethics.
  • Ethical issue for Christians.
  • Key Biblical Sources.
Relevance to the Tradition and Core Beliefs
  • Matrices- Ethical authority.
  • Anglican, Catholic, Orthodox, Pentecostal, Protestant.
  • Sources of ethical authority.
  • Documents particular to variant.
  • Scripture
  • Catholic Teachings: Dignitas Personae, 2008 Donum vitae 1987.
  • The Encyclicals Veritatis splendor and Evangelium vitae of John Paul II

Catechism of the Catholic Church

  • Contains all the teachings and doctrines of the Catholic Church and where they are referenced in scripture.
  • An organized presentation of the essential teachings of the Catholic Church in regards to both faith and morals, “in the light of the Second Vatican Council and the whole of the church’s tradition.”

Examination Tips

  • Plan your response before beginning.
  • Keep aware of the glossary term- use synonyms.
  • Tailor your response to the question- use the wording of the question.
  • Use the matrices, tables and practice essays to prepare.
  • BREAK DOWN THE QUESTION
Glossary Terms
  • Analysis and Critical Thinking.
  • Application and Performance.
  • Knowledge and Understanding.
  • Evaluation

Intro to Enviro Ethics The following themes/paradigms within Christianity are highlighted

  • God as Creator
  • Incarnation
  • The relationship between God, the human and all creation
  • Agape Love
  • Discipleship
  • Mission from Jesus
  • Reign of God.

TEXT

  • Scripture is the primary sacred text and therefore where God reveals what was first revealed in nature, God’s love of creation.
  • There are also sacred writings from various teaching authorities, such as The Church Fathers, The Magisterium of the Catholic Church, The Anglican Synods of Bishops, Uniting Church Synods, The Patriarchs and theologians from several variants.
Some suggested quotes from scripture that are significant in a Christian ethical worldview include
  • “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities – God’s eternal power and divine nature – have clearly been seen, being understood from what has been made” Romans 1.20
  • “God saw everything that he had made and indeed it was very good” Genesis 1:31
  • “O Lord, how manifold are your works! In wisdom you have made them all; The earth is full of your creatures” Psalm 104:24
  • In John 3:16, Jesus' incarnation is seen as an outpouring of God's love for the world - 'for God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life‘. Christ's life of service involved a radical stance on the side of life
  • “And what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God. Micah 6:8
  • “Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation? Job 38:4
  • “Let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever- flowing stream.” Amos 5:24
  • “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ Matthew 25: 40
  • And any other commandment (is) summed up in this word ‘love your neighbour as yourself ’. Love does no wrong to a neighbour; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. Romans 13:9, 10

Stewardship

  • Sustainability
  • Responsibility
  • Partnership with God
  • Respect
  • Care and Reverence
  • Integrity of Creation
  • Interconnectedness of Creation

Stewardship - “The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it” Genesis 2.15

  • St Francis of Assisi – The Canticle of Creation “The earth is the Lord’s’ Ps 24:1

Justice

  • Global Justice and equity
  • Intergenerational justice and equity
  • Justice for the Earth/Sustainability
  • Solidarity to the Poor

Justice

  • “Love your neighbour as yourself” Matthew 22.39 ‘For to commit a crime against the natural world is a sin against ourselves and a sin against God.” Patriarch Bartholomew in Laudato Si’ No. 8

Co-creation

  • Interdependence and interconnectedness of all life
  • Diversity
  • Evolution
  • Create the Reign of God on Earth
  • Incarnational Nature of the Trinity Father Creator
  • Son – Redeemer
  • Spirit - Sanctifier

Co-creation

  • Job 38-39 “Creation and incarnation are interconnected in one great movement of God’s self-giving love” Denis Edwards, 2012, Jesus and the Natural World

Mission

To bring about the reign of God. To be a disciple.

Mission

  • The Lord’s Prayer “For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.” Col. 1:19-20

Organisations

  • Catholic Earthcare Australia: The ecological agency of the Australian Catholic Bishops’ Conference. http://catholicearthcare.org.au
  • Uniting Earthweb: Uniting Church network in NSW and ACT http://www.unitingearthweb.org.au
  • Columban Mission Institute Centre for Peace, Ecology and Justice: Catholic Centre connecting peace, ecology and justice. http://www.columban.org.au/our-works/peace-ecology-andjustice/peace-ecology-and -justice
  • The Anglican Communion: The Five Marks of Mission http://www.anglicancommunion.org
  • Hope For Creation: A movement of Australian Evangelical Christians committed to prayer and action on climate change. http://hopeforcreation.com.au/
  • Edmund Rice Centre for Justice: Pacific Calling Partnership www.erc.org.au