Christian Moral Principles

Theonomous Ethics: The Propositional and Non-Propositional Approaches

Theonomous ethics refers to an ethical system where moral practices and principles are governed directly by God, primarily through the Bible.

• The Propositional Approach: This is a literalist approach that views the Bible as the direct word of God. It treats the text as a series of truths or propositions revealed by God to humanity.
• The Non-Propositional Approach: This is a liberal approach where the Bible is not seen as a set of literal facts but as a text that should be interpreted personally through the lens of human experience.
• Theories of Biblical Inspiration:
  • Automatic Writing: This theory suggests that Bible writers were 'possessed' by God. Under this view, the text is the direct, unmediated word of God.
  • Dictation Theory: This posits that God preordained specific words and dictated them to authors. These authors then recorded the words based on their own understanding of the divine communication.
  • Negative Assistance Theory: This theory holds that Bible writers were free to write according to their own will; however, the Holy Spirit intervened to correct them if they strayed from God's intended plan.
• Strengths of Theonomous Ethics:
  • Provides a clear guide for sinful humans to make good ethical decisions.
  • It is easy for followers to understand and implement.
  • Promotes unity, as all Christians are guided by the same principles, avoiding arguments over morality.
  • The Bible illustrates rules through real-life scenarios, such as the story of David and Bathsheba. In this narrative, David lusts after Bathsheba (the wife of Uriah) and commits adultery. He subsequently has Uriiah killed in battle. As a punishment for this sin, their first child dies.

Biblical Moral Principles and Sola Scriptura

Theonomous ethics is heavily rooted in the concept of Sola Scriptura (by scripture alone), which asserts that the Bible is the supreme authority because it comes directly from God.

• Amanuensis: Under this view, the writers of the Bible were not authors in the traditional sense but scribes (amanuenses) recording God's words verbatim.
• The Decalogue (Ten Commandments): Found in Exodus 20, these present ethics as both social (e.g., "thou shall not kill") and personal (e.g., "no other Gods before me").
• The Sermon on the Mount: This represents a New Covenant. It addresses the laws of the Old Testament but emphasizes inner laws centered on love, righteousness, peace, and faith. It prioritizes the love of God and neighbor over self-love.
• Criticisms of Bibliocentric Theonomy:
  • Metaphors: Critics argue that no intelligent Christian can take everything literally. For example, the command "If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away" is widely viewed as metaphorical rather than literal.
  • Writing Styles: The existence of different writing styles throughout the Bible suggests human authorship, though the Negative Assistance Theory is often used as a counter-argument.
  • Contradictions: The Old Testament condones capital punishment and violence (the principle of "an eye for an eye"), whereas Jesus in the New Testament commands followers to "turn the other cheek."
  • Augustine's Defense: Augustine argued that Jesus' teachings refer to the future ideal state of God's kingdom, but in our current imperfect world, necessary violence may still be required.
  • Richard Hays: Noted that "Interpretations of scripture can never occur in a vacuum."
  • Karl Barth and Bibliolatry: Barth warned against literalism, ascribing divine status to the Bible itself (bibliolatry) that should only belong to God. He argued that the Bible is a witness to the Word, but not the Word itself, and should be read critically as a source of inspiration.

Heteronomous Ethics: Church, Reason, and Tradition

Heteronomous ethics is guided by a variety of sources including the Bible, human reason, and Church teachings. This view suggests that God's inspiration did not end with the completion of the Bible but continues through Church leadership.

• Roman Catholicism: This tradition emphasizes the natural world, the Church, reason, and conscience. It is heavily influenced by Natural Law, the idea that all things have a purpose (telos) determined by God.
• Thomas Aquinas and the Hierarchy of Law:
  1. Eternal Law: The principles of the universe that only God fully knows.
  2. Divine Law: The laws of God revealed in the Bible.
  3. Natural Law: Laws discovered through reason. It includes primary precepts like survival (common to all beings) and reproduction (common to humans and animals).
  4. Human Laws: Rules deduced from primary precepts, such as "do not kill."
• The Five Primary Precepts:
  1. Preservation of life
  2. An ordered society
  3. Worship of God
  4. Education
  5. Reproduction
• Synderesis Principle: The fundamental drive to "do good and avoid evil."
• Aquinas on Virtues: Virtues are the means by which we follow the synderesis principle and reach our telos. They are acquired through practice (linking to Aristotle).
  • Cardinal Virtues: Prudence (practical wisdom), Justice (fairness), Fortitude (courage), and Temperance (restraint).
  • Theological Virtues (Gifts from God): Faith (belief in revelation), Hope (trust in eternal life), and Charity (love for God and neighbor).

Diverse Perspectives on Heteronomy

• Liberation Theology: A Catholic movement focused on the "preferential option for the poor." Inspired by Marxism, it often disagreed with the Westernized Church and promoted social revolution.
• Anglicanism: Views the Bible as the inspired word of God but stresses it must be understood in its cultural context. Ethics should be guided by reason, conscience, and Church tradition, but without a central Magisterium.
• Stanley Martin Hauerwas: Argued that Christian ethics can only exist within the Christian worshipping community. He rejected autonomous ethics, suggesting we should side with the oppressed and adapt Jesus' teachings (like the Sermon on the Mount) to modern contexts.
  • Example (Abortion): Hauerwas suggests that for a girl seeking an abortion, the role of the Church is to accept her into the community and support her regardless of her decision, rather than treating ethics as purely "black and white."
• The Magisterium: The official teaching authority of the Roman Catholic Church, consisting of the Pope and Bishops. Their teachings are often published in Papal Encyclicals.
  • Pope John Paul II (1993): Asserted the central role of reason, conscience, and Natural Law in morality.
  • Pope Francis (Fratelli Tutti): Declared that capital punishment is "inadmissible."
• Criticisms of Heteronomy:
  • Karl Barth: Argued that "the finite has no capacity for the infinite." He believed that relying on human reason is a form of idolatry and that Natural Law overemphasizes human capacity.
  • Protestant Reformation: Triggered by perceived corruption, such as the selling of indulgences (money for forgiveness).
  • Turner: Pointed out that Jesus rejected the traditions of the Pharisees ("the rule of men"), replacing them with the Word of God. However, Paul is often cited as a counter-point, as he told followers to hold to traditions passed to them.
  • Rosemary Radford Ruether: Critiqued traditions as being shaped primarily by male experience, questioning their universal nature.

Autonomous Ethics: Agape and Situationism

Autonomous ethics are self-governed and focus primarily on the principle of Agape (unconditional love), as exemplified by Jesus’ self-sacrifice.

• Joseph Fletcher (Situation Ethics): Argued that we should "do the most loving thing in every situation." Goodness is a condition of being human rather than something strictly revealed by God or Natural Law.
• Four Working Principles of Situation Ethics:
  1. Pragmatism: What action will make the situation more loving?
  2. Relativism: Rules are relative to love; humans are more important than rules.
  3. Positivism: Religious laws are human constructs, not direct commands from God.
  4. Personalism: People are the subject of ethics; they should be treated as persons in God's image, not as means to an end.
• Hans Küng: Suggested that Christian ethics contains nothing that couldn't be found in any person of good will. He advocated for a "global ethic" centered on love to tackle issues like environment and survival.
  • Example (Euthanasia): While contrary to traditional Catholic teaching, Küng suggests we must ask if it is the more loving thing that respects the person's life.
• Opposition to Autonomous Ethics:
  • William Barclay: Argued that Situation Ethics gives too much freedom. He suggested that humans need the "crutch of law" because our love is not perfect; only "saints" could handle such freedom.
  • Pope Benedict XVI: Rejected liberal Catholicism and Küng's views because they rejected the infallibility of the Pope and the Magisterium.
  • Sola Scriptura Critique: Critics argue that autonomy ignores the majority of the Bible. Jesus' teachings (like the Sermon on the Mount) were intended to "fulfill" the law by internalizing it, not by discarding it for a single principle of love.

Perspectives on Biblical Authority

• Conservative/Literalist View: The Bible is the exact word of God. Ken Ham advocates for an "all or nothing" approach, where the entire Bible must be true or none of it is. This often leads to conflicts with scientific discoveries regarding the Fall or the age of the Earth.
• Liberal View: The Bible was written by humans who had encounters with God. It reflects their historical and cultural context and requires interpretation.
  • John Hick: Views many biblical events, such as the Resurrection, as symbolic metaphors rather than literal historical facts.
• Neo-Orthodox View: The Bible is not the exact word of God in its literal text, but God's voice can be heard through it.
• Crisis of Authority: Critics of the liberal view argue that individual interpretation leads to instability, where people may simply believe in a version of God that suits their own preferences.
• Manuscript Evidence: A challenge to literalism is that no original manuscripts of the Bible exist; we only have copies made centuries later which contain variations.