Christian Ethics 8/23/2015Christian Ethics Part 12 ETHICS RIGHT WRONG.

Christian Ethics

04/19/23 Christian Ethics Part 1 2

ETHICS

RIGHT

WRONG


ETHICS

• ta etheka, the customary, the approved

• But- Accepted by Whom? On Whose Authority?


DEFINITION OF ETHICS

• Ethics is “the process of determining right and wrong,” Scott Rae, Moral Choices, 15

• This is a satisfactory definition. However, it is also a definition which can be used by an unbeliever as well as by a Christian


DEFINITION OF ETHICS• There is a BETTER definition: Ethics is

“theology, viewed as a means of determining which human persons, acts, and attitudes receive God’s blessing and which do not.” John Frame, Doctrine of the Christian Life, 1– This definition assumes the covenantal character

of Christian ethics– Because of God’s grace, the believer has been

brought into relationship with God, relationship that brings about obligations to love God and to keep his commandments


DEFINITION OF MORALITY• Morality is “the end result of ethical

deliberation, the substance of right and wrong,” Rae, MC, 15– This is a satisfactory definition– But there is nothing distinctively Christian

about it• A BETTER definition: Morality is the

end result of the process of “determining which human persons, acts and attitudes receive God’s blessing and which do not.” -John Frame, Ethics Syllabus


DEFINITION OF VIRTUE

• Aristotle, “Virtue is a state of character concerned with choice, lying in a mean, i.e., the mean relatively to us.” Nichomachean Ethics, ix. (Excellence)

• In Scripture, arete, areth, Gk., is not a result of formation of habits, the mean between excess and deficiency, but the result of the presence of the grace of God


DEFINITION OF VIRTUE

• Phil. 4:8, “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things”

• II Peter 1:5, “For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge”


SUMMUM BONUM

• For the non-Christian, the highest good assumes the current state of affairs to be normative: What is wrong with this picture? Is the world as it is representative of how God intended it?

• For the Christian, the highest good is otherwise: “Man’s chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever.” Shorter Catechism, Q.1


SUMMUM BONUM

• To express this in other terms, Van Til says, “the kingdom of God is man’s summum bonum. By the term kingdom of God we mean the realized program of God for man. . . . The most important aspect of this program is surely that man should realize himself as God’s vicegerent in history.”

-Christian Theistic Ethics, 44.


ETHICS and MORALITY

• Most people want to think of themselves as “Good”

• Most people would not want to live in a society in which morality is unimportant

• Most people face decisions every day that involve questions of right and wrong


CATEGORIES OF ETHICS

• Descriptive Ethics refer to ethics as done from a sociological or anthropological perspective.

• This describes Moral Behavior • For a Christian, such ethics may be

a worthwhile field for empirical study, but fail to address the imperative of covenantal obedience



• Normative Ethics is “the discipline that produces moral norms or rules as its end product

• This prescribes Moral Behavior• This is the “Thus saith the Lord” of

Scripture as it directs the hearer of the Word to be a doer of the Word as well



• Metaethics “investigates the meaning of moral language, or the epistemology of ethics,” Rae, MC, 15

• This authorizes and legitimizes Moral Behavior

• For the non-Christian, this is a most troublesome issue, for apart from God it is difficult to rationalize a basis for ethical behavior


CATEGORIES OF ETHICS • Aretaic Ethics “is a category of ethics

that focuses on the virtues produced in people, not the morality of specific acts,” Rae, MC, 16.

• This links Moral Behavior with Virtue• For Christians, this is spiritual formation• Theologically, this can be viewed as the

imperative for relating progressive sanctification to definitive sanctification


PROBLEM: SOURCE OF ETHICS

ABOVE?

BELOW?


ETHICS and METAETHICS

•DEONTOLOGICAL

SYSTEMS

•TELEOLOGICAL SYSTEMS

•RELATIVISTIC SYSTEMS


ETHICAL SYSTEMS: Authoritative or Deontological

• An authoritative moral source to govern behavior – deon- duty– logos- science, discourse

• Transcendent Ethical Norm: – God– Natural Law– Reason



•Definitive standard– Capable of motivating for self-

sacrifice– Obligation, but not discerned from

sense experience– Ethical Norm imposes duty– Universally binding



• Varieties–Divine Command Theory (“God says it”)

–Natural Law (General Revelation)

–Ethical Rationalism (a universally binding norm)



•PROBLEM:–May deal just with surface appearances

–Fails to consider mitigating circumstances


ETHICAL SYSTEMS: Consequential or Teleological

• Assumes the End justifies the Means– telos- end, goal– logos- science, discourse

• Immanent Ethical Norm– Mundane– Practical– Doing good brings happiness. The

moral life is the good life.



• The outcome of actions/behavior makes that action right

• Moral Task is to determine the means to the end- happiness

• Moral Goodness is concrete, in the situation, not abstracted



•TELEOLOGICAL SYSTEMS–Utilitarianism (greatest good for greatest number of people)

–Ethical Egoism (self-interest determines morality)



•PROBLEM: –Often elevates one absolute above all others

–Lacks subtlety and flexibility


ETHICAL SYSTEMS: Existential

• Assumes there is no objective source for moral propriety

• Immanent Ethical Norm is INWARD– True righteousness is never hypocritical– Ethical norm affirmed from within– Judging merely on “externals” is wrong– Moral Law must be MY Law



• Each is responsible for the authenticity of his/her actions

• Ethical behavior is self-realization– An expression of human nature

(Aquinas)– Or, an expression of human freedom

(Sartre, and others who deny there is any essential human nature)



• RELATIVISTIC SYSTEMS– Cultural Relativism (different

cultures, different values)– Personal Relativism (I determine

right and wrong)– Existentialism (authentic

existence determines right choice)

– Emotivism (morality expresses feelings about a subject)



•PROBLEM:–Fails to provide a basis for distinguishing moral from immoral behavior


ETHICS: THREE PERSPECTIVES

What is the dilemma?

What is the situation that requires my response?

1. The Situation



What is Right?

What does God say?

2. Norm



What is my attitudetoward the problem?

How do I relateto the situationand the norm?

3. Self


THREE PERSPECTIVES

SELF

SITUATION

NORM


THREE PERSPECTIVES

SITUATION

NORMSELF

“RIGHT”

Christian Ethics

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Christian Ethics 8/23/2015Christian Ethics Part 12 ETHICS RIGHT WRONG.

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