Chapter Four: The Story of Christian Ethics
The whole idea of Christian ethics is fraught with difficulty. Until Kant in the late 1700s there was not universal good or ethic. After, the notion of ethics changed.
Foundations. Because the early church wielded little power, its ethics focused on community life
The Early Fathers
- Justin Martyr. Defended the faith to the powers.
- Tertullian. Had a very rigorous views of the Christian life.
- The Cappadocians. Basil, Gregory of Nazianzus and Gregory of Nyssa. Concern for the poor, against slavery. First articulation of a trinitarian doctrine.
- Ambrose of Milan. Former Roman governor who was made a bishop. Opposed accumulation of wealth.
Augustine. Major figure in the early Latin church.
- Sin. Evil is the loss of the good and not the opposite of good.
- Sex. Argued that God created sex and listed three good of marriage. He did view sex was not a good thing, but a necessary thing.
- War. Viewed peace as the ideal and Christians were called to be agents of peace, even in times of war. Gave criteria for going to war.
- The City of God. Earthly empire is inherently in the thrall of the sinful love of glory.
Thomas Aquinas. All things are good and the greatest good is when they reach their intended end.
- Virtue. Virtue is a habit which is always "referred to the good.”
- Law. Four kinds of law: Natural, divine, human, and eternal.
- Politics. Human life must be social. Authority is proper and must be exercised for the good. Sex is good, but primarily for procreation.
Revisions. After the Reformation, the unity of Christian thought disintegrated. Three strands of revision.
Martin Luther. Luther’s central theme is justification by faith alone. That faith then leads to expressions of love to others. “… Luther begins with the paradox of Christian life: “A Christian is a free lord, subject to none.” He did not think that the Christian task is to overthrow the status quo.
John Calvin. Much more interested in rule for social behavior and society.
The Radical Reformation. Anabaptists are one example. They viewed themselves as strangers and sojourners in the world. They had a large emphasis on works. Believer’s baptism was critical. They were generally non-violent.
Legacies of Division. In modern times, ethics began to a university topic and not just a church topic. Six denominational traditions.
- Luther’s Legacy. Four main themes.
a. Distinction between salvation and human efforts.
b. Doctrine of the church and its mission.
c. The tension between law and gospel.
d. Paradoxical view of human nature and history.
Five people who represent this tradition.
a. Kirkegaard. Concentrated on the individual who must refuse to swim with the social tide.
b. Ritschl. Claimed the gospel was addressed to communities, not individuals.
c. Troeltsch. He wrote on social ethics.
d. Niebuhr.
e. Bonhoeffer. The ultimate (God’s perfected kingdom at the end of time) and the penultimate (our life in the time and in flesh). - Calvin’s Legacy. Five points of Calvinism codified in 1619 (TULIP): Total depravity, unconditional election, limited atonement, irresistible grace, and perseverance of the saints.” Some key figures in Reformed Ethics.
a. Jonathan Edwards.
b. Abraham Kuyper.
c. Karl Barth. - Anglican and Methodist Themes. Love God and his grace key. Strong emphasis on social justice.
- Roman Catholic Moral Theology. Manuals of Moral Theology were the main medium for ethical instruction. Pst 19th century, Catholic Social Teachings reacted to the change in society. After Vatican II, a return to scripture as of source of ethics changed the teaching.
- Eastern Orthodox Ethics. Its roots are in the “Eastern Fathers”. The incarnation and God’s nature as Trinity have close connection to Orthodox ethics.
- Pentecostalism.