Christian Ethics

Christian Ethics

1. The Bible

   • Fundamentalists read it as the literal word of God, his words conveyed to various writers.
     • The idea that the Bible documents God revealing himself in history as Saviour (salvation history) was first put forward by German biblical scholars, suggesting a common theme throughout the Bible.
     • God reveals himself through a series of covenants (agreements) which demonstrate his love, the first being found in Genesis and the last in the Incarnation of Jesus. The Bible is therefore seen as the document which will point us towards a right relationship with God.
     • Fundamentalists don’t always follow all the teachings in the Bible, it can be argued, as few Christians today follow the Law of Moses despite Jesus telling his disciples to follow them. An example of this is not having their male children circumcised.
   • Protestants believe the Bible is the focal point of Christian authority - any belief must be supported by evidence in Scripture. Some groups may discuss the Bible and create consensus views of Christian doctrine within their community.
     • Other Protestants hold to the idea that the Bible is the sole body of authority and must be interpreted wisely. These Churches have a central ‘committee’, called a synod, of elected governing members who discuss matters of faith to pass to their followers. This is criticised however; how could assembled group determine the true meaning of the Bible’s teachings? When educating Christian followers, there must be strict guidance on what the Scripture means, performed by either an educated clergy or laity.
   • Evangelicals (or the Low Church) believe the Bible is the sole source of authority. These Anglicans are often opposed to gay rights and women privileged within the Church, as their reading of the Bible interprets this.

2. Tradition and Reason - C of E:

   • The Anglo-Catholics (High Church) and Liberal Anglicans use THREE agreed sources of authority; the Bible, the traditions of the Ancient Church and Reason.
   • The Ancient Church is the Church Fathers discussion of beliefs and morals from first to fifth century CE. They recorded these ideas in statements or belief, called creeds.
   • Reason is derived from structured debate in discussing issues, using the mind to analyse information, finding the relevancy and deducing it from truth. Christians believe God gave us reason to determine right and wrong in moral behaviour (Central feature of Aquinas’ NL.)

3. Roman Catholic Church / Magisterum

   • The RCC is the largest of all the Christian denominations. Its sources of authority known as the ‘Magisterium’ are similar to those of the Church of England but the difference lies in the position of the Pope, who is the leader of the RCC.
     • The Pope is considered to be the successor of St Peter and holds the power to decide the beliefs of the Roman Catholic Christians worldwide. This is through sermons, pastoral letters to the faithful in Rome., encyclicals carrying the weight of the authority of the Church. and papal letters addressed to all the bishops in the RCC and the faithful everywhere in the world.

4. Inner self (All)

   • All Christians of all denominations have their own individualistic views of their belief. These can be through private prayer and their conscience. Christians also believe the conscience is the voice of God within, and thus they can gain insight to morality from it.
   • A further source of authority for most Christians is the services offered by the Church. Especially the Eucharist (Holy Communion and Mass) are designed to enhance the love and care aspect of the Christian community. Sacraments such as marriage services have a moral as well as spiritual agenda, the words usually used to express moral truths in the Church

5. Jesus, Golden rule and Holy Spirit

   • Jesus taught the central ethical principles of Christianity, believed to be the incarnate Word of God in human form, his teachings designed to prepare people for the Kingdom of God. Jesus was a Jewish teacher, a rabbi, therefore interpreter of the ‘Torah’, the central theme being love of God and others.
   • Love is the key to Christianity, and it was the Gospel writers goal to demonstrate that the life of Christ is the story of God’s overflowing love for humanity. The key teaching of Jesus demonstrates this; ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’
   • Christians believe this creative power of the Spirit encourages them to act for the good of others and for the planet. Christians opposed to the exploitation of the planet use the creative nature of the Holy Spirit as an exemplar of how the planet should be cared for. This ecology movement is called the New Creation movement, showing the link between the spiritual renewal and revival of the planet.

6. St Paul's Moral Teachings

   • 'Christians are part of a body whose head is Jesus The Eucharistic meal is about community, not division. The gifts of the Spirit are like organs of a body, there is a relationship between all organs in a body similar to that of all Christians and their skills - each have different roles and gifts, none being more or less superior than another. Christians should aim for hope, faith and love - love being the greatest.'
   • The division of body and the Church is best repaired and unified once more by love, the chief gift of God’s Spirit. Paul implies that a Christian, is a part of Church and therefore Christ. Love is agape, meaning it is freely given and asked for nothing in return.