Reviving Evangelical Ethics

Corbin Reuschling Wyndy

Description

Classic theories of Aristotle, Kant, and Mill have influenced Christian thought in morality and ethics for centuries. But they can go only so far, Wyndy Corbin Reuschling writes in Reviving Evangelical Ethics. While the philosophers' approach to three key elements--virtue, duty, and utility--have been used widely in forming ethical and moral practices, Corbin Reuschling sees spiritual danger in their limitations. She probes deeply to deconstruct each philosophy, then reconstructs a broader, biblically based framework for personal and group ethics. This introductory text provides helpful biblical and theological reflection for students of Christian ethics.

Sujets

• Philosophie et théologie
• Christian theology

Informations

• Publié par: Baker Publishing Group
• Date de parution: 01 avril 2008
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781441234827
• Langue: English

Extrait

© 2008 by Wyndy Corbin Reuschling
Published by Brazos Press a division of Baker Publishing Group P.O. Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516–6287 www.brazospress.com
Ebook edition created 2012
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the prior written permission of the publisher and copyright owners. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.
eISBN 978-1-4412-3482-7
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
Acknowledgments
Introduction: Why Evangelical Ethics Needs Reviving

1. Classic Models of Morality: Immanuel Kant on Duty, John Stuart Mill on Utility, and Aristotle on Virtue
2. Trust and Obey? Another Way for Scripture and Ethics
3. We’ve a Story to Tell: Which One and Why?
4. Sweet Hour of Prayer: Save Me from the World’s Cares
5. Reviving Evangelical Ethics: Moral Conscience, Community, and Competency

Conclusion: Practices for Reviving Evangelical Ethics
Index
Notes
Acknowledgments
T hroughout the research and writing of this book, I was constantly reminded of the gifts of time and space granted to those of us whose scholarly vocations are means of service to the church and various other communities. The opportunity and responsibility to think, reflect, and write are privileges I hope I never take for granted. It is appropriate to acknowledge the many individuals who made both the “time” and “space” possible for writing this book, and those who fostered my thinking, reflecting, and writing.
For the time it took to write this book, my thanks go to the Board of Trustees and the Administration of Ashland Theological Seminary for an approved study leave in the spring of 2006 in order to write the bulk of the manuscript. I am grateful for the space at Tyndale House in Cambridge, England, for the staff, and for the generous access to resources and living accommodations for three months in the spring and summer of 2006.
Those who have fostered my thinking, reflecting, and writing are many. My colleagues and friends at Ashland Theological Seminary continue to provide a rich environment for thinking and reflection on the ministry implications of our scholarly passions and teaching. A number of them have contributed in significant ways to my own thinking and are acknowledged at various places throughout the book. The members of the Evangelical Ethics Interest Group at the Society of Christian Ethics continue to meet together each year to think together on our common vocations and concerns. Two members in particular, Christine Pohl and Glen Stassen, provided helpful feedback to a paper I presented which is incorporated into chapter 2 on scripture and ethics.
The writing of this book was facilitated by the feedback, competency, and interests of the people at Brazos Press. Rodney Clapp saw potential in our preliminary conversations about the topic and was present as the conversation became a proposal, when the proposal became a manuscript, and when the manuscript became a book. His skill as an editor, his great insights, and his good humor made the process less intimidating and actually enjoyable. Rebecca Cooper, Lisa Ann Cockrel, Lisa Williams, and Jeremy Wells graciously lent their expertise in managing the nuts and bolts of getting this thing done and published.
Finally, my gratitude to my husband, Mike Reuschling, extends far beyond what he did during the writing of this book. He cooked most of (okay . . . all of!) the meals while we were on study leave; he cajoled when the days seemed too long; he comforted when we yearned for home; and he collaborated out of his deep passion for God and scripture. “You’re a good man, Mike Reuschling . . .”
Introduction
Why Evangelical Ethics Needs Reviving
W hen people discover that I teach Christian ethics at a seminary, they typically ask three questions. The first question is, “What is Christian ethics?” This question may indicate a genuine interest in the subject matter of Christian ethics or some confusion as to how Christian ethics is different than “just plain old ethics.” Another question typically posed is, “Isn’t ‘Christian ethics’ an oxymoron?” This question indicates various degrees of cynicism and suspicion about ethics in general and Christian ethics in particular. The cynicism may be exacerbated by claims to the supremacy of Christian ethics simply because it is Christian and therefore “obvious.” Perhaps the skepticism increases when the consistency between what we profess and how we actually live becomes apparent, thereby elevating the perception that Christian ethics is oxymoronic.
By far the most prevalent inquiry to my confession that I teach Christian ethics is a quick shift to a long-awaited debate on ethical issues, often started by the direct question, “Well then, what is your position on . . . ?” The topics of interest are myriad but somewhat predictable. They range from abortion to capital punishment, euthanasia to stem cell research, war to same-sex marriage, and Supreme Court nominations to school vouchers, just to name a few. The list could go on (and on), depending on the context in which the question “What is your position on . . . ?” is asked. This question reveals two common misconceptions about ethics. The first is the assumption that ethics is about one’s position on ethical issues to defend one’s position is the “right” or ethical thing to do. This question may also expose the ways in which ethics is co-opted by contemporary sociopolitical issues and the call for Christians to “take a stand” on divisive issues that fall along the conservative or liberal divides in the “culture wars.” [1] I suspect the question “So, what is your position on . . .” is posed to me because of the evangelical context in which I am located. This context appears, at least on the surface, to succumb more easily to the temptation to see ethics as merely decision making and taking right positions on right issues, given the historical and social context of evangelicalism and the side it has typically taken in the culture wars debate.
This book is an attempt to address the misconceptions on the topic of ethics in general and Christian ethics in particular. What is Christian ethics? What specifically is Christian about Christian ethics? Is Christian ethics just about taking “right positions” on selected issues? More specifically, this book is an attempt to speak about moral understandings and discourse in evangelical ethics and to speak into a tradition in which I live and work as helpful critic (I hope) and as constructive participant (I hope) for transformation in our moral horizons and ethical practices because of our commitments to the God revealed particularly in the person of Jesus Christ.
Promises and Pitfalls of Classic Models of Morality
I will start my exploration of moral formation in evangelical ethics by examining the three classic theories of ethics through the works of three philosophers who articulated a particular moral system. These theories are deontology, teleology, and virtue ethics. Deontology is the study of duty or obligation. Teleology is typically understood as the ascertaining and achievement of moral outcomes or ends by considering the consequences of decisions, for the good they achieve or the harm they minimize. Virtue ethics focuses on the character of the individual as shaped by and reflected in habits, dispositions, behavior, and decisions. I choose as representatives of these schools of thought Immanuel Kant, John Stuart Mill, and Aristotle, respectively. I use “classic” in the sense that these theories and their representatives are widely referenced in ethics and have been appropriated in a variety of ways by philosophers, political and social theorists, theologians, and applied ethicists. It is in this way I see these thinkers and their proposals as classic, in the fairly broad use and acceptance of these theories by various disciplines seeking to understand ethical theories and their application. By “classic” I do not mean a unilateral, uncritical, and unqualified acceptance of these theories as true, as givens, and as the only way for construing and articulating moral norms and claims. This would be not only a denial of the reality that epistemology is limited by social location, so that claims humans make about what is given and true are finite and influenced by the assumptions embedded within our own contexts, but an acceptance that would also be detrimental to the assumptions of the Christian faith that give preference to God as the One who truly knows what is real and the One who is all wise. I find the unilateral, uncritical, and unqualified acceptance of these theories particularly problematic in that it risks stripping Christian ethics of its uniqueness and particularity, a concern that will be addressed in this book. [2]
It is my desire to interact with these classic models of morality to explore their pitfalls and promises in ethics for two primary reasons. The first is to articulate the claims of these classic theories and the ways in which the contexts and stories that gave birth to Kant’s understanding of duty, Mill’s principle of utility, and Aristotle’s view of virtue may conflict and diverge in significant ways from a Christian story that has its own context, its own assumptions, and its own claims on individuals and communities who profess to live by a Christian narrative for their moral lives. Second, it is my hope to look in depth at the particular forms that these classic theories have taken in evangelical morality and ethical practices. My hope is to critique the ways they constrain and limit our understanding of moral norms to just duty, to just what works, and to just personal piety. My ai