PHT 3131 Christian Ethics and Moral Formation (4 credits) at United Lutheran Theological Seminary Paulinum

What is Christian Ethics?

Christian ethics, also known as moral theology, is a multi-faceted ethical system: it is a virtue ethic which focuses on building moral character, and a deontological ethic which emphasizes duty.

Overview

Christian ministers need to understand Christian ethics in order to give sound moral advice to their people. One needs Christian ethics in order to avoid errors in ethical reason, such as extremist thinking or stressing minor issues and neglecting major ones.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the meaning of Christian ethic?

Christian ethics is a virtue ethic which focuses on developing an ethical character, beginning with obedience to a set of rules and laws seen as divine commands reflecting behaviors which are morally required, forbidden, or permitted.

What is an example of a Christian ethic?

Christians acknowledge not only a duty to announce the gospel, profess the faith, and worship God but also to live their entire lives according to God’s will.

What is Introduction to Christian ethics?

An Introduction to Christian Ethics uses a Christian approach while encouraging students to consider a variety of current ethical issues and apply relevant biblical and theological concepts to these issues.

What are some examples of Christian ethics?

Love for all, including one’s enemies, in the sense of self-sacrificing agape, is perhaps the most commonly cited distinctively Christian ethical teaching (see, for example, The Love Commandments: Essays in Christian Ethics and Moral Philosophy, eds.

What is an example of a religious ethic?

A Christian ethic, for example, may be informed by Jesus’ radical teaching about loving one’s neighbor, being a good Samaritan, loving one’s enemies, and the like.

How is ethics different from religion?

Ethics of people are often found to be reflected in the laws of the land. However, if you are following the laws of the land, you do not become ethical. If homosexuality is permitted by the law, but religion says it is unethical, and you feel the same way too, there is a conflict between religion and laws.

What do you mean by ethical religion?

The societies spreading ethical religion or religious ethics believe in religion through morality. The common idea, it may be admitted, is that there may be morality without religion and religion without morality.

Why are ethics important in religion?

A central aspect of ethics is “the good life”, the life worth living or life that is simply satisfying, which is held by many philosophers to be more important than traditional moral conduct. Most religions have an ethical component, often derived from purported supernatural revelation or guidance.

Do we need religion to be ethical?

It is simply impossible for people to be moral without religion or God. Faith can be very very dangerous, and deliberately to implant it into the vulnerable mind of an innocent child is a grievous wrong. The question of whether or not morality requires religion is both topical and ancient.

Do you think religion plays a role in ethics?

At a minimum, we do seem to regard religion as a good source of basic moral guidance, making it unwise to argue that there ought to be no connection between religion and ethics. The link between religion and morality is best illustrated by the Golden Rule.

Which is more important ethics or religion?

“A prerequisite for peace is more compassion and completely new ethics, ethics without religion,” he says. The knowledge and practice of religion may be helpful but we could do without religion and also Buddhism, he seems convinced.

What are ethics based on?

Ethics deals with well-based standards of how people ought to act. Ethics does not describe the way people do act. It deals with the way people should act. Ethical people always strive to make the right decision in all circumstances. They do not rationalize their actions based on their own perceived self-interests.

What are ethical laws?

Laws are codifications of certain ethical values meant to help regulate society, and also impact decision-making. Driving carefully, for example, because you don’t want to hurt someone is making a decision based on ethics.

What is the relation between ethics and God?

God approves of right actions because they are right and disapproves of wrong actions because they are wrong (moral theological objectivism, or objectivism). So, morality is independent of God’s will; however, since God is omniscient He knows the moral laws, and because He’s moral, He follows them.

What does it mean when something is ethical?

1 : involving questions of right and wrong : relating to ethics ethical issues. 2 : following accepted rules of behavior We expect ethical treatment of animals. ethical. adjective.