Christian Ethics: A Guide for the Perplexed

Guides for the Perplexed

by Victor Lee Austin

Christian ethics is a most perplexing subject. This Guide takes the reader through the most fundamental issues surrounding the question of Ethics from a Christian perspective: Is ethics a meaningful topic of discourse and can there be such a thing as an ethical argument or ethical persuasion? What is the meaning of the adjective in "Christian Ethics"?Could right behavior be different for Christians than it is for others? Can we turn to the Bible for help? Does the Bible tell us what to do, or give us insight into the good we should aim to achieve, or give us a narrative by which to live? Is it best to think of ethics as a matter of duty, or good, or excellence? If we take the virtue line and say that ethics is about human excellence, doing well as a human being or succeeding at being a good human being then what will we say about humans who cannot achieve excellence? The virtue approach leads us to place friendship as the goal of ethics.

Genres: Theology

192 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2008

Reviews

[Gregory Strong · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very fine introductory book in Christian ethics. Austin well summarizes various approaches to philosophical ethics and theological ethics before explicating in general terms a Thomistic approach to virtue. He further sketches the meaning of all of this for certain matters such as friendship, the nature of personhood, and human disability. I recommend this book to interested people.

[Greg · Rating 4 out of 5]

An exploration of ethics from a Christian perspective. Definitely dense material!